iPhone batteries compared: Capacity, mah and watt hours for every iPhone

Macworld

Battery life is one of the most important factors when choosing which iPhone to buy.

Measuring iPhone battery life in straight hours of real-world usage (as Apple likes to do) is not an accurate metric for comparison purposes as so many use and environmental factors play a part.

Here at Macworld we run our own battery life tests, which should give you a more accurate representation of how long the battery in your iPhone will last. In the table below you can see battery life (in minutes).

Another way to gage battery life is to look at the technical specifications to find out the battery capacities of each iPhone. Unfortunately, Apple is notoriously secretive about these battery specifications, mainly because smartphones from rivals such as Samsung boast much larger battery capacities. The only way to discover the battery capacities is by ripping the battery out of the phone and checking the specifications printed there.

Below you will find a list and explanation of the battery capacities of every iPhone from 2007’s original iPhone to the very latest iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16e.

iPhone battery life tests

This chart shows that there is a clear and impressive increase in battery life over time. Battery capacity has grown significantly, almost doubling from the iPhone 8 to the iPhone 16. But battery life has extended much more than that, with the iPhone 16 running the same test, at the same brightness, lasting over five times as long as the iPhone 8! Bear in mind that screen size has increased quite a bit over this time, too.






For more details about our battery life tests of every iPhone from the iPhone X to the iPhone 16 Pro Max see: How much the iPhone’s battery life has improved.

iPhone mAh and Wh: what’s the difference?

We can look at the straight technical specifications to find out the battery capacities of each iPhone, but as mentioned above, to do so requires opening up the iPhone to see the details on the battery itself.

Battery capacity is measured in either Milliamp Hours (mAh) or Watt Hours (Wh).

Milliamp hours are a measure of electrical charge, while a watt-hour is equal to one watt of energy consumed for one hour of time. And it is the energy consumed that matters when we’re measuring actual battery life.

Learn how to properly charge a phone battery.

Wh is a more accurate and consistent way to compare the total amount of energy that similar types of batteries can store.

And it’s all about the battery voltage, which mAh ignores, which determines the wattage (power) of a battery.

If the mAh is the same, the higher the voltage, the greater the actual stored power.

Volts (V) are a measure of electric pressure. Amps (A) are a measure of current. Multiply V x A and you get Watts (W) that are a measure of power. So V × A = W.

You can convert watt hours (Wh) to milliamp hours (mAh) using this formula: (Wh x 1,000) divided by V = mAh.

The lithium batteries that power most portable electronics have a voltage of about 3.6V, but some external battery packs (such as Apple’s 7.62V MagSafe Battery Pack) boast a higher voltage, which means they actually carry more power than their mAh implies.






Here we list the battery capacity of every iPhone ever released in both mAh and Wh.

iPhone battery capacities

Here is the mAh and Wh for every iPhone ever made.

iPhonemAhWhiPhone                        1,400mAh        5.18WhiPhone 3G                     1,150mAh           4.25WhiPhone 3GS                    1,200mAh            4.44WhiPhone 4                      1,420mAh         5.3WhiPhone 4s                     1,432mAh         5.3WhiPhone 5                      1,440mAh         5.45WhiPhone 5c                     1,510mAh          5.73WhiPhone 5s                     1,560mAh         5.92WhiPhone 6                      1,810mAh         6.9WhiPhone 6s                     1,715mAh         6.91WhiPhone 6s Plus                2,750mAh             10.45WhiPhone SE                     1,624mAh          6.21WhiPhone 7                      1,960mAh         7.45WhiPhone 7 Plus                 2,900mAh            11.1WhiPhone 8                      1,821mAh         6.96WhiPhone 8 Plus                 2,961mAh            10.28WhiPhone X                      2,716mAh          10.35WhiPhone XR                     2,942mAh            11.16WhiPhone XS                     2,658mAh           10.13WhiPhone XS Max 3,174mAh            12.08Wh iPhone 11                     3,110mAh         11.91WhiPhone 11 Pro                 3,046mAh             11.67WhiPhone 11 Pro Max         3,969mAh              15.04WhiPhone SE 2                   1,821mAh             6.91WhiPhone 12 mini                2,227mAh              8.57WhiPhone 12                     2,815mAh          10.78WhiPhone 12 Pro                 2,815mAh             10.78WhiPhone 12 Pro Max        3,687mAh               14.13WhiPhone 13 mini                2,438mAh              9.34WhiPhone 13                     3,240mAh          12.41WhiPhone 13 Pro                 3,095mAh             11.97WhiPhone 13 Pro Max       4,352mAh16.75WhiPhone SE 3                   2,018mAh             6.96WhiPhone 14                     3,279mAh          12.68WhiPhone 14 Plus                4,325mAh              16.68WhiPhone 14 Pro                 3,200mAh             12.38WhiPhone 14 Pro Max 4,323mAh16.68WhiPhone 15                     3,349mAh         12.98WhiPhone 15 Plus                4,383mAh             16.95WhiPhone 15 Pro                 3,274mAh            12.70WhiPhone 15 Pro Max       4,422mAh17.11WhiPhone 16                     3,561mAh         13.7WhiPhone 16 Plus                4,674mAh             18WhiPhone 16 Pro                 3,582mAh            13.8WhiPhone 16 Pro Max 4,685mAh18WhiPhone 16e                    3,961mAh           N/AMagSafe Battery Pack 1,460mAh                    11.13W

Check out the best iPhone chargers and USB-C iPhone charge cables in our test results.

Is your iPhone battery living up to its potential? Find out How to check iPhone battery health and find out how and when to replace it.

Got an iPad? Read 12 power tips for longer iPad battery life