One of the factors that kept an LTE "4G" radio out of the iPhone 4S was the compromise of the
battery-draining next-generation cellular data transceiver. As many "4G" phone owners know, the advanced technology requires a lot of power, even when not in active use. Purported
next-iPhone batteries seen in photos and sporting slightly higher specifications than existing iPhone batteries may, if accurate, suggest that Apple has overcome the LTE issue with a modest compromise.
The new batteries, shown in photos on
9to5Mac, feature a capacity of 1440mAh, a new voltage of 3.8 and a watts-per-hour measurement of 5.45wHr, all proportional increases from the current iPhone 4S battery specs of 1430mAh, 3.7 volts and 5.3wHr. The modestly-revised battery hints that Apple may have settled on
a very recent Qualcomm chip that offers a multi-band LTE radio with a much lower energy draw than existing chipsets, and may also have found ways to cut power consumption in other areas, such as improving the efficiency of its main processor, which is expected to be
a new in-house chip.
It is also possible that the battery is a replica, or a prototype battery for testing, a digitally altered image of another phone's battery or a model that was considered but will not end up being used for one reason or another. The authenticity of the photos has not been verified, but Apple has been seen as being eager to improve the feature set of each successive iPhone without making it thicker, forcing the company to do more with the same (or smaller) interior dimensions. The next iPhone is rumored to be
slightly longer but also thinner than the current model, making economy of battery size a priority.
The next iPhone model has been rumored to be in the works for a
mid-September launch, but there has not yet been any official word from Apple. The iPhone has traditionally been updated roughly once a year, but this year's model is speculated to bring a substantial design change along with
many new features. Apple plans on releasing
iOS 6, which will likely be the default OS on the next iPhone, sometime this fall -- and may even update
some models of iPod as the company prepares its lineup for the holiday season. [
via 9to5Mac]
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