iPhone 18 sticks to 4,056 mAh without silicon-carbon
The iPhone 18 Pro will feature 4,056 mAh and forgo the silicon-carbon anode technology, which its proponents claim offers nearly 50% greater density.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Apple leaves silicon-carbon to OPPO and Huawei: 4,056 mAh in the iPhone 18
The iPhone 18 Pro returns with less mAh than a mid-range phone, according to circulating calculations: 4,056 mAh, while some argue that a Redmi of the same generation reaches 10,000 mAh. The silicon-carbon anode technology, which its proponents claim adds nearly 50% more energy density, is still absent from Apple's specifications, which leaves it in the hands of OPPO and Huawei. The prevailing view is that whoever charges more for the hardware delivers less capacity in the box.
Why doesn't the iPhone 18 have a silicon-carbon battery?
Those comparing cells argue that it's not needed for sales. Silicon-carbon batteries, according to those same users, have an expected lifespan of about 800 cycles, compared to the 1,200 offered by traditional graphite batteries. Those who switch iPhones every 18 months won't notice that degradation, so the durability argument loses strength against industrial cost. Another layer to the reasoning is added: stock market capitalization forces brutal margins and requires saving every last penny in production.
4,056 mAh versus the 10,000 of Chinese mid-range phones
The numbers from the family do not help the narrative. The 18 Pro remains at those 4,056 mAh, while the Pro Max goes up to 5,300, according to one participant. In the previous generation, the iPhone 17 started with 3,800 mAh, a low-end figure on paper. In contrast, a Redmi Note 17 Pro Max announces 10,000 mAh, according to the same calculations. Those who defend Chinese manufacturers admit the tradeoff: those cells have come with increasingly large and heavy bodies.
Optimization also counts: 3,800 mAh performing like 5,300
The firsthand experience qualifies the graph. A recent iPhone 17 buyer asserts that their 3,800 mAh lasts as long as a OnePlus 12's 5,300 mAh battery at 89% health. The system management works, they argue. Others prefer the opposite: thin and light phones, with magnetic wireless charging to attach an external battery only when needed.
The anecdote repeats every season: the variable aperture camera is presented as a world novelty, while competitors have been incorporating it for years. How much longer can the story of optimization hold up when facing double the mAh capacity?
The iPhone 18 Pro returns with less mAh than a mid-range phone, according to circulating calculations: 4,056 mAh, while some argue that a Redmi of the same generation reaches 10,000 mAh. The silicon-carbon anode technology, which its proponents claim adds nearly 50% more energy density, is still absent from Apple's specifications, which leaves it in the hands of OPPO and Huawei. The prevailing view is that whoever charges more for the hardware delivers less capacity in the box.
Why doesn't the iPhone 18 have a silicon-carbon battery?
Those comparing cells argue that it's not needed for sales. Silicon-carbon batteries, according to those same users, have an expected lifespan of about 800 cycles, compared to the 1,200 offered by traditional graphite batteries. Those who switch iPhones every 18 months won't notice that degradation, so the durability argument loses strength against industrial cost. Another layer to the reasoning is added: stock market capitalization forces brutal margins and requires saving every last penny in production.
4,056 mAh versus the 10,000 of Chinese mid-range phones
The numbers from the family do not help the narrative. The 18 Pro remains at those 4,056 mAh, while the Pro Max goes up to 5,300, according to one participant. In the previous generation, the iPhone 17 started with 3,800 mAh, a low-end figure on paper. In contrast, a Redmi Note 17 Pro Max announces 10,000 mAh, according to the same calculations. Those who defend Chinese manufacturers admit the tradeoff: those cells have come with increasingly large and heavy bodies.
Optimization also counts: 3,800 mAh performing like 5,300
The firsthand experience qualifies the graph. A recent iPhone 17 buyer asserts that their 3,800 mAh lasts as long as a OnePlus 12's 5,300 mAh battery at 89% health. The system management works, they argue. Others prefer the opposite: thin and light phones, with magnetic wireless charging to attach an external battery only when needed.
The anecdote repeats every season: the variable aperture camera is presented as a world novelty, while competitors have been incorporating it for years. How much longer can the story of optimization hold up when facing double the mAh capacity?
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (17 replies).
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