Apple’s upcoming flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, is rumoured to receive a significant battery upgrade, potentially making it the most power-packed iPhone yet. Set for an expected launch in September, the top-end model in the iPhone 17 series may be the first Apple handset to feature a 5,000mAh battery, according to a recent leak.
The information comes from tipster Instant Digital, who shared the claim via Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. If accurate, this would mark a considerable jump from the current iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is said to carry a 4,676mAh battery. Although Apple traditionally highlights battery life in terms of usage, such as video or audio playback, the larger capacity could mean longer screen-on time and improved performance per charge.
For context, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is advertised to support up to 33 hours of video playback and up to 105 hours of audio playback. The iPhone 17 Pro Max could therefore set a new benchmark for endurance among Apple’s smartphones.
This rumoured upgrade comes alongside reports of other major internal enhancements. Apple is expected to introduce a new vapour chamber cooling system in the iPhone 17 Pro models, moving away from the graphite-based thermal management currently in use. The change is reportedly aimed at addressing the high thermal output of the A19 Pro chip, which is expected to power the device.
Performance-wise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to offer substantial gains. Alleged Geekbench results suggest single-core scores above 4,000 and multi-core performance surpassing 10,000. These improvements would be backed by 12GB of RAM and Apple’s A19 Pro chip, which may be manufactured using TSMC’s N3P process, a more efficient iteration of its 3nm node.
It is crucial to note that with all leaks, the information should be taken with caution until officially confirmed by the Cupertino tech giant.
