Overview
- The leak, first reported Tuesday by Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station and picked up by multiple outlets, claims the iPhone 18 Pro is being tested with two battery variants of about 4,056 mAh and 4,288 mAh.
- Those figures represent only a marginal year‑over‑year increase for the standard Pro model and would be the smallest Pro‑series battery gain since 2020 if accurate.
- The capacity gap traces to Apple’s regional SIM strategy: eSIM‑only units free internal space previously used by a SIM tray, allowing a larger battery in markets like the United States.
- Industry reporting says Apple plans to pair modest mAh gains with a more power‑efficient A20/A20 Pro chip on TSMC’s 2nm node, so real‑world endurance may improve more from efficiency than raw capacity.
- The leaker also says the Pro Max is testing a much larger pack at roughly 5,100–5,200 mAh, but all figures are described as provisional prototype numbers that could change before an expected September unveiling.