If considering buying an Apple iPhone 12, here’s a look at the type of battery experience that will be on offer. During its ‘Hi, Speed’ event on October 13, Apple announced the iPhone 12 family, powered by the A14 Bionic – touted as the fastest and most efficient smartphone chip to date. While Apple downplayed any concerns over battery life, it is likely sacrifices had to be made to make way for newer technologies and features, such as 5G. As a result, buyers should expect a nearly identical experience to the iPhone 11 series.
With the release of the iPhone 12 series, Apple will fail to deliver on extending battery life for another year in a row. The iPhone 11 was largely praised for its improvements to battery life compared to the iPhone XS, which Apple addressed by adding more capacity and developing the A13 Bionic. This time around, Apple wanted to release a phone series that supports 5G connectivity. While 5G guarantees faster performance, it also requires more power for uploading and downloading data to and from the internet. With competitors also releasing 5G phones this year, Apple took 5G as a higher priority over offering another significant battery upgrade.
To address battery concerns with the first iPhone generation to support 5G, the company added a new feature to help limit the use of 5G called “Smart Data Mode.” Essentially, the phone will only use 5G when it is running apps that need it, such as video and games. For text-based and web-browsing apps, the phone will revert to 4G so that battery life is conserved. In another move to save on battery life, Apple also opted to stick with a 60Hz refresh rate, rather than upgrade to 90 or 120Hz like other new phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S20.
How Long Will iPhone 12 Battery Last?
As with each generation of iPhone, different models will come with different battery limits. According to Apple’s own specs, it will take 17 video playback hours, 11 streaming hours, or 65 audio hours for the iPhone 12 Pro’s battery to deplete. Compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, the older model provides one additional video hour with all other rates the same. The standard iPhone 12 will also last 17 video hours, or 11 hours when streaming, or 65 hours when playing audio. Compared to the standard iPhone 11, the new model has gained one additional streaming hour. The Pro Max version provides up to 20 video hours, 12 streaming hours, or 80 audio hours, representing no change compared to its predecessor. Meanwhile, the new iPhone 12 mini can last up to 15 video hours, 10 streaming hours, or 50 audio hours.
Despite the lack of progression with iPhone 12 batteries, there are a couple of accessories that consumers can buy to charge the phone faster or supply more battery power when needed. Apple also recently unveiled the 20W USB-C Power Adapter, which would be the quickest way to charge the new iPhone 12 series. These adapters will soon be available for $20 each. Consumers can also buy portable battery chargers to add hours to an iPhone’s battery. As portable chargers are designed for recharging an iPhone when a wall outlet isn’t accessible, they can be used on the go, so that the phone can stay powered for a longer time.
