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Every smartphone battery degrades over time. But according to new tests from Apple, the iPhone 15 will retain 80% of its original battery capacity after 1,000 cycles, which is up from 500 cycles in previous models.
(Credit: Apple)The new estimate comes as Apple prepares to roll out a new battery info setting for the iPhone 15. Starting in iOS 17.4, which is currently in beta, you'll be able to go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health to find battery information that is not presently available. The new screen shows the original manufacture date for your iPhone's battery when it first turned on, the current cycle count, and more. This new screen doesn't appear to be coming to iPhone 14 and earlier, unfortunately, and you'll have to rely on the current battery information in settings.
But for iPhone 15, this new screen provides helpful information to determine if your iPhone is experiencing a battery issue. Modern smartphone batteries degrade as you use them, and that degradation is tied explicitly to cycles. A cycle is essentially using 100% of a charge capacity, though you don't need to go through it all at once. If you go through 60% of a charge capacity on day one, fully recharge, and then go through another 40% the next day, you've used a cycle. That's why modern smartphones use various forms of "optimized charging" to extend your battery lifespan. Plug in your iPhone overnight, and it won't immediately charge up to 100%, then attempt to stay there all night. Instead, it'll increase to around 80%, an optimal lithium-ion battery capacity, and then finish charging shortly before you generally wake up.
But no matter how you care for a smartphone, eventually, its battery will degrade. And that's what makes Apple's announcement so important. In previous models, Apple promised that an iPhone would maintain 80% of its original battery capacity after 500 charge cycles. But starting with the iPhone 15, Apple says that promise is now 1,000 charge cycles, even without its rumored upcoming custom battery tech.
Again, charging cycles aren't necessarily tied to "time," so it's not a promise that your iPhone 15 will "last twice as long." If you work harder with your iPhone 15 than you did with your iPhone 14, you'll degrade it more quickly. But, under "equal circumstances," you should be able to keep your iPhone 15 for longer without worrying about it dying early in the day, and that's a good thing.