iPhone 12 Pro Max skimps on battery size — but does it matter?

News
By Mark Anthony Ramirez
published

Is the rumored smaller battery in the iPhone 12 Pro Max really an issue?

(Image credit: Apple)

With reviews of the soon-to-be-released iPhone 12 trickling in, there have been some mentions of battery life issues. Last night, MacRumors released a report based on recent regulatory fillings Apple submitted to TENAA (The Chinese version of the FCC) where it was spotted that the new iPhone 12 Pro Max supposedly comes equipped with a 3,687 mAh battery, which is 7% smaller than the iPhone 11 Pro Max's 3,969 mAh battery. 

The other interesting information gleaned from the fillings is that there is 6GB of RAM in the new iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is a welcomed improvement though short of many new Android devices with 12GB of RAM. 

Does it matter if the iPhone 12 Pro Max battery is smaller? With Apple's new Bionic A14 processors supposedly being more energy-efficient, the drop in battery size shouldn't affect battery life. According to Apple, the battery's stamina should match that of the iPhone Pro Max 11 and allow for up to 20 hours of video playback and up to 80 hours of audio playback. 

However, many reviewers noted that there does seem to be worse battery life in their initial testing of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. The power-hungry 5G could be the culprit, so turning off the 5G modem should improve battery life. 

As with any new iteration of Apple's iPhone, there will be issues, bugs, and updates that address users' complaints and concerns. Our team is looking forward to reviewing the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Max and sharing our results with you.

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.