Apple Increases iPhone 15's Advertised Battery Lifespan

Apple today announced that it retested the batteries in all iPhone 15 models and determined that they are able to meet a higher bar.

iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature Gray
In a support document updated today, Apple says the batteries in the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max are designed to retain 80% of their original capacity at 1,000 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions, compared to the 500 charge cycles it advertises for all older iPhone models.

Apple told MacRumors that its latest testing for iPhone 15 models involved charging and discharging the battery 1,000 times under specific conditions, but it did not provide any exact details about the process. Apple added that it has continually made improvements to iPhone battery components and its power management system.

This revelation means that it could take longer for the maximum battery capacity of iPhone 15 models to decline to 80% compared to previous iPhone models. However, Apple said it is "investigating" the battery lifespans of older iPhone models, so a comparison based on the latest testing parameters remains to be seen.

In its support document, Apple says the battery lifespan of any iPhone model ultimately depends on how the device is regularly used and charged.

To view an iPhone's battery capacity, open the Settings app and tap Battery → Battery Health & Charging. On iPhone 15 models updated to the latest iOS 17.4 beta, the menu is now simply called Battery Health and shows more info at a glance.

This news was first reported by 9to5Mac.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...

Top Rated Comments

till Avatar
17 months ago
Admittedly it's only been five months, but I've been strictly using the 80% Limit option on my iPhone 15 Pro and the max capacity is still 100%. I'm optimistic that it'll easily last my typical ~5 years between phone upgrades.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FattiesGoneWild Avatar
17 months ago
Launch day 14 Pro Max down to 86% ?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farmboy Avatar
17 months ago

It is unbelievable how easy people are manipulated by Apple. They used recycled batteries in the 14 series hence the short battery lifecycle. They did the same with the 15 series but this time as marketing. At the same time telling users not to charge and use the battery over 80%! Of course it will degrade slower, do not get us started how the iOS code manipulated the statistic so users feel relieved. They did this with iPhone 4 cellular issue's you holding it wrong and performance gate iPhone 6.
You are wrong, or at least misstating. Apple uses about 25% recycled COBALT in their batteries, not "recycled batteries". All phone makers, indeed all portable electronic devices, use as much recycled cobalt as they can.

The recycling is done for several reasons: 1) because cobalt is a very expensive raw material, and because most of it comes from the Congo, where that mining is rife with human abuse; 2) Because it is environmentally unwise to mine the lithium cobalt; 3) Because it is environmentally unwise to just junk the old batteries; 4) Recycled cobalt charges just as efficiently and as much as new cobalt.

The cathode material is Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2), the anode is carbon graphite while the electrolyte is a solid polymer such as polyethylene oxide or polyacrylonitrile or similar. The LiCoO2 coats aluminum collectors while the graphite coats copper collectors.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chfilm Avatar
17 months ago
Great - so I can enjoy the absolutely mediocre battery in my 15 pro for even longer ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
17 months ago
Happy to see Apple clearly heard the widespread complaints about the 14 series' horrendous battery longevity and made some changes.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ethanwa79 Avatar
17 months ago

It is unbelievable how easy people are manipulated by Apple. They used recycled batteries in the 14 series hence the short battery lifecycle. They did the same with the 15 series but this time as marketing. At the same time telling users not to charge and use the battery over 80%! Of course it will degrade slower, do not get us started how the iOS code manipulated the statistic so users feel relieved. They did this with iPhone 4 cellular issue's you holding it wrong and performance gate iPhone 6.
It unbelievable how incorrect your statement is. They don't use "recycled batteries" in their products. It's MATERIALS. Big difference.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)