A new report from acclaimed Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo (seen by MacRumors), discloses that Apple will prevent the massive price hike impacting rivals, by putting a strain on component supplies and downgrading the new iPhones’ battery technology.
On Tuesday, he said that, "iPhone fans put off by Apple’s downgraded iPhone 12 batteries now have a decision to make, with reports Apple will cancel its iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models after the iPhone 12 lineup launches.
"While this repeats Apple’s launch pattern in recent years, those who value the longest possible battery life look set to be disappointed by the new iPhones and they could be left without a long-lasting Pro alternative.
"Apple is understood to be retaining the entry-level iPhone 11 (and dropping its price by $150 to $549), but anyone wanting a new Pro-level iPhone with the maximum possible battery life may have to move now. My personal tip would be to wait for the iPhone 12 release and see if the new A14 chip can perform miracles, but it’s a big ask."
In Kuo's Wednesday's update, he claimed " (a) prolific leaker iHacktu Pro claims the A14 may just pull off a battery life miracle. The insider states that the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Max (also tipped to be called the iPhone 12 Plus) will deliver battery life increases of 3h 30 mins and 2h 50 mins compared to their predecessors, the iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone 11.
"Furthermore, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are said to deliver the same battery life 'until the battery reaches 11%.' The leaker signs off by writing that the A14 chip is 'fire'.
These are remarkable claims and would be a truly stunning achievement, given how much smaller the iPhone 12 line-up’s battery capacities will be. The only potential downside is Apple may have decided to curtail some of the A14′s remarkable performance gains to achieve this.
Breaking this down, Kuo explains that Apple’s adoption of Sub-6GHz 5G technology in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Plus will increase Apple’s costs by $75–$85, while the full fat millimetre wave 5G in the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will add $125–$135. Such increases have added $200/300 to the final retail price of phones like Samsung’s Galaxy flagships, but Kuo says Apple will slash up to 50% off its battery costs by moving the iPhone 12 models to batteries with simpler, smaller designs with fewer layers.
The result looks set to be a circa 10% reduction in battery capacities across the range, compared to the iPhone 11 line-up. Given the higher power consumption of 5G, this is a puzzling change and places real pressure on Apple’s superlative new A14 chip to pull off some power efficiency miracles. The lower capacities are also thought to be the reason behind Apple’s decision to scrap the ProMotion displays on the Pro models.
Source: Forbes
