One of the most pressing questions when Apple reveals a new iPhone is: What’s the battery like? Apple doesn’t normally share granular battery specs, so it can be hard to judge battery life without hands-on testing, especially since the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max’s new Always-On displays raise even more questions about battery drain. But thanks to information from Apple and reporting by other tech outlets, we can piece together some important information on the iPhone 14’s battery life, size, and more.
What is the iPhone 14 battery capacity?
Let’s start with the capacity, meaning how much energy the battery can store. Here are the battery capacities for each of the iPhone 14 models, according to GSMArena:
iPhone 14: 3,279mAh
iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325mAh
iPhone 14 Pro: 3,200mAh
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323mAh
Compared to the iPhone 13 models, the iPhone 14 battery capacities are barely different. The base iPhone 14’s capacity is just 2.18% larger than the iPhone 13’s and the iPhone 14 Pro’s is 3.43% larger, while the iPhone 14 Pro Max is about 0.42% smaller. There was no iPhone 13 Plus, so there’s nothing to judge it against from the previous hardware generation, but it has the largest capacity of the iPhone 14 lineup by a smidge.
You might think these similar battery capacities mean the iPhone 14’s battery life is equivalent to the iPhone 13’s, but that’s not necessarily the case. Capacity specs alone don’t indicate a device’s battery life, but these numbers are interesting to note since iPhone 14 devices’ sizes and form factors are basically identical to the iPhone 13s. We can assume the physical size of each battery—and the space they occupy in the phone’s chassis—are also roughly the same.
How long will the iPhone 14’s battery last?
Unfortunately, that’s hard to answer right now. We won’t know true battery performance until reviewers test things out. The battery capacity gives us some idea, but it’s only part of the puzzle. You could have the biggest smartphone battery of all time, but if the phone sports power-hungry hardware and features, it might only last a few hours.
Luckily, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the iPhone 14 or its siblings. Again, Apple doesn’t offer in-depth battery specs, but the company has claimed the iPhone 14 sports the “longest battery life ever,” capable of 20 hours of continuous video playback, 95 hours of audio playback, and, in general, features “all-day battery life.” These figures include the Pro and Pro Max, despite their Alway-On Displays—something you’d assume would impact battery life quite a bit (unless you own an Apple Watch, apparently).
That said, since the iPhone 14 Plus does not have an Always-On display, has more modest hardware compared to the Pro and Pro Max, and also has the largest battery capacity, it’s possible it will last the longest of the entire lineup. Though, to be clear, that’s just speculation. We’ll know for sure once reviews hit in the coming weeks.
iPhone 14 battery replacement costs
The last bit of battery-related information we know isn’t about the battery’s specs but how Apple handles repairs.
9to5Mac reports battery replacements will be more expensive on Apple’s next iPhone, jumping from $69 for previous models (or $49 for the iPhone SE) to $99 for iPhone 14. This price hike only applies to the iPhone 14 line, as battery replacement costs for older devices are not changing. We’re not sure why the service is more expensive for new models, but it’s unlikely most users will need this service since it takes years for smartphone batteries to degrade. Still, it’s a notable change.
This might be most of what we know about the iPhone 14's battery so far, but there’s plenty of other information out there about Apple’s new flagship smartphones, like how the iPhone 14's new satellite features might save your life, or why the iPhone 14's eSim card might be an issue for some people. And be sure to check our round-up for 26 of the best new features coming to iOS 16 to see what’s coming to all of Apple’s iOS devices later this year.