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Alleged iPhone 5 battery photos reveal bump in capacity

A leaked photo purportedly of the upcoming iPhone's battery shows a slightly higher capacity and voltage, which could help power the built-in 4G LTE.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
Apple

Buyers of the next iPhone may get a bit more juice out of the battery.

An image of the new battery sent to and posted by blog site 9to5Mac shows a capacity of 1440 mAh, a bit higher than the 1430 mAh on the iPhone 4S and the 1420 mAh on the iPhone 4, according to iPhone repair shop iFixYouri.

The battery's voltage has also received a small kick, jumping to 3.8 from the 3.7 on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. And the boost in capacity has led to a boost in watts-per-hour, measuring 5.45 wHr, up from 5.3 wHr on the iPhone 4s and 5.25 wHr on the iPhone 4, 9to5Mac added. The new battery itself is also larger than its previous counterparts.

The capacity and voltage increases are relatively small, and Apple typically bumps up the numbers with each new phone to handle more demanding processors and other hardware. This year's model may also offer a larger 4-inch screen, another potential drain on the battery. But the company may have something else up its sleeve this year to warrant the changes.

The iPhone has been dinged in the past for its quick battery discharge, an issue that Apple tried to address with each new tweak to iOS 5. So the new battery may deliver a bit more life from the get-go.

The extra juice could also play a role in powering the 4G LTE that reportedly will be part of the new iPhone. The higher speed technology is a known battery hog, leading to battery drain issues on several existing 4G phones. Apple resisted jumping onto the 4G bandwagon in the past, seeing the technology as still a work in progress. Since then, the company has outfitted its latest iPad with 4G LTE.

Apple has apparently been able to implement LTE in a way that doesn't chew up as much battery life, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said earlier this year.

"Our industry checks indicate Apple has made notable progress in improving battery life that has plagued competitors," the analyst said in March. "This is due to Apple's ownership of core intellectual property including systems design, semiconductors, battery chemistry, and software."