iPhone 18 Pro Max leak: Apple eyes its biggest-ever battery, but it's half the size of Chinese flagships

Apple is finally working on improving the battery capacity of its iPhone series, with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max tipped to breach the 5,000mAh mark, as per a latest leak. Notably, the improvement in battery capacity, along with a more power-efficient chipset on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, is expected to bring gains in real-life battery performance.

iPhone 18 Pro Max battery: What’s leaked so far?

As per a latest leak by tipster Digital Chat Station (DCS) on Weibo, the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s Chinese variant is expected to come with a battery rated around the 5,000mAh mark. Meanwhile, the global variant of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to come with a maximum sample battery capacity of around 5,100–5,200mAh.

The phone is expected to be paired with the A20 Pro processor based on the latest 2nm process.

In contrast, even mid-range Chinese smartphones like Realme P4 Power have breached the 10,000mAh mark, while mainstream flagships like the OnePlus 15 or Oppo Find X9 series come with over 7,000mAh batteries with support for 80W to 100W fast charging.

iPhone 18 Pro Max: Everything expected

Apple could use a 6.9-inch OLED display with the iPhone 18 Pro Max with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. A leak from South Korea-based ETNews had revealed that the phone could use under-screen infrared technology from Samsung that would allow the phone to feature under-screen Face ID.

Moreover, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is also expected to feature LTPO+ display technology, which could be even more power-efficient than the LTPO display on the iPhone 17, potentially leading to better battery life.

Meanwhile, tipster Ice Universe on X has claimed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max could feature a 35% narrower Dynamic Island cutout compared to its predecessor. A report from The Information has also previously claimed that the phone will feature under-screen Face ID, which would lead to just a punch-hole-style selfie shooter on the left corner of the device.

Another report by The Information claimed that Apple plans to remove touch sensitivity and haptic feedback from the Camera Control button on the iPhone 18. However, it is not clear if the change will carry over to the iPhone 18 Pro models as well.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max could come with a C1X or C2 modem from Apple, ditching the Qualcomm modem seen on its predecessor. Moreover, the company is also expected to use its in-house N1 chip for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Apple has also been tipped to be testing new colour variants for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, which could include burgundy, coffee brown, or deep purple.