Most iPhone 14 batteries are bigger than last year's but one actually shrank

(Image credit: Apple)

Most of the new iPhone 14 models have larger batteries than last year, but one in particular actually saw its capacity shrink.

Apple's new iPhone 14 lineup goes on sale on September 16 with pre-orders already live. While Apple gave us battery life estimates for the new iPhones last week, it didn't confirm the actual capacity of the batteries that will power the new handsets. Now, two different reports confirm those numbers based on information gleaned from the Chinese C3 database.

All the numbers

MacRumors was the first to share the details, with most capacities increasing compared to last year's models. MySmartPrice later backed up the report, citing the C3 database.

The new iPhone battery capacities are:

Phone 14: 3,279 mAh
iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325 mAh
iPhone 14 Pro: 3,200 mAh
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323 mAh

While there was no iPhone 13 Plus to compare with, the iPhone 13 Pro's capacity was 3,095 mAh, while the iPhone 13 had a battery with a 3,227 mAh capacity, meaning both now have more battery to play with than last year.

However, the battery in last year's iPhone 13 Pro Max was a 4,352 mAh part — so it's actually slightly larger than the 4,323 mAh battery used in the newer iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Not that we're expecting that to translate into poor battery life by any stretch of the imagination. Apple promises strong battery life across the board, with many devices running for an hour longer than last year's models in some tests.

Based on the numbers we see here, the best iPhone for those looking to get the longest-lasting battery life from an iPhone should definitely look to choose the new iPhone 14 Pro Max or iPhone 14 Pro, depending on how much they're willing to spend and how important the new 48-megapixel camera and Always-On Display are to them.

The new iPhones weren't the only things Apple announced last week, of course. The refreshed Apple Watch SE was joined by an all-new Apple Watch Ultra, while the new Apple Watch Series 8 also got some airtime. Apple also refreshed its popular AirPods Pro, too.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.