According to TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple plans to adopt a stainless steel casing for the iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery.

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An iPhone 16 Pro Max concept. Photo: Matt Talks Tech/YouTube

In a post on X , Kuo said that switching to stainless steel casings for iPhone batteries would increase the battery's energy density by 5 to 10 percent, while still ensuring safety and meeting new EU regulations.

You might be wondering what’s up with the stainless steel battery case and why does it matter? It’s because Apple is trying to make iPhone batteries easier to replace to comply with EU regulations, while also improving battery life.

Kuo added that the stainless steel battery case will make it easier to remove the battery. What’s more different is that the new battery case will allow for a 5-10% increase in battery cell density, which should translate to better battery life.

The iPhone Pro Max already has excellent battery performance, and users can hardly expect more than that. But perhaps Apple will take advantage of the new material and increase the iPhone 16 Pro Max's usage time even longer before users need to recharge.

It’s still unclear how long the iPhone 16 Pro Max will last. Rumors from last month suggested that this year’s iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max will have an even greater 30 hours of battery life. For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s battery life is 29 hours.

Kuo speculates that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be the first iPhone to benefit from the new battery case.

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iPhone 16 Pro Max could be equipped with a new battery with a stainless steel case. Photo: Macrumors

New EU regulations require smartphone makers to ensure users can replace batteries themselves with accessible tools by 2027.

According to The Information , replacing an iPhone battery is currently quite difficult, involving the removal of adhesive strips, which requires users to take additional steps using heat or solvents. Apple is said to be working on making this easier by using electrostimulation adhesive removal technology. This technology allows users to use a low voltage current to quickly remove the battery instead of complicated stickers.

The technology will be available on at least one iPhone 16 model, most likely the iPhone 16 Pro Max, before being rolled out to all iPhone 17 models coming next year, The Information added.

Meanwhile, BGR revealed that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely also use stacked battery technology, which promises to be more efficient, helping to increase energy density and battery charging speed.

The iPhone 16 series is expected to be launched by Apple next September. Notably, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max versions will have strong upgrades in screen, camera, battery life, support for Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Advance connectivity, a graphene cooling system and a series of new AI features.

(According to PhoneArena, Macrumors)

Will the iPhone 16 Pro use Samsung's most advanced screen? The iPhone 16 Pro and Pixel 9 are said to use Samsung's most advanced screen, which even the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't have.