Exciting new battery technology could extend the life of your next phone

Launched in 2015, the iPhone 6s can run Apple’s latest iOS release and benefit from all the new features Apple has developed in the years since. Some of the more recent iOS features might have been devised for newer models, but iPhone 6s users still get the same overall iOS experience. Androids that are nearly six years old do not get the latest Android features. Not even Pixel phones. Putting things differently, the iPhone 12 could easily last six years and run many new iOS releases, especially considering the massive power under the hood.

While Apple’s processors that power each iPhone generation are more formidable and efficient than the previous models, and while Apple upgrades iOS in a way that ensures the best possible compatibility with existing devices, there is one thing that can impact one’s desire to hang on to an iPhone several years: Battery life. No matter how great the hardware and software might be or one’s willingness to use the same smartphone for several years, there will come a point when the battery will start to fade. Batteries age and can’t hold the same charge after a certain number of cycles. This is true for Android phones, electric cars, and other electronics that are powered by batteries.

But that’s where a brand new innovation might help. Someone figured out how to build batteries that will hold 95% of the maximal charge after 1700 cycles. According to Apple, “a normal battery is designed to retain up to 80% of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles when operating under normal conditions.”