An iPhone 16e used daily for about 14 months still holds 94% of its maximum battery capacity, IOL technology writer Michael Sherman reported.
Sherman said the phone’s settings showed a battery cycle count of exactly 310. That means the battery lost 6% of its capacity over 310 full charge cycles.
“I was genuinely surprised the other day to discover that my iPhone 16e is already sitting at 94% maximum battery capacity,” Sherman wrote for IOL.
Sherman said the six percent drop felt jarring at first, because the phone still felt fairly new. After looking at how the battery is built, Sherman said the rate of wear was ahead of expectations.
According to the report, Apple changed its battery chemistry and charging software from the iPhone 15 generation onwards. Newer iPhones are designed to keep up to 80% of their original capacity after 1,000 full charge cycles under ideal conditions.
IOL said this works out to about a 1% drop in maximum capacity for every 45 to 50 full cycles.
The older standard across the smartphone industry was 80% capacity after only 500 cycles. Under that standard, a phone usually lost 1% of battery health every 25 to 30 cycles.
The report said this meant an average yearly loss of between 8% and 12%. Newer iPhones tend to lose between 6% and 10% each year, IOL said.
Sherman’s phone lost about 5.1% a year on average. That beats the usual industry wear rate and Apple’s own baseline, according to the report.
The 310 cycles over 14 months come to about 22 full cycles a month. Sherman described this as moderate to heavy daily use.
Even with that steady use, the battery lost roughly 1% for every 52 cycles. IOL said this closely matches Apple’s rating of 80% capacity at 1,000 cycles.
The report said battery health depends on two things working together. These are the number of charge cycles and the age of the battery itself.
Heat is the most damaging factor for any lithium-ion battery, IOL said. Long fast charging sessions inside thick, insulated cases can wear the battery down much faster than normal use.
Playing demanding mobile games while the phone is plugged into a high-wattage charger has the same effect, the report said.
Sherman advised phone owners to look at charge cycles, the phone’s age and heat exposure together. Owners should not focus on a single percentage point, the report said.
Phones with wear rates like Sherman’s have nothing to worry about, IOL said. At that rate, the report said the phone should last four or five years before it needs a new battery or an upgrade.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Technology. Image: IOL Technology. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.