Danny Weber
Apple's first foldable iPhone is rumored to use two battery cells, an A20 Pro chip and either an Apple C2 or Qualcomm X80 modem.
Apple is rumored to equip its first foldable iPhone with two battery cells. Android foldable makers already use this layout because a split battery makes better use of the limited space inside a complex chassis. In the iPhone Fold, the cells are said to be rated at 1,921 and 2,962 mAh, for a combined 4,883 mAh.
That would be a respectable figure for a foldable. If the leak proves accurate, the iPhone Fold would carry a larger battery than the Galaxy Z Fold7 and could move closer to Samsung's next generation of foldables. Even so, preliminary details suggest it would still fall short of Apple's largest conventional flagships in battery life.
Its main rival within Apple's own lineup could be the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Rumors point to a 5,567 mAh battery, while leaker Ice Universe believes it could compete with Android flagships using silicon-carbon batteries of around 7,000 mAh. For buyers who value endurance over a foldable form factor, the larger Pro Max may therefore be the more practical option.
The iPhone Fold should also benefit from improved efficiency. It is expected to debut with Apple's first 2 nm A20 Pro chip, which could reduce power consumption compared with current processors. Apple has also yet to choose between its own C2 5G modem and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80. An in-house modem could potentially extend battery life further.
As a first-generation product in a new category, the iPhone Fold will almost certainly involve compromises. Apple still has to solve several difficult engineering problems involving the battery, hinge, cameras and biometric authentication.
© A. Krivonosov