iPhone 6 Battery Life May Rely Heavily on iOS 8

The iPhone 6 may lean heavily on iOS 8 to deliver better battery life in a big screen iPhone this fall. A new report claims the iPhone 6 battery will feature a slight boost in capacity, but a larger screen and thinner design could limit the overall iPhone 6 battery life.

Apple plans a 14-20% boost in capacity for the iPhone 6 battery according to a new report. This is a nice boost, compared to the 10% increase from the iPhone 5 to iPhone 5s, but with a larger screen it may leave Apple relying on iOS 8 to deliver better battery life.

iPhone 6 rumors tell the tale of a thinner iPhone 6 with a larger 4.7-inch display and an even larger model with a 5.5-inch display. The latest iPhone 6 rumors and leaks point to a new design with curved edges and curved glass on the front of the device to keep the 4.7-inch iPhone usable with one hand.

iPhone 6 battery details leak, suggesting Apple will rely on iOS 8 and efficient hardware for better battery life.

A new report delivers iPhone 6 battery details from leaks in the supply chain. This is one of the first iPhone 6 battery detail leaks, so there is still corroboration needed before this information is as likely as the design and other features.

If true, it may leave the iPhone 6 with a smaller battery than similar size Android smartphones which may put more pressure on iOS 8.

Apple announced iOS 8 in June with a new battery management feature that tells you what apps are using the most battery life. This alone will not deliver better iPhone battery life, but it will allow users to remove battery draining apps. There may also be other iPhone battery enhancements in iOS 8 that will help the iPhone 6 and older iPhones as well.

The iOS 8 release date arrives this fall on an unknown date. Based on past releases expect to see an iPhone 6 release date just days after the iOS 8 release.

The iPhone 6 battery specs may not match Android competitors.

Chinese publication digi.it.sohu reports on iPhone 6 battery details for the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. This report cites foreign media sources, so keep in mind this is not a leaked iPhone 6 battery or any official confirmation.

• 4.7-inch iPhone 6 battery – 1,800 – 1900 mAh
• 5.5-inch iPhone 6 battery  - 2,500 mAh

This represents a 14% to 20% increase from the iPhone 5s, to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. There is no current large iPhone, but the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 may include a 60% boost in battery capacity from the iPhone 5s. It is too early to tell if this means the new iPhone will arrive with better battery life, which Samsung is mocking in new ads, or if larger screens will use the increased capacity under normal conditions.
Both of these models offer less capacity than competing Android smartphones. Here is a look at what the competition is packing.

• Samsung Galaxy S5 – 2,800 mAh
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – 3,200 mAh
• LG G3 – 3,000 mAh
• HTC One M8 – 2,600 mAh

There are two methods to delivering great smartphone battery life, optimized hardware and software or big batteries. If this report is correct Apple is putting a thin, light iPhone over a big battery and will instead count on power efficient hardware and iOS 8 to deliver better battery life.

Apple includes better battery management details in iOS 8, which will launch with the iPhone 6.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 features a power efficient display that is also the best smartphone display on the market, according to DisplayMate. The company reports that the Galaxy S5 display is 27% more efficient than the Galaxy S4 display and is 22 percent brighter when using the same amount of power.
Apple may count on enhancements to the iPhone 6 display as well as the rumored Apple A8 processor. This will be the second generation 64-bit processor that Apple uses in an iPhone, which could also help deliver better battery life.