Photos showing a purported next-generation iPhone battery unit have appeared online. 9to5Mac reports that the photos, which came from a reliable parts source, show new iPhone battery packs with a slightly higher capacity than past cells.
The new battery sports a 1440 mAh capacity, up from 1430 mAh in the iPhone 4S and 1420 mAh in the iPhone 4. The voltage is also up, rising to 3.8 from 3.7 in the two prior units, and the watts-per-hour measurement has also increased to 5.45, from 5.3 on the iPhone 4S and 5.25 on the iPhone 4.
Based on the labeling, it appears the battery was manufactured in June 2012. The lack of a significantly higher capacity battery suggests that Apple has either selected very efficient, newer LTE-capable chips for the next-generation iPhone in an effort to keep battery life comparable to that of the iPhone 4S, or that battery life will drop from the prior model.