It’s only normal to think about the longevity of a product before you purchase. A brand new iPhone doesn’t come cheap so it’s only natural for you to wonder how long it’ll last before you’ll have to replace it again. It’s an investment, after all.
Well, the most likely way for your iPhone to reach the end of its life is for its battery to die. That is if you don’t somehow break or lose your iPhone along the way. Whether you like it or not, your iPhone battery will die over time. It’s just the way of battery life. How dramatic the effect will be on your iPhone depends on how you use your device as well as how often you charge your iPhone.
First off, iPhones use lithium-ion batteries. To make it simple, this type of battery charges much faster in comparison to older generations of battery technology. Lithium-ion batteries also tend to last longer than their predecessors. In addition, they are also capable of a higher power density that can sustain battery life for longer even though they are much lighter in weight. At present, rechargeable lithium-ion technology is the best option for your iPhone.
According to Apple, the battery of a standard iPhone is designed to keep up to 80 percent of its initial or original capacity at 500 full cycles of charging. However, batteries still do have a lifespan. You can just either prolong its life by taking good care of it or expend it to its maximum capacity if you’re a heavy iPhone user.
Hence, it’s better to know how to maximize your iPhone’s battery performance. There’s a difference between battery life and battery lifespan. Battery life refers to how long your iPhone can run before you need to recharge it again while battery lifespan refers to how long your battery can last before you’ll need to replace it. So how long will your iPhone battery lifespan last?
It depends on the things you do with your iPhone. Your iPhone’s battery lifespan does not just depend on time alone. No one can exactly say that it can only last for a certain number of years. Its lifespan would depend on its chemical age based on different factors such as the number of charge cycles that it has gone through.
To prolong the battery lifespan of your iPhone, you must take care of it well. for one, don’t leave your iPhone in hot environments for long periods of time, which means that you shouldn’t leave it under direct sun exposure. This can damage your iPhone’s battery in the long run and won’t make your iPhone last as long as it can. Also, keep it half-charged if you’re storing your iPhone somewhere for a long period of time.
If you’re curious about how many charge cycles your iPhone’s battery has gone through, you can download third-party apps to find out. Knowing this would allow you to have some idea about your iPhone battery’s chemical age and how much longer it can last. A Mac app called coconutBattery 3 can help you with that.
Other than that, you can also check out your iPhone’s overall battery health within the device itself. This is only applicable for iPhone 6 and later using iOS 11.3 and later. Simply open your Settings app and go to the Battery section to check your iPhone’s Battery Health. This section would also let you know if it’s time for you to replace your iPhone battery.
Plus, there’s also the performance management feature in this section where it can manage the maximum performance of your iPhone considering its battery health. This function can be useful to avoid unexpected shutdowns in case your iPhone won’t be able to handle it. It’s automatically enabled once your iPhone had an unexpected shutdown for the first time due to its battery no longer being able to deliver maximum instantaneous power.
It’s great that Apple designs its iPhone models with these features in mind. Each one has fundamental performance management that makes sure that the overall system of the device, including the battery, would operate as design. It also ensures that the internal components of every iPhone are protected so that it can last for a long time. This kind of performance management cannot be disabled, as its main purpose is for the safety and expected function of the device.
Aside from the overall battery health, you can find out the maximum battery capacity of your iPhone from the Battery Health screen. In it, you can also find its peak performance capability. The percentage that you will see in the maximum battery capacity is a measurement compared to when the battery was still brand new. Of course, this value will decrease over time as your iPhone battery chemically ages. This can result in fewer hours of usage before you have to charge it again.
If you’re taking care of your iPhone well, its battery shouldn’t go below 80 percent within one year of usage. Apple also offers a one-year warranty in case you bump into any problems with your iPhone. This warranty already includes service coverage in case you got a defective iPhone battery. If it’s already out of warranty, you can still get Apple’s battery service for a fee.
So how long will your brand new iPhone last? Nobody can say for sure. A lot of factors play a role in the lifespan of your iPhone, particularly its battery. If you do take good care of your device, it should be able to last you around 3 years (and hopefully more). The best thing to do is to take good care of it so it can last longer.
