On February 14, Fast Technology reported that a recent video had shaken the long-standing belief about iPhone battery limits. A repair team known as The Fix successfully upgraded an iPhone 11 Pro, released nearly seven years ago, to a massive 12000mAh battery.
This upgrade directly challenges the common claim that Apple is restricted by internal space and cannot fit a larger battery inside the iPhone. It has also sparked debate online, with many people asking whether Apple may have intentionally chosen to use smaller batteries all along.
Apple’s Battery Capacity Has Been Slowly Increasing
In recent years, Apple has gradually increased battery capacity in newer models. The eSIM version of the iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with a 5088mAh battery, which is currently the largest battery ever used in an iPhone. Reports suggest that the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max may push this even further.
However, compared to some Android devices that already use batteries above 6000mAh, Apple still appears conservative.
iPhone 12000mAh Battery Upgrade: From 3046mAh to 12000mAh
The original iPhone 11 Pro came with a factory-installed 3046mAh battery. After 1,787 charging cycles, the battery health in the tested device had dropped to 67 percent, leaving it with only about 2060mAh of usable capacity.
Instead of replacing it with a normal battery, The Fix decided to attempt something bold. They installed a 12000mAh battery.
What surprised many people was how simple the process appeared. The physical size of the new battery was exactly the same as the original one. There were no space issues or structural conflicts inside the phone. This suggests that the limitation may not have been about internal space after all.
It is believed that the new battery uses silicon-carbon technology, which allows higher energy density without increasing physical size.
What Happened After Installation
After installation, the system displayed the battery capacity as 10000mAh instead of the full 12000mAh. Even so, this still represents a 330 percent increase compared to the original battery capacity. That is a dramatic improvement.
Although Apple does not recommend using unofficial third-party batteries, high-capacity silicon-carbon batteries have already been widely used by many Chinese smartphone manufacturers for years. From a technical standpoint, the upgrade itself is not unrealistic.
Is Apple Choosing Smaller Batteries on Purpose
This experiment has triggered an important discussion. Is Apple truly unable to use larger batteries, or is it making a deliberate business decision?
Industry insiders believe the answer may lie in risk management. Apple ships millions of devices each year. Even a small defect rate in batteries could lead to large-scale safety issues. Battery failures can cause overheating or even fires, which would severely damage Apple’s reputation.
Compared to criticism about smaller battery capacity, Apple may prefer to prioritize safety, reliability, and supply chain stability.
In other words, the issue may not be about technical ability, but about control, safety standards, and long-term brand protection.
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