iPhone 8 With Longer Battery Life Said to Entice Those With Older iPhones to Upgrade

[MacRumors]

Apple's rumored iPhone with an edge-to-edge OLED display will have longer battery life, which will drive customers with older iPhone models to upgrade at an accelerated rate, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.

Huberty also expects the high-end iPhone to have a significant form factor change with wireless charging, 3D sensors, and more advanced AI software capabilities, which are all features that have been previously rumored.

An excerpt from Huberty's research note obtained by MacRumors:

In addition to more modest updates to current iPhone SKUs, we expect Apple to launch a higher priced device with AMOLED display that allows for a curved form factor and longer battery life, wireless charging technology, 3D sensors, and more advanced AI software capabilities. While we see accelerated upgrades for Apple's highest end users in all regions, our work suggests China users are especially sensitive to new technology and form factor changes.

Her research note said a larger base of customers that own at least a two year old iPhone, particularly in China, has resulted in "pent-up demand" for the significantly redesigned "iPhone 8," and this "supercycle" will help drive sales growth alongside modestly updated 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. Morgan Stanley raised its Apple stock price target to $154 accordingly.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the "iPhone 8" will have a stacked logic board design that provides room for a larger 2,700 mAh L-shaped battery. As such, while the "iPhone 8" is expected to have a 4.7-inch form factor, Kuo said it will have comparable battery life to a 5.5-inch Plus model. For comparison, iPhone 7 has a 1,960 mAh battery and iPhone 7 Plus has a 2,900 mAh battery.

Article Link: iPhone 8 With Longer Battery Life Said to Entice Those With Older iPhones to Upgrade

 

[arggg14]

Not at $1,000 it won't.

 

[Zwhaler]

I'm pretty sure that an overdue design update will persuade many to upgrade. The 7 Plus has good battery life. The 7 is okay. Is Apple realizing that an obsession with thinness isn't as important to many consumers as battery life? Let's hope so.

 

[roland.g]

Significantly longer battery life.
OLED bezel less display
Wireless charging
No home button
Touch ID in the screen
3GB RAM

And I'm sure I've left something out. Sorry but Apple is nothing if not incremental. While many may argue that they are behind on innovation, and that the 8 marks the 10 year anniversary, I'm not inclined to think that this many new features and innovations will arrive in one model year. That's just not something Apple usually does. I hope they prove me wrong.

 

[citysnaps]

It won't entice me if the result is a thicker phone.

 

[citi]

That just means my 8 plus will have an amazing battery!

 

[samcraig]

I hope they have more than that. Longer battery life is usually a given.

 

[HJM.NL]

Let's see how MWC 27 February pans out. My bet the fabled iPhone 8 is already outdated after that. The pace Apple is rolling out innovation is heartbreaking. But I'm excited by every step forward Apple is making. Too bad competition is jumping forward.

 

[GREEN4U]

I liked when iPhones were $200.

 

[Rogifan]

So basically a research note based on all the rumors floating around. But it will be presented as new information on all the rumor sites.

 

[technopimp]

I imagine it may be more like this:

Significantly longer battery life*
OLED display**
Wireless charging**
No home button
3GB RAM**

*Measured in a lab under "totally normal" conditions which users cannot replicate

**Only on "Plus" models of 128GB or higher, which will start at $1299

 

[roland.g]

Not at $1,000 it won't.

Retail price before pricing plans for an iPhone 7 start at $649 and $769 for the plus. These are base storage sizes. They top out at $969. The $1k rumors indicate that the top end storage size on the top end model with all the newest features will break the $1k mark. This is not a base model price point.

 

[BoltmanLives]

Prepare to be underwhelmed ..think Mac

 

[abluewhale]

as long as it's not annoyingly huge like the plus, which it sounds like it won't be if i remember correctly. i think i read something about it maybe being closer to the 4.7 model's size.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

I get an entire day with very heavy use on my iPhone 7 Plus. Not sure how others have issues with battery life.

Most likely, if you're seeing poor battery life in an older phone it's due to the age of the battery, not overall capacity. My 6 would only function for an hour or so of use before dying, as it had just 40% of the original capacity. That could have been fixed by replacing the battery. Even the advanced batteries in smartphones these days only last about 1000 charging cycles before they begin to diminish.

 

[Rogifan]

Let's see how MWC 27 February pans out. My bet the fabled iPhone 8 is already outdated after that. The pace Apple is rolling out innovation is heartbreaking. But I'm excited by every step forward Apple is making. Too bad competition is jumping forward.

Gosh if only Apple announced their phones in January then they wouldn't be outdated.

 

[kevinkyoo]

AKA problems with phones as recent as the 6 and 6s?

 

[ccsicecoke]

-

If Apple could give us an iPerson than can do all the stuff i do currently with my iPhone everyday for me

-

 

[penajmz]

I liked when iPhones were $200.

Never?

 

[coumerelli]

So basically a research note based on all the rumors floating around. But it will be presented as new information on all the rumor sites.

But it's from a NEW source!!

 

[HJM.NL]

Gosh if only Apple announced their phones in January then they wouldn't be outdated.

If only Apple delivers like the rest is doing I would be still an Apple advocate.

 

[kognos]

I question the use of the word "significantly".

A significant upgrade in battery would mean something that lasted perhaps double the time. In the current operational use, phones and watches require daily upkeep, which won't mean any change for most people if the battery is only increased 20%.

Granted OLED might draw less power, but it's not like the overall phone won't have other technical power requirements to still draw from. All things being equal, OLED would mean a lesser power draw, but this is supposedly a totally new phone. So who knows. All they are speculating on is a slight increase in battery size, which ultimately won't mean anything for operations.

 

[jezbd1997]

That just means my 8 plus will have an amazing battery!

There won't be a "plus" 8 model. Never has this been rumoured.
There will be one new flagship model in a new larger size compared to the 7 (4.7")

 

[randyhudson]

If they make the battery thinner, it won't have more capacity, despite having more surface area.

Alternatively, iPhone owners could just spend $15 on a new battery for their iPhone 6(S)

 

[tongxinshe]

And make sure to dump Apple stocks again on the first half of 2018, and never buy it again, because it will be slowly going down forever after that.