Apple (AAPL, Financial) is accelerating the integration of silicon-carbon anode batteries in its upcoming iPhone 17 series to significantly enhance battery life. These advanced batteries incorporate silicon into traditional graphite anode materials, resulting in a substantial increase in energy density. Notably, silicon's theoretical specific capacity is 11 times that of graphite, which allows the iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery capacity to rise above 5,000 mAh, surpassing the current 4,685 mAh of the iPhone 16 Pro.
The innovative design includes a carbon material buffer matrix to mitigate the volume expansion issues typically associated with the charge-discharge cycles of silicon materials, thereby improving battery safety and lifespan. Additionally, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared insights that the rumored foldable iPhone 17 Air will feature the same high-density battery units as the ultra-thin iPhone 17 models.
