iPhone battery health declines gradually with each charge cycle, with noticeable wear appearing after extended daily use over time.
Lithium-ion batteries are the backbone of modern electronics. These batteries power everything from smartwatches and smartphones, including your iPhone, to laptops and even electric vehicles. However, batteries are a complex technology that degrades with time due to various factors. As lithium-ion cells are essentially chemical batteries, internal reactions that slowly age the cell are inevitable. The slow ageing is one of the biggest problems with lithium batteries. This ageing is further amplified when the battery is under frequent use, measured in charge cycles – discharging the full 100% of the battery capacity.
iPhone 6 and later models come with the Battery Health feature to see real-time battery status under the settings. The feature was introduced after Apple was heavily criticized for potentially slowing its older iPhones to force users to upgrade in what was known as Batterygate. Apple clarified that these older iPhones had to be performance-limited as they had aged batteries. In an un-Apple move, Batterygate led to the Battery Health feature iPhones have today.
That said, how much do iPhone batteries degrade with time, and is it related to your usage pattern? It turns out that the number of charge cycles is one of the most prominent factors determining the longevity of your iPhone’s battery. Power users tend to age their batteries faster than casual users. Here’s how much your iPhone’s battery ages annually according to Apple’s claims and real-world examples.
