iPhone 13 Lineup to Offer Increased Battery Capacity, 5G mmWave Support: Trendforce

A new report from Trendforce says that Apple’s iPhone 13 will offer increased battery sizes and improved upgrades over the iPhone 12.

The market research firm said that the iPhone 13 series would come with an all-new flexible charging circuit board that would include a System-in-Package to save some space. This could allow Apple to have a larger battery in the new lineup.

The biggest change is the new implementation of a flexible charging and battery circuit board. This is likely to bring an increase in battery capacity to all four rumored iPhone 13 models, with the specific boost varying depending on the size of the handset. The iPhone 13 mini is thought to only get a few extra mAh, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max may see a significant 18 percent increase in capacity.

“The iPhone 13 will see a shift in its charging circuit board from the previous rigid-flex PCB design to a new design featuring SiP combined with flexible PCB,” TrendForce explains. “The space-saving feature of this new design will also likely result in increased battery capacity. As for retail prices, the iPhone 13 series is expected to remain similar to the iPhone 12 series assuming Apple is able to effectively control manufacturing costs, since the latest models do not come with significant hardware upgrades. As a result of this aggressive pricing scheme, iPhone shipment will likely maintain its growth trajectory for two consecutive years.”

Although Trendforce doesn’t expect a big change to the iPhone 13’s chipset, it does say there will still be a power and efficiency increase. The new chip (likely named the A15 Bionic) is said to use a 5-nanometer process like the A14 chip inside the iPhone 12, rather than the more compact 4nm chip anticipated to appear in next year’s iPhone.

All iPhones will be unveiled in September, and TrendForce says this would allow the company to boost iPhone sales during the quarter.

“In addition, as the iPhone 13 series will once again return to a September release, total iPhone shipment is expected to undergo a 30% YoY increase in 3Q21, but a 5% YoY decrease in 4Q21. As such, iPhone sales for 2H21 will likely surpass 2H20 figures. For 2021, iPhones are expected to account for 16.7% of all smartphone shipment, which is a step-up compared to last year,” the firm estimates.