Apple's significant replaceable battery shift could also be great news for iPhone 16's battery life

As recently as iPhone 14 , some users haven’t been happy with how long their iPhone batteries have lasted. Some have seen battery health plummet after only a few months, their overall battery life irreparably shortened to sometimes laughable levels. Things seem better with the iPhone 15 line, but there can always be improvement.

What else do some users want in their iPhones? User-replaceable batteries — and it turns out that the EU wants it as well. Apple seems to be trying to hit two birds with one stone according to this latest battery rumor — the battery in the iPhone 16 will not only be easier to replace, but thanks to denser power cells, it will have a greater capacity that will last you longer overall.

More battery in a smaller space

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By 2027, any new phone released in the EU is going to have to come with a user-replaceable battery in an effort to be more environmentally friendly. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo , the next generation of iPhones is going to be the first of Apple’s EU-compliant devices, and Apple is going to bring more battery juice to the table with some exciting battery technology.

Apple will reportedly be using a stainless steel battery cage within the next iPhone, making the battery easier to remove and matching the EU regulations. Kuo also says, however, that the change will “increase the battery cell density by 5-10%” — so you’ll not only get a more compact battery that’s easier to remove from your phone but one that will last you longer throughout the day as well.

This new information comes after a report last week that Apple will be introducing easier-to-replace batteries “in at least one model of the iPhone 16 this year”, and “possibly all versions of the iPhone 17.” That could mean we see an improved battery as soon as this September — so there’s not long to wait before we might see what battery tech Apple has in store for the future of the iPhone line.

Battery life will improve, battery health will potentially improve, and if your battery goes kaput you’ll be able to replace the battery more easily (reports indicate it will still be “too complicated for most people”) than you might with an iPhone 15. Of course, until we know what the next iPhone is actually going to look like, these battery ideas remain a desirable ‘perhaps’ — but whatever happens, Apple is going to have to implement replaceable batteries if it wants to keep selling in the EU after 2027.

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