In a note to clients — as reported by MacRumors.com — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the 2018 follow-up to the iPhone X could feature up to 10% more battery power if Apple and LG Chem are able to deploy a one-cell design for the device’s L-shaped battery, as opposed to the two-cell battery used in the iPhone X. He writes:
Two new 2H18 iPhone models could adopt L-shaped battery (6.5” & 5.8” OLED models), with capacity upgraded for all models. In order to extend battery life, we believe it is necessary to expand battery capacity because all three new 2H18 models will be equipped with TrueDepth Camera, which consumes more power. We think Apple (US) is developing a 1-cell L-shaped battery in collaboration with LGC (KR). If the new battery enters mass production on time, the 5.8” OLED iPhone model will come with a battery with larger capacity (2,900-3,000mAh with higher RFPCB ASP $2.1-2.4). For the 6.1” LCD model, we expect Apple to keep the rectangular battery design to keep a better cost structure, and we expect capacity could be larger than those of the iPhone 8 series.
