It’s hard to believe next-generation iPhone rumor season has already begun. It seems like just yesterday that Apple finally came around and launched the larger iPhones users had been clamoring for, and Apple fans couldn’t get their hands on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus fast enough.
With about four months to go before Apple releases its next new smartphones though, attention is now turning toward the future. When the iPhone 6s finally does debut, however, don’t expect it to fix the biggest problem with the current iPhone 6.
In every single survey of note that explores people’s wants and needs as they shop for a new smartphone, battery life ends up being the No. 1 thing people are concerned with. They want a smartphone with a battery that will last as long as possible, and that feature is more important than any other.
People might say that’s the most important factor when shopping for a smartphone, but I’m not so sure that’s entirely accurate.
There is no question that smartphone battery life is important. It’s very important. But the best-selling smartphone in the world — Apple’s iPhone 6 — has terrible battery life compared to other leading smartphones on the market. In one battery life test, for example, the iPhone 6 lasted for 5 hours and 22 minutes while the top phone lasted for 9 hours and 29 minutes.
Bottom line: battery life is important, but Apple’s iPhones are so good in so many other areas that the overwhelming majority of people are happy to sacrifice battery life. In fact, I have spoken to plenty of people who dumped the iPhone for an Android phone, and not once has anyone mentioned battery life as their motivation.
The top Apple insider in the world has now issued his first report on the iPhone 6s, and he has listed a number of new features we can expect to see in Apple’s next flagship smartphone. Among the new features Kuo listed were a faster A9 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel camera, force touch support, an improved touch ID sensor and a new rose gold color option.
He made no mention of any improvements where battery life is concerned.
Kuo is almost always right, and he has a tendency to cover all the bases in his reports. This is also an “S” year, which means we probably shouldn’t expect any major changes to the iPhone’s housing, and there isn’t really any room to stuff a bigger battery in there.
Apple’s next-generation iPhone 6s will likely launch this coming September, about one year after the iPhone 6. When it does, people shouldn’t expect any big improvements where battery life is concerned. And if history has taught us anything, people won’t care at all.
