Apple has just announced its shiny new fondle-slabs for 2021, and amid the raft of yearly oh-so-slight improvements, larger battery capacity is one of the big enhancements across the entire iPhone 13 range.
On average, the battery size has jumped 13 percent compared to last year's models, which means we're getting closer to the battery size seen in the Nintendo Switch – but in a smartphone.
In fact, the iPhone 13 Pro Max's 16.75Wh battery means that it out-punches the Nintendo Switch's power cell, which is rated at 16Wh. The same battery is found inside the upcoming Nintendo Switch OLED Model, too.
Of course, outside of a simple comparison in capacity, there's little reason to set these two devices against one another, as they're both doing very different things. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has to be 'on' all day as it's a communication device first and foremost – while the Switch is a dedicated gaming platform and doesn't have to do stuff like connect to 5G signal towers and the like. It's also worth noting that the iPhone 13 Pro Max is packing a display with a higher resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. Oh, and it costs a whopping $1,099 / £1,049.
Still, it's interesting to note that, when the Switch launched at the start of 2017, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus were Apple's current phones. The iPhone 7 packed a 7.45Wh battery, while the larger iPhone 7 Plus had a 11.10Wh version. That gives you a good idea of just how far smartphones have come during the Switch's lifespan.
[source theverge.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 118
Christ. Over a grand. For. A. Phone.
And if you let all the phantom apps carry on in the background, your phones battery should last almost 4 hours.
Not just a phone… it’s a government spy. You don’t want to pay for your technological babysitter?
If both were on the same price range we can call this newsworthy
"Of course, outside of a simple comparison in capacity, there's little reason to set these two devices against one another, as they're both doing very different things."
Exactly why I don't understand the reason for writing this article.
@Lordplops Remember when the internet ridiculed Microsoft for launching their first range of Windows phones for $1000? Now a grand is the norm for the flagships and they just slowly let it happen.
Precisely weird to think about that my phone being smaller than the iPhone 13 Max has a bigger and more power battery too...
Yeah.... because battery capacity says how long a device will last on a charge, and let's ignore optimizations because my phone may have a bigger battery than the iPhone, the more power hungry hardware gives me same battery life the iPhone does with it's smaller battery.
"Find out in the next episode of "we post something random for the clicks but don't go deep enough into the matter of it""
Not a rant btw, just a observation of someone who clicked on this article well knowing how it would look like.
BONUS: my gaming laptop battery is even bigger, yet that thing only lasts me for 3 hours...
We could go as far to claim Nvidia shield and Switch are on the same level power wise, but forget about the fact the Switch is underclocked.
Too many variables.
An article using the term aipods instead of headphones, an article stating that the switch GUI would look better if influenced by iOS, and now an article about the size of the new iPhone's battery (not to mention referring a MacBook in the mClassic review)
Anything you want to tell us, NintendoLife?? ;-p
I cant see any significance for this comparison... at all!
iPhone battery size is dictated by the size of the handset.
Switch battery has been specifically chosen. It could be larger if Nintendo wanted it to be - there's plenty of space.
So what's the point here?!
Of course it does, it costs nearly a £1000
The GPD XD, an android based gaming handheld, released 2 years before the Switch and had a 6000 mAh battery, where's the article on that one?
Removed - unconstructive
I miss having a home button.
I have a Samsung galaxy s21 plus and its battery isn't the best, maybe 3 hours of youtube videos and it's dead, so the fact the switch can play games for 4-7 hours on a single charge which also charges the joy con's at the same time is pretty effing decent
You people really need to stop comparing the Switch with every single handheld device that is aimed at gaming.
The Switch is an entirely different thing on it's own. It's audience are people who prefer the games that Nintendo themselves make that will obviously never be released on any other system.
I'm tired of rolling my eyes at click-bait articles that says 'X company plans to release game/phone handheld device that plays Red Dead 2 in 4k. Is Nintendo done for?'
Not only this but the I13PM is as capable a gaming machine as the Switch. Gamers are in denial of they ignore the quality of a swathe of mobile titles, from the Apple Arcade exclusives to Stadia and xCloud streaming. I can play old RPGs like Lufia, FF1-9 and Golvellius as well as decent games in series like Halo and Mario.
And it’s in my pocket all day allowing access to these games at the drop of a hat.
My Google pixel from a year ago has better battery than this, where is the article on this?
Well the iphone doesn't have a D-Pad...hold on, neither does the Switch. At least it still has a headphone jack.
It’s all in the price difference. Switch had been $299 (Soon $349 with the OLED model) since the 2017 launch in the US. I’m using my iPhone 12 Pro Max as I type this and it’s easily over $1,000. The phone is so much more for utility and communication. I rarely use my phone fore gaming but it’s there if I want to. I wish Nintendo made a super premium model that was $1000 and ran PC games. I’d buy that in a second!!
Ok.
The Switch is also 4½ years old and costs a fourth of what iPhone 13 Pro Max does.
@RadioHedgeFund I do find it surprising Apple/Samsung haven't designed an integrated controller like the Joy Con on the rails on the Switch.
Until they do that, mobile gaming will only ever be casual - doesn't matter how good they look.
If we are comparing batteries, my car has a better battery than the Switch and it was "released" 4 years before the Switch and it can slowly "teleport" me to different locations! It's probably worth about the same as the phone too. Which is the better deal?
I mean, technically, smartphones are more powerful than the Switch as well.
But it's the difference between $1000 mobile technology and $300 mobile hardware.
@Meteoroid It's noteworthy because it's the first time that an iPhone (which is a series of devices not famed for their stamina) has a bigger-capacity battery than the Switch.
@damo If the iPhone isn’t a Switch competitor then it doesn’t make sense to include it here.
What’s next? An article about a fridge that has a better backlight than the original Switch model?
Device that is several years newer and costs substantially more has a better battery. Imagine that.
@WBH1981 iphone 12 doesn't run PC games, but I get your point.
@MrGawain That's not generally a problem on iOS as apps get tombstoned when not active. Only certain app types like VOIP, sat nav or media are granted the background entitlement on iOS.
That restriction is why the UK government had to fully re-write their track and trace app to use the solution developed by Apple/Google. They were trying to run the app in the background and iOS would automatically halt the app after a short while causing it to stop tracking nearby devices.
I have never owned any type of smart phone, still rocking my Nokia 3330 (true its the remake as my old one's battery died) and I got better things to spend that amount of money on.
I'd much rather put that amount of money into a halfway serviceable gaming PC. Or just buy literally any one of the three main consoles for way less than that. I fail to understand why anyone would spend that much money on a phone, let alone Apple's nanny system.
Apple has nothing but OVERPRICED TRASH, which is far behind, Technology wise, compared to SAMSUNG. Apple wish they had Exclusive Masterpieces like Nintendo’s IPs. Please don’t compare a joke of a company to Nintendo!
@nocdaes I’ve largely acclimated to touchscreen controls. I can happily move around in 3D on a title like Oceanhorn 2 without needing the feedback of an analog stick to get my bearings. Turns out the position of the character on screen does as good a job.
Having a ton of buttons doesn’t help, especially when the screen can recognise swipes of different directions. Why not replace the need for face buttons with different swipe directions: left for X, Right for B, up for Y and down for A? You wouldn’t need to look at the screen and could just use muscle memory.
But does it have mario,Noo. There switch is superior
@PessitheMystic,
Or an article about my watch, which has a battery that usually lasts for five years or so, so this beats them all.
Removed - unconstructive
At 1099 dollar and 2021 tech, it would be a scandal if it didn't had better battery than a 299 dollar 2017 device...
And now people are starting to see why NL's articles often don't make any sense to me.
Anyway, Switch is doomed. This thing will bludgeon it behind a barn.
Well its costs 4 times as much as Switch.
Newer, much more expensive device has better components than older, much cheaper device? Ya don't say?
Wait a minute, how did this happen? We're smarter than this.
Am I bloody happy I work for a big corporation that just gives me a damn phone. I need my money for switch games!
Random, an iPhone retails for way more than a Nintendo Switch
@Meteoroid not to mention, does more than video games since it's a "Pro" device for productivity. Apples and oranges. No pun intended here.
Until the Switch can edit my photo collection (not in-game captures), my iPhone and it are miles apart.
In that tweet, the battery is so huge I don't think the phone will fit in my pocket
Lol why even compare a console with a phone.
Its like saying " hey my ps5 has better graphics than the iphone"
Why even compare.
It's also a $1200 device. Why are we still comparing the Switch to much more expensive devices? It makes no sense. Do you compare a 2017 Honda Civic to a 2021 Lamborghini?
My Super Mario World cartridge save battery has got them both beat at 30 years and counting.
@Bl4ckb100d
Agree
This is such a useless article
One comparing the device you mentioned would have at least been somewhat related to this site.
I mean... I'd be disappointed if my Switch lasted longer than my Phone... A phone is supposed to last throughout the day. The Switch is a games console which will be doing far more intensive processing in it's games
The iPhone is marketed as a 5G forerunner, but what I absolutely despise is, that apple has decided to nickel and dime the EU customers by removing the mmWave from it!
And I use Nokia 3500 ...
For everyone complaining, this is under the Random tag…
@Lordplops I mean seriously? This ain't 2006. People arguying that smartphones have much in common with old school cellphones might be 150 yrs old or just denying something. Really don't wanna insult anyone and sorry for the rant, but its just a damn bad argument. I too think paying that much money for tis is too much, but only because I personally just don't feel the need for it. These devices have pretty damn good videocameras. I've once looked for a good cam that would deliver image stabilized 4K video at 60fps with slow mo and so on and this alone would cost a few hundred bucks. And these things can do just so much more. And if one needs it or just has a ton of bucks to give away, then who cares.
About the article: Phones have been way better performing at battery life years ahead of the Switch, are more expensive, completely different devices and not very cool to play jump 'n runs on. So to categorize this story under "Random" seems like a good fit, because thats exactly how I feel about it.
@Carck
Still, I doubt this new iphone would be able to run Crysis 2-3 like the Switch does, as the lack of active cooling would probably not allow such a game to be run for 3 hours
TL; DR: A $1100 portable device has better specs than a $300 portable device.
Oh well, still better than leaks and rumours.
Awsome. Cant wait to grab one and play Breath of the wild on it 🤔🤔
Hm this makes me wonder if the next apple product will be even better?
Great article by the way!
Err is this Nintendo life's way is saying don't bye a switch but bye a iPhone 13
Wait what Web site am I on.?
@Mirage-5x5 They rebranded to Applelife. Didn't you get the memo?
@Carck
I doubt it. An iphone 6s wouldn't be able to run any of the more advanced 3D games Switch runs for hours. The problem is thermal managing, even 1000 usd phones today gets hot to the point of throttling and cpu-slowdown only by watching hi-res movies for hours.
I get folk wondering what this has to do with Switch, but I personally think any advancement in battery life tech is pertinent to our favourite little console. It's high up on the list of Nintendo's design criteria.
@GrailUK arr dam it I know new something was wrong lol
Oooohh, can we compare the battery life of my high powered flashlight and the dual shock 4 next?
@bimboliquido you right
But sorry to say your number 69 lol
@Carck
Not only would they heat up, a game like Breath of the wild would probably ruin the CPU as slick phones simply doesn't room even good passive cooling. Thats why iphones cant even browse the web without getting hot within the hour.
@GrailUK if you've not seen this before:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_battery
@Rambler Uranium powered Switches! (Small localised mushroom clouds are bound to take the heat away from joycon drift!)
The irony here is that Gaming on that Apple device is the thing that will destroy the battery, meaning you then can’t use it for anything else
@MrGawain 2 if you speak in the same room, don't stay in one place, if it recognises your eyes or fingerprints often, or if the government wants to know anything else about you. 1 if the iphone 13s or whatever is about to be released, and good luck powering it on once the 14 is available. Next year or so.
p.s. are these things really over a months pay for several jobs I used to do? That's insane... My dumb phone I still use cost me 70 euros, some 10 years ago, when my free hand-me-down finally retired. It still does a better job at what a phone needs to do than most 'smart' phones, that just have some extra use due to features those tracking your every move wanted you to voluntarily carry with you at all time... At a high cost in several regards. But hey, to each their own priorities I guess.
@Lordplops Yup, and I’ve ordered it!!
@RasandeRose I don’t think you realise just how powerful the Apple A14 Bionic & A15 Bionic are. The Switch processor & GPU from 2015/2016 (released in the Switch in 2017) don’t stand a chance against the brand new Apple SOC from September 2021.
@Ajnin
Actually, yes, they are very efficient. But the development in the mobile integrated gpu department has not come far since tegra x1 "huge" gpu-modul. Even when the A14 runs it's GPU at peak 1,8Ghz, it only performes slightly higher graphics rendering than the X1. Anyway, iphones as "gaming" devices is still pretty much held back from console grade games by their lack of bigger gpu on the chip and active cooling. They just can't handle the load over time.
@Carck
Well, Ive got a fairly new iphone myself, they simple can't handle advanced console games. Sure, a mobile game without any physics and such can run, but rendering the weather effects and such of Botw, your iphone would melt. That example, you can really tell it's first and foremost a game meant to run on phones. They've crippled back the advanced stuff.
@GrailUK
Well, all the talk is about a more powerful switch!
Apparently the current proposed design would be a battery cell about the size of an AA battery with about 2/3 of its power, but would last for 5700 years...
@Lordplops It costs more than my Alienware gaming laptop.
@RasandeRose This is a very good take, and I can confirm after gaming exclusively on a phone for a short time that there's literally no comparison. Consoles/PC will always out-perform, and I'm glad I came back lol. We will only see comparable specs in $2000 phones, in a few years I wager.
@Erigen Can you say that a phone is even a gaming device? Do mobile games even truly count as games? In my opinion mobile games really don’t count, as they’re nit full experiences. Not many people sit down with their phones to play full games. They’re mostly just inferior games with terrible monetization models.
It's bigger but real the question is how long will it go before it ran out of juice. The Switch's battery last me 10 hours playing the Legend of Zelda & Breath of Fire II with everything cap. How will the iPhone 13 last?
@GrailUK so high up on their design criteria that they haven't changed it since launch despite the OLED being its second hardware revision 😉
I think this article tried to day is Nintendo could fit a "bigger" (in power) battery inside the switch without change the form factor. It's not comparing the use, price (other battery wouldn't effect the cost that much) or power optimization. It's comparing size (when they use the iPhone 7 as a time reference) and what kind of battery OLED could have.
@carlos82 Hmm...slightly atomist thinking (yes I had to look for that word!) but I will let it pass. It made me chuckle.
When you realise this thing costs more than twice that of a ps5 lmao
But can it run Fortnight?
Honestly I stopped reading after "fondle-slabs". I don't need the internet any longer.
lazy monday huh?
I miss the near infinite battery life of the DS Lite. I once left mine in a backpack for nearly a month in sleep mode and it was still on with a green power light when I eventually found it. C'mon Nintendo, I want my long battery life back
For that money, I can get a decent phone every 3-4 yrs for the next 2 decades lol! No thanks, I think Im gonna stick to consoles for gaming!
iphone fandom again. I thought this was Nintendo Life how's that remotely any comparison to be had. Battery has many factors affecting it's battery drain.
@path4smash that's the problem trying to compare apples to oranges doesn't equate here for comparison value.
@SnesSwitch that's another problem articles like this is clickbait for iFandom to reply back for clicks.
@Lordplops Christ. Over a grand. For. A. Phone.
I know right, I remember when a rotary phone only costed $20.
@Ultrasmiles This thing is going to be left on for years with only the occasional reboot. It will always be connected to a wifi and cell signal.
Frankly, I am impressed how long these things last. I bought an iPhone 6s right after it came out, 6 years ago and it's still working just fine. I stopped using it as a phone when I got a XS Max 3 years ago and my son has been using it for a YouTube Kids and Game device since then. It still never gets turned off and only occasionally rebooted. It's battery is still fine too.
So let's not compare it to a PS5 which would probably die if left on for a year straight with only occasional reboots.
They always talk up these batteries but they always die in 2-3 hours playing anything that isn’t 2D and what you’re playing usually isn’t worth your time anyway.
Its an apple, of course it has a better batter life.
@Meteoroid Right?! Like, are people seriously directly comparing a brand new 1000 dollar phone to a 300 dollar game system from 2017 and acting like they are surprised when the former does something better?
I'm like, I gosh darn hope it's better! 4 years newer and more than triple the price!
Although the Switch has USB-C and iPhone still has apples stupid proprietary nonsense. So maybe Apple would be dumb enough to not be better in other categories as well. Hmmm.
My $100 LG from 2017 had a bigger 5500MaH battery.
So it lasts what now, 5 hours tops? Thanks, since I abandoned Apple and wen Xiaomi I only have to charge my phone at night when I go to sleep
This article is too comical comparing something from 2017 to 2021 without any equivalent and deem it superior to Switch. What could be so wrong with this story...someone tell me.
I'd sure as hell hope it did comparing new technology costing many times more to the Switch.
Mobile games are programmed to be versatile and easily optimized across various different hardware. Switch games are unfortunately just water-downed ports of big console games, with some great exceptions though. Either way, mobile devices and the Switch (by extension, the Steam Deck) aren't meant to be compared.
And my S21 Ultra has a 19.25wh battery...
@Crono1973 if left on with games on , it definitely wouldn't last a year , and you also just described any decent smart phone . It doesn't have to be apple which is more expensive just for its name.
@NintendoLife okay?
The Apple AirTag battery last longer then the iPhone. See what I did! 😂
@Snatcher in general yes.
Maybe we all should be start adding #ClickBait in irrelevant articles?
☺️
Comes without a controller, doesn't have many of the games we love, and costs 4 times as much.
And for more silly comparison, what'd you think how powerful a 1000$ Nintendo Switch would be next to the iPhone 13 Pro Max?
I'm late to the comments, and I'm apparently in the minority, but I disagree with much of the criticism of this article and the claim that it's pointless to compare the two. Of course they have significant differences, but they also have significant similarities — they're both massively used for portable gaming and battery life is an important factor for both.
I like to game on both a switch and a phone. The game I want to play is often available on both. I appreciate a comparison between the two, despite obvious differences.
@MrGawain It´s not Android lol. I have had both iPhones and Android phones over the years and haven´t had battery drain issues on iOS for years now.
Android on the other hand.....even with background process killer installed, it was still a mess.
@Ultrasmiles It's not just Apple phones that are over $1000, so are Samsung phones.
It's also the much more capable device, computing power wise.
@Crono1973 Which doesn't make it any better AND Apple was first (again as with many ***** trends) to break the sound barrier.
@Scollurio That people can pay them off over 2 years makes a big difference.
@Crono1973 As they wish. Personally I don't get any of it.
@SKTTR And for more silly comparison, what'd you think how powerful a 1000$ Nintendo Switch would be next to the iPhone 13 Pro Max?
It would put to shame the iCan't phone is what would happen. This is what scares iFan the most.
@Scollurio
Only the Pros are over a thousand.
The “conventional” lines start at about 800.
Still expensive as hell, but considering their performance across all metrics, it’s not horribly overpriced.
The A14 in my 12 is nuts. The A15 is even more powerful. Absolutely nuts. Say what you will about iPhones, but the Snapdragons most Androids use are two to three years behind on averages.
And the M1, which is based on the same design, takes a dump on all but the highest performing Ryzens and Core i9s. While allowing the devices they are used in to have battery life of about 18-20 hours of mixed use.
The only area where Apple is still slacking is in their GPU cores. They’re good, very good for integrated graphics. But ultimately they can’t compete with discrete graphics from nearly four years ago.
@Jeronan
Even still Android has come a long way.
I prefer iOS which is why I stick with it. But I’ve used some modern androids and I’m very impressed.
I really wish Apple would just license Android’s notification system to use for iOS. iOS 15 improved it but it’s still a pain compared to Android to manage your notifications.
@SwitchForce A $1000 bucks Nintendo Switch would be pointless.
One. No one will buy it.
Two. Again its pointless, since there is no better and more capable SoC available that fits inside the current form factor of the Switch that would give enough of a performance boost (and not melt into a hump of plastic due to overheating) to justify the 300% price increase tag.
The upcoming OLED Switch costs 430 euro, with only notable upgrades being the larger OLED screen and 64GB onboard storage. It's still the same SoC.
A highend mobile phone has a lot of tech onboard that the Nintendo Switch doesn't have. In case of iPhone: 3 expensive camera lens systems (regular, wideview and zoom with image stabilization), 120Hz OLED screen, Mobile network connection up to 5G, more and faster storage, Face recognition tech on front, etc. All in an even smaller formfactor.
@Jeronan iPhone doesn’t have 120Hz, only it’s new iPhone Pro will have it when it’s released
@BiscuitCrumbsInMyBed Thats the phone I pre-ordered myself and thus has it as of right now. Hence, I mentioned it.
Nit picking much.
@TheRedComet I'm absolutely with you when it comes to performance. M-chips revolutionized consumer computing hands down. And yes only the "PRO" models are over 1.000. My point is ALL of their phones are hugely overproportioned in performance compared to what the average user wants and needs. Yes, you could film your whole Indie movie on your iPhone and edit it too. But who WILL? Everyone else is paying for that kind of performance when it makes absolutely no difference for the most part.
I'm rocking my ancient 2016 SE that I bought refurbed and I am perfectly happy still. Perfect formfactor and I never thought "hey those photos could look better". I know, that's just me and I am mostly a fringe case, and I know about their "new" SE and I actually welcome that move. So, why not dump 4 year old tech in an affordable iPhone for the masses and keep it around 300? And yeah, except customization I don't see how Android phones are better than iPhones. And about security and privace, they ALL sniff up on you and sell your data, so...
@RadioHedgeFund the thing about touch controls in some games is having your fingers over the screen, it does not only hide some part pf an already small screen, but can be distracting as hell and pull out of the inmersion.
Some games are better played with physical controls…
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