Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro lineup has been making the rounds in leaks over the past few weeks, and the latest report shifts focus to battery capacity—an area where expectations were already cautious. According to a new rumor, the iPhone 18 Pro Max may not deliver the kind of battery upgrade many users were hoping for.

Posting on Weibo, well-known tipster Digital Chat Station claims that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a 5,000mAh battery (or slightly larger) for the China-specific variant. While this marks a modest increase on paper, it remains underwhelming when compared to the significantly larger batteries now common in competing flagship smartphones.

The international version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is said to pack a marginally bigger cell, reportedly in the 5,100mAh to 5,200mAh range. Despite the relatively conservative capacity bump, the tipster suggests that overall battery life should still improve, largely thanks to Apple’s next-generation 2nm A20 Pro chipset, which is expected to deliver notable gains in power efficiency.

The difference in battery capacity between the Chinese and international models is attributed to hardware design constraints. The China-specific iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to retain a physical SIM card slot, while most global variants will rely solely on eSIM technology, freeing up a bit of internal space for a larger battery. For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max with a physical SIM slot reportedly houses a 4,832mAh battery, while its eSIM-only counterpart features a larger 5,088mAh cell.

Apple is expected to officially unveil the iPhone 18 Pro lineup in September. Interestingly, recent reports suggest that the company may skip the standard iPhone 18 models altogether this year, a move that would represent a notable shift from Apple’s long-established launch strategy.