EU regulations have revealed how big this year's iPhone 18 Pro battery upgrade was — and US buyers get one spec tweak on the Pro Max model

EU regulations have unveiled the extent of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max's battery upgrades for the current year. The European Union mandates that manufacturers display battery capacities on phone labels. According to these labels, the iPhone 18 Pro comes equipped with a 4,056 mAh battery, marking a meager 1.45% increase over last year's model.

Conversely, the iPhone 18 Pro Max boasts a significantly larger 5,391 mAh battery, representing an impressive 11.8% boost from its predecessor. Apple has hailed this Pro Max enhancement as the most substantial battery capacity increase ever seen on an iPhone, promising up to 45 hours of video playback on a single charge, compared to 36 hours for the Pro model.

However, there's a caveat: these battery capacities only pertain to iPhones sold within the EU, which typically feature a physical SIM card slot. In contrast, iPhones sold in the US and select other regions are eSIM-only, potentially boasting even more substantial battery life. Apple has developed distinct identifiers for the device, with V64 signifying the iPhone 18 Pro Max featuring a Qualcomm modem and V64s indicating a C2 modem configuration.

This discrepancy was first reported by MacRumors, who noted that while the code within iOS 27 suggests the use of Apple's proprietary C2 modem in all models, the iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in the US is rumored to utilize a Qualcomm Snapdragon X85 modem instead. Apple maintains that the C2 modem delivers superior speeds compared to its previous C1X model.

The reason for this Qualcomm modem's presence in the US model remains unclear, but it may be due to contractual stipulations. As pre-orders for these innovative devices open on September 18, we can anticipate a thorough examination of these groundbreaking smartphones in the forthcoming days and weeks, including the anticipated debut of the Apple iPhone Duo foldable model.