iPhone Duo Battery Capacity: 4,883 mAh Compared With Recent iPhones

The iPhone Duo’s 4,883 mAh battery puts it near the top of Apple’s recent lineup by capacity. It exceeds every iPhone released since the iPhone 13 except the iPhone 17 Pro Max with eSIM and both iPhone 18 Pro Max versions. That’s a substantial pack for Apple’s first foldable, though capacity alone can’t tell buyers how long the phone will last between charges.

The Duo ships Friday, Oct. 23, and Apple says it uses eSIM only. Battery figures cited by GSMArena place it just above the SIM-tray version of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, at 4,823 mAh, and 205 mAh below that phone’s eSIM-only version, at 5,088 mAh. The foldable also clears the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Plus, both of which sit below it in the capacity ranking.

Why the SIM configuration matters

Some recent Pro models have different battery capacities depending on whether they include a physical SIM tray. Beginning with the iPhone 17 lineup, versions without the tray can use the space for a larger battery. The iPhone 17 Pro Max illustrates the gap: its eSIM-only model has 5,088 mAh, compared with 4,823 mAh in the version with a SIM tray.

That difference gives the Duo a useful point of comparison. Its 4,883 mAh pack is 60 mAh larger than the SIM-tray iPhone 17 Pro Max, but smaller than the eSIM-only model. For the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the figures are higher still: 5,391 mAh with a SIM tray and 5,567 mAh with eSIM only. The eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro Max has the largest capacity in this group.

These comparisons describe battery size, not runtime. A phone’s endurance also depends on how much power its processor, display and other components draw, along with how its software manages that hardware. As battery testing and efficiency comparisons show, a larger capacity doesn’t guarantee longer use. The Duo’s foldable design makes real-world testing especially relevant: the capacity figure alone doesn’t establish how its hardware behaves during a typical day.

Where the Duo sits in Apple’s lineup

The scale of the increase is clearest against older models. At 4,883 mAh, the Duo has about 51 percent more capacity than the standard iPhone 13, which has 3,227 mAh, and more than twice the 2,406 mAh in the iPhone 13 mini. For anyone weighing an upgrade from one of those phones, the figures show that Apple has moved well beyond the battery sizes in its smaller 2021 models.

The ranking also shows how close the Duo comes to some larger recent iPhones. It has more capacity than the iPhone 16 Pro Max at 4,685 mAh, the iPhone 16 Plus at 4,674 mAh, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 4,422 mAh. It remains behind the two iPhone 18 Pro Max configurations and the eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Here’s the full capacity comparison, ordered from largest to smallest:

• iPhone 18 Pro Max (eSIM): 5,567 mAh

• iPhone 18 Pro Max (SIM): 5,391 mAh

• iPhone 17 Pro Max (eSIM only): 5,088 mAh

• iPhone Duo: 4,883 mAh

• iPhone 17 Pro Max (SIM): 4,823 mAh

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,685 mAh

• iPhone 16 Plus: 4,674 mAh

• iPhone 15 Pro Max: 4,422 mAh

• iPhone 15 Plus: 4,383 mAh

• iPhone 13 Pro Max: 4,352 mAh

• iPhone 14 Plus: 4,325 mAh

• iPhone 14 Pro Max: 4,323 mAh

• iPhone 18 Pro (eSIM): 4,288 mAh

• iPhone 17 Pro (eSIM only): 4,252 mAh

• iPhone 18 Pro (SIM): 4,056 mAh

• iPhone 16e: 4,005 mAh

• iPhone 17 Pro (SIM): 3,988 mAh

• iPhone 17: 3,692 mAh

• iPhone 16 Pro: 3,582 mAh

• iPhone 16: 3,561 mAh

• iPhone 15: 3,349 mAh

• iPhone 14: 3,279 mAh

• iPhone 15 Pro: 3,274 mAh

• iPhone 13: 3,227 mAh

• iPhone 14 Pro: 3,200 mAh

• iPhone Air (eSIM only): 3,149 mAh

• iPhone 13 Pro: 3,095 mAh

• iPhone 13 mini: 2,406 mAh

• iPhone SE (2022): 2,018 mAh

What the capacity figure can—and can’t—tell buyers

The numbers make a strong case that the Duo has a larger battery than most iPhones in the comparison. They don’t settle the practical question of endurance. Apple’s full review is still on the way, so measured battery life will provide the more useful comparison once it’s available. Until then, buyers can treat 4,883 mAh as a promising hardware detail, with efficiency and actual use still to be assessed.

The Duo reportedly sold out after preorders opened, and its battery capacity adds one concrete point to the appeal. But the key comparison for anyone choosing a phone is not just how much energy the battery stores: it’s how the complete device uses it. The upcoming review should show whether the Duo’s large pack translates into lasting power in practice.

iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro Max reviews offer reference points for Apple’s top-capacity phones, while the iPhone 13 remains a familiar baseline; it is still among the most widely used iPhones. The Duo’s capacity is a clear step up from that generation. Its day-to-day advantage will depend on performance testing.