Browsing: Batteries
Battery news covering capacity jumps, silicon carbon cells, charging speeds, degradation and the safety recalls that follow the worst designs.
Apple renamed Wi-Fi Assist to Connectivity Assist in iOS 27 and moved it to the bottom of the Wi-Fi menu, where it is on by default. iPhone owners report screen-on time jumping from 3 hours to 7 after switching it off. Here is what the feature does, why it costs power, and how to turn it off in both places it hides.
Vivo launched the S2 FE in India today with a 10,000mAh battery in an 8.6mm body, priced at Rs 38,999. The capacity is real and the endurance is real. The catch is on the other end of the cable: 44W into a cell that size is one of the slowest charge rates on any 2026 phone, and vivo put a 7,200mAh phone with twice the charging speed on the same stage.
What Apple charges to replace the battery in every iPhone, from $69 to the new $129 for the iPhone 18 Pro, when AppleCare+ makes it free, and when a repair shop is the better call.
Google and Motorola are still the only Android brands shipping phones with Qi2 magnets inside the chassis. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 and Z Fold 8 are labeled Qi2 Ready, which means a magnetic case is required, and on the S26 the Hall sensor ties faster wireless charging to having one fitted. Here is who has what, and what the S27 leaks suggest.
Bose is selling wired USB-C earbuds with active noise cancellation for $99. They have no battery, drawing power from your phone, and they output a fixed 24-bit 48kHz digital signal. Preorders are open now, shipping October 15.
OnePlus has confirmed an October 12 launch in China for the OnePlus 16, with a 9,000mAh silicon carbon battery, a 200MP main camera and a display that hits a native 185fps in games. It is the most aggressive flagship spec sheet of the year, and OnePlus no longer sells phones in the United States or Europe.
A supply chain report says Samsung will embed PUF-based authentication chips in around 50 million Galaxy A batteries starting in 2027. The stated reasons are counterfeit safety and smarter recycling. The unstated consequence is that a phone can now tell whether the battery inside it is genuine, and 2027 is the same year EU rules force those batteries to be user replaceable.
Apple still rates the Apple Watch Series 12 at 24 hours. Independent testers are getting more than double that. Here is what actually drains the battery, and how to make every charge last longer.
Some iPhone owners say iOS 27 wrecked their battery, others say it doubled it. Both are describing the same process. Here is what your phone rebuilds after a major update, how long it takes, and the exact point at which the drain stops being normal.
iOS 27 installs on every iPhone from the 11 onward, but the feature list splits into tiers underneath that. Which models get Siri AI, why your battery is draining this week, and when an older iPhone should wait.