iPhone design and battery life


9 to 5 Mac the past week posted a poll asking readers about the trade off of thinness and battery life. I think the poll wording could have been better, but it's an interesting question. The questions I think leave people to make assumptions on how much thicker a phone could be for an expected battery life increase. 0.5 mm for 50% better battery? Sign me up! 5 mm for 10%? No way. We just don't know what people are thinking to really tell a story on the results.

Also, the second most popular option is whether Apple should instead improve battery life through engineering and not a thicker device. Apple of course could do both, so it's not really an either/or proposition.

I think a better question would be to hypothetically ask:

- iPhone 4/4s thickness for 35% better battery.
- iPhone 5/5s thickness with 25% better battery.
- iPhone 6/6+ or same thickness for 15% better battery.

I'd probably fall in the last category. I'm not sure I'd want a thicker phone, but I'd be fine if the iPhone didn't get any thinner in exchange for a modest improvement in battery. A lot of that is psychological because I'm willing to give up the unknown verses return to a known. I still remember thinking I'd love a phone as thin as the iPod touch, and the iPhone 6 is nearly there. If presented an iPhone a 1 mm thinner, I may feel differently.

Anyway, as we discussed in a recent podcast, I was considering switching over to the iPhone 6 Plus from the iPhone 6. I ended up doing so a week ago. No real reason, I just had the opportunity by upgrading a phone on our family plan. Basically for an extra $100 I could have a new gadget by handing down a family member my iPhone 6. I haven't made up my mind yet on the 6 vs 6 Plus. Other than the obvious size differences, I'd say the 6 Plus is heavier than I anticipated. On the flip side, the screen seems noticeable better and I'm quickly getting accustomed to having a larger screen.

The other big difference is the battery life. So far I'd guess it's about 20-25% longer. The iPhone 6 didn't gave me problems with battery life, but I'd frequently end the day with a battery warning. Sometimes I'd charge up during the day just to ensure I had enough battery for the evening. I haven't had these issues in my first week of the iPhone 6 Plus.

So, back to this 9 to 5 Mac poll... The iPhone 6 is thinner than the iPhone 5/5s, it is bigger, and has a slightly larger battery. The iPhone 6 also has a bigger screen, which takes more power, but still has better battery life than the iPhone 5/5s by a small margin. The iPhone 6 is even more so of an improvement to go along with a promotionally larger size.

So, maybe the question isn't just do people want a thicker phone for better battery life, but what about a bigger phone?