Apple’s iPhone 18 and lower-cost iPhone 18e may use the same 4,430 mAh battery capacity, according to unverified automated X-ray inspection images said to depict prototype hardware. The images, reposted on Baidu Tieba by Littertree66, label the devices Taycan (V67 K) and Nevera (V69), which are associated with the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, respectively.
The purported internal layouts are notably similar. Their logic boards, battery areas and MagSafe coils appear to occupy nearly identical positions, raising the possibility of a shared internal platform. Apple could still differentiate the phones through cameras and selected components while using more common hardware to control costs on the iPhone 18e.
| Specification | iPhone 18 | iPhone 18e |
|---|---|---|
| Leaked battery figure | 4,430 mAh | 4,430 mAh |
| Current-generation battery figure | iPhone 17: approximately 3,692 mAh | iPhone 17e: 4,005 mAh |
| Approximate increase if accurate | About 20% | About 10.6% |
| Rear cameras | Main and ultrawide cameras | One rear camera |
| Dynamic Island | Indicated in the leak | Indicated in the leak |
For the standard iPhone 18, annotations in the image claim Apple has removed the physical SIM tray and redesigned the bottom speaker and haptic motor. Those parts appear wider and less elongated, potentially freeing enough room for the larger battery. One image also lists a 3,671 mAh figure for the prior generation, which differs slightly from the roughly 3,692 mAh capacity previously attributed to the iPhone 17.
The iPhone 18e is said to retain the same battery footprint, but with more visible cost cuts elsewhere. It appears to have a single rear camera positioned where the iPhone 18’s ultrawide unit would sit, with the remaining space filled by a plastic insert. The leak further claims both phones would use metal-clad batteries and Dynamic Island displays. A shared housing could also make a Camera Control button feasible on the iPhone 18e.
Another alleged difference is the U2 ultra-wideband chip: the leaker speculates that Apple could omit it from the iPhone 18e despite its closely related board design. That remains an interpretation rather than confirmed Apple hardware information.
The material warrants substantial caution. The images have not been independently authenticated, and the original post reportedly warns that they may not be genuine. They also carry an OpenAI watermark, which analysts have suggested could result from using an AI tool to translate annotations. Crucially, the 4,430 mAh value comes from those annotations rather than something directly readable from an X-ray image.
The claim broadly aligns with earlier reports of a larger iPhone 18 battery and a possible March or April 2027 launch window for parts of Apple’s next iPhone lineup. Reported devices in that window include:
- iPhone 18 — reportedly targeted for March or April 2027.
- iPhone 18e — reportedly targeted for March or April 2027.
- iPhone Air 2 — reportedly targeted for March or April 2027.
Separate rumors have pointed to a 2 nm Apple A20 chip, a 6.3-inch display and a 120 Hz refresh rate for the iPhone 18. For now, however, the key question is whether Apple will carry the alleged 4,430 mAh battery and shared internal architecture into production hardware.
