iPhone 7 Plus could have much larger battery than predecessors, reports say

The change could be in keeping with Apple’s new focus on battery life, though Apple has preferred to keep its phone thinner

Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc, speaking about the live photo capability for new iPhone 6 in September (Corbis)

Apple’s next major iPhone release could bring a huge boost to battery capacity, addressing one of users’ biggest concerns.

The iPhone 7 Plus could have 12.5 per cent extra battery capacity, according to a report from Chinese website MyDrivers.

The bigger battery will be joined by extra capacity to take the phone up to 256GB, the report said.

The two increases would allow the iPhone 7 Plus to differentiate itself from the smaller iPhone 7, according to the report. At the moment, the 6 and 6s are the same as their respective Plus counterparts, apart from a larger screen and extra technology in the camera.

The change would help with one of the biggest complaints about the iPhone — that its battery is too small and should last for longer.

But it would also mean that the phone would be likely to expand. Previous rumours have suggested that the phone will in fact be even thinner than the iPhone 6s — and Apple’s track record shows that it usually opts for thinner and lighter designs over adding more battery capacity.

The company has instead tended to add new software features and more efficient components in an attempt to make batteries last longer. But it did release a new battery case last month, intended to wrap around the phone and help its battery last for longer.

While MyDrivers have some record of success with rumours of future iPhone releases, some of its leaks have been wrong.