iPhone 12 rumors have already suggested that Apple may reduce the size of the battery in its upcoming phones from the power pack used in last fall's iPhone 11. And a new tweet from a phone leaker pointing to filings with foreign regulators seems to support that claim.

On Twitter, a user named Venkatesh Babu.G posted a photo of a battery associated with the new phone's SafetyKorea certification. It is a 2,775 mAh battery, which the Twitter poster claims will power either the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 model, iPhone 12 Max or iPhone 12 Pro.

If this is an iPhone battery, it is smaller than those found in the iPhone 11 lineup; the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro has the smallest battery, reportedly 3,046 mAh. (This information comes from a teardown, as Apple does not officially announce battery sizes.) The 6.1-inch iPhone 11 has a 3,110 mAh battery.

VenkateshBabu.G cites MySmartPrice in his Twitter bio, which is relevant because this is the site that reported earlier this month that all four iPhone 12 models will have smaller batteries than the iPhone 11's. It is unclear whether this is further evidence supporting that claim or amplifying earlier rumors.

Even if the rumor of a smaller battery capacity for the iPhone 12 does come true, it may not necessarily mean that the new iPhone will not last as long as the current iPhone models. Apple is moving to A14 Bionic starting with this year's phones, and this 5-nanometer chip is more power efficient than the previous model. If true, Apple may believe it can reduce the size of the phone's battery without sacrificing longevity.

The tweet about the iPhone battery came at the same time Japanese blog Macotakara was claiming that some iPhone 12 models may not appear until November, so it was not an exciting day for iPhone 12 rumors.

Specifically, Macotakara said that it has information from "several Chinese suppliers" that the COVID-19 delay will delay the iPhone 12 announcement to October. Only the LTE version of the iPhone 12 will ship that month, and the 5G version of the iPhone 12 will be announced in November, Macotakara reported.

Given Macotakara's hit-and-miss record with iPhone rumors, this is a questionable report. We are particularly skeptical because there has only been one report of an LTE-based iPhone 12 model - a $549 version that hasn't made much of a splash in the rumor mill otherwise. Most iPhone 12 speculation points to all models Apple will release this year having 5G connectivity.

Other sources suggest that the delay in the iPhone 12's announcement and release will only be minor. One report by a Wall Street analyst predicts a late September announcement, but most rumors have it appearing in October.

We expect four iPhone 12 models: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Max, and two iPhone Pro models. No one knows at this time how large those batteries will be.