Honor puts a 12,000 mAh battery into trial production — here's what we know

Honor has started trial production of a smartphone battery with a rated capacity of 12,000 mAh, according to reliable Chinese insider Digital Chat Station. The news follows earlier speculation that the company was preparing a battery in the 11,000–12,000 mAh range for its upcoming Power3 model, though at the time it seemed the device would top out at 10,000 mAh. There were also reports of a separate 14,000 mAh battery in development, but the status of that project remains unclear.

The insider reports that the marketed capacity of the new cell will be 12,000 mAh, with a nominal capacity of 11,790 mAh and nominal energy of 43.86 Wh. Digital Chat Station did not specify which device the battery is intended for. In the comments under the Weibo post, users speculate that it could power a handset from the upcoming Honor Win2 lineup, possibly the Win Turbo2, or the long-rumored Honor Power3. More concrete details are expected in the near future.

Honor has been repeatedly linked to large-capacity batteries in recent months. Rumors have pointed to cells ranging from 11,000 to 12,000 mAh, as well as a more ambitious 14,000 mAh solution. The move to trial production of a 12,000 mAh unit signals that Honor is pushing hard into the long-battery-life segment, where competition among smartphone makers has intensified. If the battery reaches commercial devices, it could set a new benchmark for mainstream phones, which typically ship with cells between 5,000 and 7,000 mAh. Whether the 14,000 mAh project is still alive or has been shelved in favor of the 12,000 mAh design remains to be seen. For now, Honor fans will have to wait for official announcements to learn which model gets the massive new power pack.