Shawn Lee, a Senior Analyst for DisplaySearch, an analysis firm focused on the display technology industry, believes that the upcoming ‘iPhone 5‘ will require a larger battery. The reasoning is that the rumored quad-core processor and larger display will likely draw more power than the iPhone’s current battery can handle, and improvements in efficiency won’t be able to compensate for the increased demand in power. Lee believes that instead of using the in-cell touch technology to make the next iPhone thinner, Apple will use the technology to make the battery bigger.

Analyst Thinks iPhone 5 Could Have 40% Longer Battery Life

The new iPhone will be only 7.6mm thick.

I’m surprised that the analysis, which takes into account in-cell touch technology, rumors of a quad-core processor, and a leaks/rumors of a 4-inch screen does not take into account the leaked casing or battery of the unannounced phone.

If the multiple leaks for the phone’s shell is genuine, the next iPhone will be 1.7mm thinner than the iPhone 4S. That’s over 1.2mm thinner than the 0.5mm savings in space which Lee believes the in-cell touch panels provide. How can an analyst worth his (grains of) salt make a prediction on what Apple might do, when we all-but-know that Apple is already doing the opposite?

Worse, despite the analysis’ claim of a larger battery, we’ve seen a leak that purports to be the next iPhone’s battery. The capacity in the leaked battery is not much higher than the capacity of the battery in the iPhone 4S. We’re talking about a jump from 1430 mAh to 1440 mAh. As you can see, that’s not quite a 40% gain. It’s entirely possible that this battery is a component for a different device, but if it’s genuine (and it looks to be the case) then Lee’s guess is wrong.

Analyst Thinks iPhone 5 Could Have 40% Longer Battery Life

The battery for the next iPhone (right) has already been leaked.

It will be interesting to compare the battery life on the next iPhone with the iPhone 4S, but by whatever means Apple has managed to extend the battery life, it doesn’t seem they’ve done so by allocating more space for a larger battery.

Does Lee’s expert deduction trump leaked parts? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.