Apple's New Rechargeable AA Batteries Actually Sanyo Eneloops?

093216 apple aa battery teardown 500

Several tipsters previously pointed us to the similarities in the published promotional specs of Apple's new rechargeable AA batteries and Sanyo's Eneloop batteries, suggesting that Apple have essentially rebranded Sanyo's offerings for sale it its own packaging. New testing by SuperApple.cz [Google translation] published today seems to confirm the suspicion, despite the lack of any definitive physical markings inside the batteries to give away the link.

In all likelihood, this indeed is the Sanyo Eneloop cells, specifically the model of HR-3UTG because they correspond to physical parameters of the articles (new articles Eneloop tests show essentially the same value) but also measured the capacity - if you view the document producer , you'll find it is these cells are indicated by the minimum capacity of 1900 mAh, then the regular 2000 mAh and Apple in this case decided to set the guaranteed capacity, although it is less beneficial according to the manufacturer, and according to our measurements.

The discovery that has rebranded another companies batteries is not necessarily a surprise, as it was unlikely that Apple took on the task of reinventing rechargeable battery technology on its own. The disclosure does reveal, however, that the Apple's batteries are not based on a brand-new battery technology, as Sanyo first developed its Eneloop batteries in 2005 and launched them for sale in 2006.

093217 apple charger teardown 500

But the other component of Apple's battery package, the charger, does appear to be an Apple-designed product, with SuperApple.cz finding no tell-tale branding on its internal components while obviously offering Apple's traditional styling. The charger is designed to automatically reduce power usage to 30 milliwatts once it senses that batteries have been fully charged, the lowest "vampire draw" in the industry and 10 times lower than the industry average.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
maxresdefault

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options...

Top Rated Comments

yanki01 Avatar
139 months ago
holy threadbump!

I've had eneloops in all my electronics around the house for a few years now. zero problems and not buying apples batteries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WaxedJacket Avatar
139 months ago
Bumping an old thread but relevant to this topic. I recently purchased a Wii U with some WiiMotes and with my Apple batteries going into my keyboard and mouse I had one set left for a WiiMote. Anyway I needed to purchase more rechargeable batteries for the remaining devices.

It turns out that Panasonic is now making the Sanyo rechargeable batteries that Apple is bundling with their packs.

http://amzn.com/B00JHKSN76



Same manufacturer, newer advancements to prolong the battery life, and since it's the same tech (Ni-MH), it works with the Apple charger I already have. :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)