Who Makes iPhone Batteries? Desay, Sunwoda, Simplo and ATL Explained
Short answer: an iPhone battery is made in two stages. A cell maker, mainly TDK's subsidiary ATL (Amperex Technology), produces the lithium-ion pouch cell. A pack assembler (Desay, Sunwoda or Simplo) adds the protection circuit and connector and ships the finished battery to Apple's assembly lines. The name you see in a parts report or on the battery label is usually the pack assembler.
Apple's battery suppliers
| Company | Role | Where documented |
|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen Desay Battery Technology | Pack assembly | Apple Supplier List (China, Vietnam sites) |
| Sunwoda Electronic | Pack assembly | Apple Supplier List (China, India, Vietnam sites) |
| Simplo Technology | Pack assembly | Apple Supplier List (China site); DigiTimes 2013 |
| ATL (TDK group) | Cell production | Financial Times via Times of India: TDK cells supplied to Sunwoda; Desay and Simplo package cells into modules |
Apple's supplier list is the company's own disclosure. It confirms that the three pack makers supply Apple, though not which iPhone model each one supplies. Apple doesn't publish per-model battery allocations, and any table claiming "iPhone 15 = Desay" is a guess.
How the name appears on a battery
The black label on the battery usually carries a short code for the pack maker. Owners commonly report DSY for Desay, SWD for Sunwoda and SMP for Simplo (see this Apple Community thread). You can't see the label without opening the phone, but the same information is in diagnostic data. The battery serial (BatteryInstalled in a sysdiagnose) and the vendor field decoded from it are what our lookup shows as Battery vendor.
What the battery section of a report contains
| Field | Source in the archive | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Battery vendor | Decoded from battery identity data | Desay / Sunwoda / Simplo etc.; "--" if not present |
| Battery serial | BatteryInstalled |
Compare with a repair invoice if the battery was replaced |
| Battery health | NominalChargeCapacityPercent |
Should match Settings → Battery → Battery Health |
| Cycle count | CycleCount |
Also in Settings on iPhone 15 and later |
| Nominal capacity, average temperature | Battery logs | Extra detail Settings doesn't show |
How our report grades the battery: by health, not by maker. 95% or higher is Top, 85 to 94% is Mainstream, and below 85% is Standard. We don't rank Desay, Sunwoda and Simplo against each other. They build to Apple's specification, and we have no independent test data that would justify a ranking.
Is one maker better?
There's no public, controlled comparison of Desay vs Sunwoda vs Simplo iPhone packs. Online claims that one brand "lasts longer" are anecdotes from single phones. What does affect a battery's life is chemistry, age, cycle count and heat, and Apple's battery and performance page covers those. When buying used, the health percentage and the Genuine status matter far more than the brand.
Maker vs genuine: two different questions
A genuine Apple replacement battery also comes from one of these suppliers, so a known maker name doesn't prove the battery is original. For that, check Settings → General → About → Parts and Service History and Settings → Battery → Battery Health for the "Unable to verify" warning. Full guide: Original vs aftermarket iPhone battery.
FAQ
Can Settings show my battery manufacturer?
No. Settings shows health, cycle count (iPhone 15+), first-use date and genuine status, but never the supplier.
What does SWD or DSY on my battery mean?
They're the pack makers' codes: SWD = Sunwoda, DSY = Desay. SMP is Simplo.
Does the battery maker change between iPhone models?
Apple multi-sources batteries, so one model can ship with packs from different makers. Check your own phone instead of relying on a model chart.
Import a sysdiagnose file to see the display, battery, camera, storage, memory and baseband makers in one report. Lookups use a paid quota.
Open the lookup tool