When Apple released the iPhone X in 2017, the screen improved a lot in terms of size. That was because there were no black bars above and below the screen. Only the notch, which contains the camera and TrueDepth sensors for Face ID, can still be found at the top of the screen. But the notch also ensured that there was less space for icons in the status bar, with the biggest victim being the battery percentage. After a five-year absence, it returns with the fifth beta of iOS 16.
Battery percentage back on iPhone in iOS 16
Apple now shows a number in the battery icon, which indicates how much percent is left in the iPhone battery. The percentage does not appear next to the battery, but inside it. As a result, the battery icon itself no longer visually shows how far the battery is empty. You can turn the battery percentage on or off in the settings, just like you always could on iPhones with Touch ID. On iPhones with a home button, the battery percentage was always visible.
Funnily enough, the battery percentage option is not available on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini, and iPhone 13 mini. This may have to do with the resolution of these displays. On the mini devices, the number may be too small, while the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 use an upscaled screen display.
Right now, in iOS 15 and older, there are a number of other ways to see battery percentage on iPhones with Face ID. For example by opening the Control Panel, but also via the Batteries widget. With iOS 16, from the fifth beta it is again possible to always show the percentage, so you can see it at a glance.
See also 
View battery percentage on iPhone and iPad: this is how you can make it visible
You can make the battery percentage of the iPhone and iPad visible, so that you can estimate more accurately how long the battery will last.
It remains to be seen whether the battery percentage will make it to the final public version of iOS 16. Because it is currently still a beta, Apple can still change the display or eventually delete it completely if it is not to your liking. What do you think about Apple reducing the battery percentage? Are you going to enable this when it becomes available in iOS 16 or do you prefer the old visual display with a draining battery?
See also 
How the Batteries widget works on the iPhone and iPad
iOS has a handy Batteries widget. This widget only works with paired Bluetooth devices and some power banks and provides insight into the battery status of accessories and your iPhone and iPad. Read here how this Batteries widget works. More about iOS 16
iOS 16 is the major update for the iPhone. If you want to know whether your iPhone is suitable for iOS 16, you will find the answer in our article. Also read our overviews with the best iOS 16 features and the best iOS 16 details and discoveries. Currently, developers and public testers can install the iOS 16 beta. The official release date of iOS 16 is scheduled for this fall. Also read our preview of iOS 16 with the first experiences. The most recent stable iOS version is iOS 15.6.