Written by Frode Skar, Finance Journalist.
iPhone 17 Pro Max delivers the best battery life among 35 smartphones tested
Apple leads battery performance across models and brands
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has recorded the strongest battery performance among 35 smartphones tested in a comprehensive comparison conducted by CNET. The results place Apple’s flagship device at the top of the rankings and show that Apple leads overall battery performance as a brand, despite many rivals using significantly larger batteries.
The findings reinforce battery life as one of the most decisive purchasing factors in the global smartphone market and highlight Apple’s continued advantage in efficiency driven design.
Efficiency outperforms sheer battery size
The iPhone 17 Pro Max secured first place with a battery capacity of 5,088 milliampere hours, a figure that is relatively modest compared with several Android competitors. According to CNET, the result is explained by the efficiency of Apple’s A19 Pro chip combined with tight integration between hardware and software.
Rather than relying on oversized batteries, Apple continues to prioritize energy efficiency, system optimization, and control of the full technology stack. This approach has repeatedly translated into longer real world usage times.
Strong results across multiple test scenarios
CNET conducted two standardized battery benchmarks. The first was a three hour video streaming test over Wi Fi, with the display set to maximum brightness and the battery starting at full charge. In this test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max outlasted all other devices.
The second benchmark was a 45 minute endurance test designed to simulate intensive daily use, including gaming, video streaming, social media scrolling, and a video call. Once again, the iPhone 17 Pro Max ranked at the very top.
Several other Apple devices followed closely behind, including the iPhone 16E, a significantly cheaper model. This suggests that Apple’s battery efficiency is not limited to its most expensive phones.
Base iPhone 17 matches phones with far larger batteries
One of the most notable findings was the performance of the standard iPhone 17. It finished in joint second place overall alongside the OnePlus 15, despite having a battery capacity of just 3,692 milliampere hours.
By comparison, the OnePlus 15 uses a battery rated at 7,300 milliampere hours. That Apple’s base model could deliver similar endurance underlines how effective Apple’s silicon and software optimization has become.
Apple tops overall brand rankings
When CNET averaged scores across all tested phone models, Apple achieved the highest overall brand rating with a score of 91.7 percent. OnePlus followed closely behind, while Motorola, Samsung, and Google trailed by several points.
The consistency of Apple’s performance across multiple devices suggests that battery efficiency is embedded into the company’s broader design and engineering strategy rather than being a single model specific advantage.
Battery life as a strategic differentiator
In a CNET and YouGov survey conducted in September 2025, respondents ranked longer battery life as the most important reason for buying a new smartphone, second only to price. That makes battery performance a critical competitive metric at a time when other forms of hardware innovation are delivering diminishing returns.
For Apple, strong battery results reinforce its positioning in both the premium segment and among more price sensitive buyers, without needing to engage in a race toward ever larger batteries.
Implications for the wider market
The test results send a clear signal to Android manufacturers. Increasing battery capacity alone is not sufficient if it is not paired with efficient processors and deeply optimized software.
With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple has once again demonstrated that system level optimization can outperform brute force approaches. As competition intensifies and component costs rise, this efficiency focused strategy may prove increasingly difficult for rivals to match.
