iPhone 17 Pro Max demolished Samsung in endurance test. The results will surprise you

When Apple promised longer battery life for the iPhone 17 Pro Max at its autumn keynote, many took it with a grain of salt. Manufacturers like to bend numbers in their favor, and 35 hours of video playback sounds great on paper, but it doesn’t help much in your pocket. But it seems Apple isn’t lying – in a real-world usage test, the new iPhone outclassed the competition, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Real-world test, not lab fairy tales

YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss took all current Apple phones and subjected them to a test that is much closer to everyday use than endless video playback in a lab. Scrolling social media, switching between Slack and emails, shooting videos, streaming music – simply a mix of activities you do every day. And the results? The iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted a full 13 hours before shutting down.

For comparison – last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max managed 12 hours and 15 minutes. Those extra 45 minutes might not sound like a revolution, but it’s the difference between arriving home with a few percent left and searching for a charger on public transport. The Galaxy S25 Ultra gave up after just 11 hours and 50 minutes, meaning even last year’s iPhone beat it.

Why iPhone 17 Pro Max wins

The success is not due to magic, but a combination of several factors. The A19 Pro chip, manufactured with a 3nm process, is Apple’s most power-efficient processor to date. Add to that improved cooling, which prevents throttling during demanding tasks, and most importantly, a larger battery. The European version with a physical SIM has a capacity of around 4,800 mAh.

An interesting detail: according to Apple, US models with eSIM only have a slightly larger battery because the space saved by the absence of a SIM card slot was used for the accumulator. Theoretically, they could last even longer, although the difference won’t be dramatic.

Smaller iPhones don’t fare well

The test also revealed the flip side of the coin. The ultralight iPhone Air, with its thickness of just 5.5 mm, lasted only 7 hours and 18 minutes – the price for design is simply high. The basic iPhone 17 performed better with 10 hours and 28 minutes, while the iPhone 17 Pro achieved 10 hours and 48 minutes thanks to a more power-efficient chip and better cooling.

What do you think about the new iPhone’s battery life?

Source: Mrwhosetheboss