iPhone 17 Pro Max once again surpassed Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in a battery life test. Pixel 10 Pro XL lags a mile behind them

While the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra recently defeated the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a speed test, Apple is now taking revenge in an area that is even more important for everyday users. In a comprehensive battery life test conducted by the PhoneBuff channel, the Apple flagship beats its South Korean rival by more than an hour. Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL was also invited to the battle, but it once again confirmed that Pixel battery life is not exactly glorious compared to the competition.

How was the battery life test conducted?

YouTuber PhoneBuff is known for his thorough and objective tests. This time, he subjected three premium smartphones to a comprehensive battery test, which included common activities like web browsing, Instagram scrolling, as well as more demanding tasks. A sixteen-hour standby phase was also included, during which the phones simply waited with active notifications.

The most demanding part of the test was using Snapchat, where the display, Wi-Fi, GPS, and front camera ran simultaneously. This is where the differences in energy efficiency of the individual chips – A19 Pro, Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Tensor G5 – became fully apparent. During this phase, the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s battery quickly dropped to single digits, confirming the lower efficiency of Google’s chip.

iPhone 17 Pro Max is the clear winner

The latest iPhone demonstrated exceptional energy efficiency, achieving a total battery life of 29 hours and 5 minutes. Of this, 13 hours and 5 minutes were active use, and 16 hours were standby. Interestingly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra performed better in web browsing, but when it came to Instagram and Snapchat, Apple clearly dominated.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra finished in second place with a total battery life of 27 hours and 50 minutes. In active use, this was 11 hours and 50 minutes. The phone showed good endurance during web browsing and standby, but lost ground in more energy-intensive tasks.

While the battle between Apple and Samsung was relatively close, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL significantly lags behind. With a total battery life of 26 hours and 45 minutes (10 hours and 45 minutes of active use), it finished in last place. This is a surprising result given that the Pixel paradoxically has the largest battery of the tested trio, but apparently suffers from lower energy efficiency of the Tensor G5 chip.

Consistency with previous tests

The new results confirm a trend we already saw in YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss’s test. There, too, the iPhone 17 Pro Max dominated with 13 hours of active use, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra achieved 11 hours and 50 minutes. Interestingly, the active use values are almost identical in both tests, which confirms the reliability of the measurements.

As for the battery itself, European iPhone 17 Pro Max models with a physical SIM have a capacity of approximately 4,800 mAh. American versions, which use only eSIM, have a slightly larger battery due to the space saved by the SIM slot, which could theoretically lead to even better battery life results.

Google still astray

The Pixel 10 Pro XL once again confirms that Google has long-standing battery life issues. Even the largest physical battery capacity doesn’t help if the chip and software themselves are not optimized for energy efficiency. Although the Tensor G5 has transitioned to a manufacturing process from Taiwanese TSMC, it still appears to lag behind competing chips from Apple and Qualcomm in terms of efficiency.

Looking at the overall difference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max outperforms the Pixel 10 Pro XL by 2 hours and 20 minutes, which is a significant real-world difference that can determine whether your phone dies before the end of the day or lasts until evening.

A win that will please everyday users

Although speed tests and benchmarks can be interesting for tech enthusiasts, battery life affects users’ daily satisfaction much more. In this regard, Apple with the iPhone 17 Pro Max proves that the combination of its own hardware and software has its advantages.

What’s interesting, however, is that according to PhoneBuff’s ranking, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is not the absolute record holder for battery life. The Vivo X200 Pro still holds the top spot, and its successor will soon be introduced in China.

Do you think battery life is a key factor when choosing a smartphone?

Sources: PhoneBuff/YouTube, Wccftech