Battery life tests conducted by CNET discover that iPhone 17 Pro Max has the best battery life of any smartphone tested and that Apple leads the brand ranking in its models.
Apple’s flagship model took first place, ahead of several models with significantly higher battery capacity, with the entry-level iPhone 17 in a tie for second place…
CNET said it conducted extensive testing in response to consistent feedback that battery life was one of the most important purchase drivers for smartphone buyers.
I’ve been reviewing and testing phones for CNET for nearly a decade, and I’ve heard from many readers that long battery life is a top priority. In one CNET/YouGov poll as of September 2025, readers ranked “longer battery life” as the top reason for buying a new phone (second only to price).
In total, it tested 35 different smartphone models and ranked the specific phones and overall performance of each brand.
The top-ranked phone was the iPhone 17 Pro Max, despite having a relatively average battery capacity of 5,088 mAh and not using the latest battery technology. This is explained by the energy efficiency of Apple’s A19 Pro chip as well as the extremely tight integration of hardware and software.
CNET runs two battery life benchmarks (video streaming and stress tests) that allow us to compare the phones. In our 3-hour video battery test, where we streamed a video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness and the battery starting at 100%, the iPhone 17 Pro Max was the best performer […]
In CNET’s 45-minute endurance test, during which we played games, streamed videos, scrolled through social networks, and made a video call with the battery starting at 100%, the iPhone 17 Pro Max again came out on top, joining three other Apple models, including the iPhone 16E, which starts at $599.
Apple’s advantage was even more evident in the case of the base model iPhone 17. It took second place tied with the OnePlus 15 despite having a FAR smaller battery of 3692 mAh compared to 7300 mAh.
When CNET evaluated the scores on each phone model, it found that Apple had the best overall rating, scoring 91.7%. That puts it just ahead of OnePlus and a few points ahead of Motorola, Samsung and Google.
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