Battery life tests conducted by CNET reveal that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the best out of 35 smartphones tested. In fact, Apple seems to have done quite well with all of its models.
Apple's top model took first place in terms of battery life, surpassing several models with significantly higher battery, with the base iPhone 17 model in a tie for second place.
CNET reported that it conducted extensive testing, as battery life was one of the most important factors for smartphone buyers.
See also: Foldable iPhone: Rumors of unparalleled battery life
In a CNET/YouGov from September 2025, readers ranked “longer battery life” as the top reason for buying a new phone. The first factor had to do with the price of the device.
Testing 35 different smartphone models for battery life
In total, CNET tested 35 different smartphone models and ranked both the specific phones and the overall performance of each brand.
The top phone was the iPhone 17 Pro Max, despite having a relatively average capacity (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.
See also: Fender's first wireless Mix headphones with long-lasting battery
CNET runs two battery life benchmarks (video streaming and endurance tests) that allow us to compare phones. In a 3-hour video streaming test, a video was streamed over Wi-Fi with the screen at maximum brightness and the battery started at 100%. The iPhone 17 Pro Max came out on top.
The 45-minute endurance test included gaming, video streaming, scrolling through social media , and making a video call with the battery starting at 100%. The iPhone 17 Pro Max came out on top again, along with three other Apple models, including the iPhone 16E.
Apple was the best brand
Apple's advantage was even more evident in the case of the base iPhone 17 model, which took second place, tied with the OnePlus 15, despite having a much smaller battery of 3,692 mAh compared to 7,300 mAh.
See also: Best portable iPhone Air battery: Apple MagSafe Battery vs Anker Nano
When CNET averaged the scores for each phone model, it found that Apple had the best overall score, with a 91.7% score. That put it just ahead of OnePlus and several points ahead of Motorola, Samsung, and Google.
