A new independent test has compared the battery life of Apple’s latest iPhone 17 lineup, including the ultra-thin iPhone Air, against older iPhone models such as the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15, and even compact models like the iPhone SE 2022 and iPhone 13 mini. The results show some surprising trends, especially when testing devices on iOS 26 versus older software like iOS 18.
The video test was conducted under controlled conditions: maximum brightness, Wi-Fi disabled, one SIM per phone, True Tone and Night Shift off, and identical accounts set up on all devices. The goal was to stress-test battery performance using cellular data and display-intensive apps like TikTok, which typically drain power faster than video playback or gaming. This makes the test results a good representation of worst-case usage, though real-world daily life can stretch runtimes by almost double.
Unlike many reviews that only run battery tests on Wi-Fi, this test deliberately used SIM-based connections across all devices to make the comparison fairer. The iPhone Air also had an additional trial with Apple’s official MagSafe Battery Pack, providing insight into how much extra runtime the accessory delivers.
iPhone battery life results
Here are the runtimes observed in the test:
| Model | iOS 18.6.2 Runtime | iOS 26 Runtime |
| iPhone 15 | 6h 35m | 5h 45m |
| iPhone 16 | 7h 03m | 6h 19m |
| iPhone 16 Plus | 8h 50m | 8h 04m |
| iPhone 16 Pro | 7h 00m | 5h 58m |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 8h 15m | 7h 30m |
| iPhone 17 | – | 6h 51m |
| iPhone 17 Pro | – | 7h 09m |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max (physical SIM) | – | 7h 57m |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max (eSIM) | – | 8h 06m |
| iPhone Air | – | 6h 30m |
| iPhone Air + MagSafe Battery | – | 10h 51m |
The standout performer was the iPhone 16 Plus on iOS 18, lasting nearly 9 hours, even outpacing the iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, when running iOS 26, many older iPhones showed noticeably reduced runtimes, suggesting Apple may have tuned its software in ways that make newer models appear more efficient.
On the other hand, this confirms the biggest fears that users had: Liquid Glass on iOS 26 consumes more battery life. So much that most of the new iPhone 17 models cannot outperform iOS 18 on iPhone 16 models, except for iPhone 17 Pro beating iPhone 16 Pro only by 9 minutes.
In most iPhone models, iOS 26 has also brought down the battery runtime by almost an hour.
Charging speed results
The test also measured charging performance using Apple’s updated 40W dynamic charger. The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro charged the fastest, while older models lagged behind.
| Model | 15 min charge | 30 min charge | Full charge |
| iPhone 15 | 48% | 65% | ~1h 50m |
| iPhone 16 | 50% | 68% | ~1h 50m |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 47% | 66% | ~2h 00m |
| iPhone 17 | 55% | 71% | ~1h 40m |
| iPhone 17 Pro | 56% | 72% | ~1h 40m |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 53% | 70% | ~1h 45m |
| iPhone Air | 51% | 67% | ~1h 45m |
MagSafe vs wired charging speeds
| Model | Wired (30 min) | MagSafe (30 min) |
| iPhone 15 | 65% | 42% |
| iPhone 16 | 68% | 45% |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 66% | 44% |
| iPhone 17 | 71% | 49% |
| iPhone 17 Pro | 72% | 50% |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 70% | 48% |
| iPhone Air | 67% | 46% |
MagSafe charging on the iPhone 17 series peaks at around 33W input, but with ~30% power loss at the contact point, the effective speed is closer to 25W. This explains why MagSafe results remain slower than wired charging despite higher peak wattage.
Check out the full video below:
The iPhone 17 series does not provide a major leap in endurance over the iPhone 16 generation. In some cases, the iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max running iOS 18 lasted longer than Apple’s newest flagships. The thin iPhone Air, despite early skepticism, performed respectably and matches or slightly trails the iPhone 16 Pro. With a MagSafe pack, its runtime extends to nearly 11 hours.
For buyers, this means upgrading to an iPhone 17 solely for better battery life is not worthwhile. Those with an iPhone 16 may be better off replacing their existing battery rather than moving to a new device, especially given that iOS 26 currently appears to shorten runtimes on older hardware. A future update like iOS 26.1 may improve efficiency.
