The iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery specs are nothing to boast about, even modest in an era when even 7,000mAh cells have been dwarfed by newer 10,000mAh ones in Android phones — case in point: the recent Realme P4 Power. So it doesn't come as a surprise that Apple avoids focussing on raw milliamp-hour figures. However, the tech major does proudly flaunt its advanced processors and operating system optimisations, which play a big role in extending real-world battery endurance in Apple devices.
A larger battery doesn't necessarily translate to longer battery life, as demonstrated in recent tests carried out by CNET, in which the iPhone 17 Pro Max outperformed 34 other smartphones to emerge as the most efficient device when it comes to power.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max Beats 34 Phones In Battery Life, Including OnePlus 15
In the evaluation of 35 smartphones by CNET, the iPhone 17 Pro Max took first place, ahead of models with substantially higher battery capacity. Even the base iPhone 17, with a paltry 3,692mAh cell, came in at second place, beating the likes of OnePlus 15 at 7,300mAh, OnePlus 15R at 7,400mAh, and Poco F7 Ultra at 5,600mAh.
The iPhone 17 Pro placed fourth, while fifth position saw a tie among several devices, including the Motorola Moto G Stylus, Motorola Edge, OnePlus 13R, and OnePlus 15R.
The Testing
CNET conducted two primary benchmarks: a 3-hour video streaming test over Wi-Fi at full screen brightness, and a 45-minute endurance test involving gaming, video streaming, social media scrolling, and a video call, both starting from 100% charge. In both scenarios, the iPhone 17 Pro Max ranked first, a result that can be attributed to the efficiency of Apple's A19 Pro chip and iOS 26.
When averaging performance across models for brand-level rankings, Apple achieved the highest score at 91.7%, ahead of OnePlus and well clear of competitors like Motorola, Samsung, and Google. Overall, CNET's results positioned Apple and OnePlus as the leading brands for battery endurance in this round of testing.
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