The new iPhones Apple unveiled last week offer improved battery life, at least according to official estimates. Better battery life is something buyers expect from each new iPhone generation. According to Apple, the iPhone 17 models outlast their predecessors, and the ultra-thin iPhone Air offers battery life as good as last year’s iPhone 16 Pro. Additionally, the three iPhone 17 versions support faster charging than the iPhone Air and the iPhone 16 series. The first round of iPhone 17 and iPhone Air reviews suggest Apple’s battery life estimates are accurate, showing that the iPhone 17 Pro Max easily lasts more than a day of regular use, and the iPhone Air offers better-than-expected battery life.
If you’re a power user who doesn’t buy a phone until they know exactly how good the battery life is, you’ll be happy to hear that the first thorough battery life test attempting to replicate real-life usage conditions is out. YouTuber The Tech Chap produced the “ultimate battery test” for the iPhone 17 series, where he compared the four new iPhones and last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max through the same test to see which model does better.
Before we dissect Tom’s video, there’s one thing iPhone buyers should remember. The 2025 iPhones are the first to feature different battery life estimates for the same model, and that’s because Apple has used the extra internal space the eSIM-only models offer to increase the battery capacities. The iPhone 17 variants in the test feature physical SIM slots, so they have slightly smaller batteries than their U.S. counterparts. That means the eSIM-only models would deliver even better battery life in the same test. As for the iPhone Air, the ultra-thin phone only supports eSIM connectivity, no matter where you buy it.
The iPhone Air lasts almost as much as the iPhone 17
Tom’s real-life battery test put the five phones through the same test. Each ran the same apps on rotation until the battery was depleted. All five iPhones were brand-new, including the iPhone 16 Pro Max. They all featured the same iOS 26 release version, and featured active eSIM cards to replicate cellular use for a portion of the test. Also, the five iPhones had the same settings enabled, including brightness and refresh rate. On that note, the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone Air feature the same display as the Pro models, including support for dynamic refresh rate (1 to 120Hz).
Put differently, the five iPhones went through identical tests to measure battery life. Here’s how the five iPhones performed in The Tech Chap’s real-life battery test:
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 7 hours and 29 minutes
- iPhone 17: 6 hours and 55 minutes
- iPhone Air: 6 hours and 43 minutes
- iPhone 17 Pro: 7 hours and 34 minutes
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 7 hours and 59 minutes
The conclusion is that no matter which new iPhone you buy, battery life should not be a concern. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the absolute best iPhone to get if you want the longest battery life. The iPhone 17 Pro is also a good option, as it outlasts last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 17 also got a big battery life upgrade, as the test above shows that it’s only 34 minutes behind last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max. Finally, the new iPhone Air is just a few minutes behind the iPhone 17.
