After extensive testing totaling 120 hours across nearly three dozen smartphones, Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max emerged as the overall leader for battery life, according to CNET’s Patrick Holland.
CNET put 32 phones through two standardized tests starting from a full 100% charge: a 3-hour video streaming session over Wi-Fi at full brightness, and a 45-minute stress test involving video streaming, video calls, gaming, and social media scrolling. Remaining battery percentages were averaged to determine rankings. The results, detailed by Holland, show that average battery life across 2026 models held roughly steady compared to phones tested in prior years. Larger batteries and efficiency gains were often offset by brighter displays, more powerful processors, and power-hungry AI features.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max took the top overall spot, benefiting from a larger battery than the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro Max, along with optimizations in iOS 27 and the efficient A20 Pro chip. In the stress test, it tied with the foldable iPhone Duo, each losing just 1% of charge. Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL also placed well, dropping only 3% (an improvement over the prior year’s Pixel 10 Pro XL, which lost 7%). In the video streaming test, the smaller iPhone 18 Pro led the field, retaining 94% after three hours.
Foldable devices with silicon-carbon batteries also stood out for packing higher capacity into compact designs. Models like the Motorola Razr (2026) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 performed well, offering strong endurance without dramatically larger physical batteries. Other strong value options highlighted by Holland include the iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, OnePlus 15 (despite the brand’s exit from the U.S. market after this generation), and more affordable Motorola models such as the Moto G Stylus (2026) and Edge (2026).
When averaging results by brand across multiple models, Apple led for the second consecutive year, ahead of OnePlus. Budget-conscious buyers can still find solid endurance without flagship pricing, as some mid-range phones matched or approached the efficiency of far more expensive devices.
For those whose primary complaint with an existing phone is degraded battery capacity after a few years of use, CNET’s Patrick Holland advises considering a battery replacement rather than a full upgrade. This can restore much of the original runtime for a fraction of the cost of a new device, potentially extending a phone’s useful life significantly. Power banks remain a practical backup for heavy users as well.
Overall, while raw capacity numbers continue to climb, real-world endurance depends heavily on hardware-software optimization, usage patterns, and features that draw power. CNET’s testing underscores that bigger batteries alone do not guarantee longer days between charges.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple leads. All others follow. As usual.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Is this a good time to mention the MacBook Air’s battery life as well? The battery life on that joint completely blows away the battery on my c. 2016 Asus laptop, though to be fair that computer is a decade old. I am starting to find myself spending more time on my MacBook than my Asus Ubuntu laptop because of that.