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iPhone Xs & Apple Watch Series 4 battery life details: The good and the bad

Now that the iPhone Xs and Apple Watch Series 4 have officially been announced, we can dive deeper into the specifications of each, as well as the changes compared to the iPhone X and Apple Watch Series 3.

For both the iPhone Xs and Apple Watch Series 4, Apple briefly mentioned battery life – but looking closer, there are a few changes worth noting.

iPhone Xs:

For the iPhone Xs, Apple says users will get 30 more minutes of battery life with this year’s device than with the 2017 iPhone X. Looking closer at the battery life numbers Apple outlines on its technical specifications page, we can dive deeper into these numbers.

In terms of talk time, the iPhone Xs will get 20 hours of use on battery – which is actually down from 21 hours with the iPhone X. Other numbers, such as Internet use, video playback, audio playback, and fast charging remain unchanged:

iPhone X:

  • Talk time (wireless): Up to 21 hours
  • Internet use: Up to 12 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): Up to 13 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 60 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge 30 minutes

iPhone Xs:

  • Talk time (wireless): Up to 20 hours
  • Internet use: Up to 12 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): Up to 14 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 60 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge 30 minutes

iPhone Xs Max:

Meanwhile, for the iPhone Xs Max, Apple says users will get 1 and a half more hours of battery life with the device in comparison to the iPhone X.

In comparison to the iPhone 8 Plus – the most recent large-screened phone from Apple – this is better in every aspect.

iPhone 8 Plus: 

  • Talk time (wireless): Up to 21 hours
  • Internet use: Up to 13 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): Up to 14 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 60 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge 30 minutes

iPhone Xs Max:

  • Talk time (wireless): Up to 25 hours
  • Internet use: Up to 13 hours
  • Video playback (wireless): Up to 15 hours
  • Audio playback (wireless): Up to 65 hours
  • Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge 30 minutes

Apple Watch Series 4:

As for the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple says that users will get the same ‘up to 18 hour’ all day battery life as the Series 3. In terms of talk time while connected to an iPhone, however, the Series 4 will receive 2 hours of battery life, compared to the Series 3 at 3 hours of battery life.

Meanwhile, there are some improvements for Workouts as outdoor GPS workouts are now at 6 hours, up from 5 hours with the Series 3. GPS & LTE workouts, and GPS + LTE + audio workouts, have also seen improvements:

Apple Watch Series 3:

  • Up to 18 hours
  • Talk: 3 hours connected to iPhone
    • 1 hour connected to LTE
  • Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
    • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS
    • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
    • Up to 3 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

Apple Watch Series 4:

  • Up to 18 hours
  • Talk: 2 hours connected to iPhone
    • 1 hour connected to LTE
  • Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
    • Up to 6 hours outdoor workout with GPS
    • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
    • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

Read more about the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max in our full coverage right here, and more about the Apple Watch Series 4 here. Read our live blog of Apple’s September 2018 event and our news hub here.


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Author

Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is an editor for the entire 9to5 network and covers the latest Apple news for 9to5Mac.

Tips, questions, typos to chance@9to5mac.com

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