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iPhone 15 Plus takes the crown in battery life test, beating all previous iPhone models

Following the iPhone 15 release on Friday, the first battery test results are coming in. Apple touted the efficiency of the 3nm A17 Pro chip, so anticipation was high for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max to take the top spot.

Indeed, the Pro Max outlasted all previous iPhones in Mrwhosetheboss’s test. But it was actually bested by the 15 Plus, which racked up more than 13 hours screen on time, and now holds the title of longest iPhone battery life on record.

Apple’s own tech specs page reports battery life in terms of longevity for continuous audio playback and video playback sessions. According to Apple’s numbers, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasts the longest on streaming video playback with 25 hours compared to 20 hours for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Plus.

However, on audio playback, the Max is rated for 95 hours while the Plus hits triple digits at 100 hours. Apple’s numbers give a decent benchmark to compare across models, but it’s hard to deduce real-world battery life times from them, as day-to-day phone usage is usually more taxing than just watching video or playing music.

Mrwhosetheboss attempts to simulate a more realistic daily usage pattern, cycling through power draining activities like watching TikTok videos, Zoom video chat, recording video in the camera, and playing games. The phone screen stays on the entire time until the battery is depleted and it turns off.

The previous title holder was the iPhone 13 Pro Max, as battery life dipped a little with the 14 series. As seen in the video, all iPhone 15 models beat out their previous-generation counterpart.

Top comment by Alex

Liked by 6 people

Hmm, seems like one more reason for me to get the iPhone 15 and not the 15 Pro this time round…

Apart from the telephoto camera and a marginally faster processor, I can’t see much reason to get the Pro. The 15 is even lighter than the Pro, has Dynamic Island and even better battery life. Coming from the 13 Pro, I feel like I might still miss the telephoto lens and ProMotion screen though… This is a tricky decision.

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Of the newest generation phones, the iPhone 15 Pro died first, followed by the iPhone 15. The 15 Pro lasted for 9 hours and 20 minutes. The base iPhone 15 endured another half an hour, clocking in at just under 10 hours of runtime.

The 15 Pro Max easily lapped the field, staying alive for another hour and a half of battery life, hitting 11 hours and 41 minutes. The 15 Plus almost beat the Max by the same margin though, achieving a staggering 13 hours and 19 minutes in the test.

The previous best performer, the 13 Pro Max, managed 11 hours and 19 minutes in contrast.

Watch the full video here:

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Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.


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