CNET spent a year testing phone batteries, 120 hours across 32 smartphones, and the winner is the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The result itself is not the interesting part. What the numbers show is how little separates the best phone battery from the cheapest iPhone, and how the $1,999 iPhone Duo ended up tied with a phone that costs a third as much.
The test, published on November 3 and reported by MacRumors and 9to5Mac on November 11, ran every phone through the same two sessions, both starting from a full charge. One streamed video over Wi-Fi for three hours with the screen at maximum brightness. The other mixed video playback, a video call, gaming, and social media for 45 minutes. CNET ranked the phones on the charge left at the end, averaged across the two tests.
18 Pro Max first overall, 18 Pro best at streaming
The iPhone 18 Pro Max finished first overall. In the 45-minute mixed-use test it shared the top spot with the iPhone Duo, with each phone finishing at 99 percent. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro had the best streaming result of any phone, holding 94 percent after three hours of video at full brightness. The Pro Max finished the same test at 92 percent.
CNET credited the Pro Max win to three things: a larger battery than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the efficiency of the A20 Pro chip, and optimizations in iOS 27. Apple rates the 18 Pro Max at up to 45 hours of video playback and 40 hours of streamed video, against 36 and 33 hours for the smaller 18 Pro. The two sets of numbers measure different things, so do not convert CNET’s percentages into hours. CNET measured charge left after a fixed session. Apple estimates total playback time under its own test conditions.
| Phone | Battery | Streaming, 3 hours | Mixed use, 45 min | Overall rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | 5,567 mAh | 92% left | 99% left | 1st |
| iPhone 18 Pro | 4,288 mAh | 94% left | Not disclosed | Tied 2nd |
| iPhone 17 | 3,692 mAh | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Tied 2nd |
| OnePlus 15 | 7,300 mAh | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Tied 2nd |
| iPhone Duo | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | 99% left | Tied 4th |
| iPhone 17e | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Tied 4th |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | 97% left | Not disclosed |
The $699 iPhone tied the $1,999 foldable
The Duo’s result is the one worth pausing on. Apple’s first foldable tied for fourth overall, level with the $699 iPhone 17e (roughly Rs. 62,000) and the $1,400 Motorola Razr Ultra (2026). The Duo costs $1,999, roughly Rs. 1,77,000. It matched the Pro Max in the mixed-use test, then lost ground on the streaming test, where a foldable’s larger inner display has more screen to light.
That is not a bad result for a first-generation foldable. It is a reminder that a foldable buys you screen, not stamina. If battery is the priority, the standard iPhone 17e delivers the same overall ranking for a third of the price. The Duo’s case rests on its folding display and what it does with it, not on how long it lasts. Our earlier look at the Duo’s display crack reports and the shortening delivery times before Christmas covers the other half of the Duo story.
Capacity alone does not win
The OnePlus 15 is the clearest proof that milliamp-hours are not the whole story. Its 7,300 mAh battery is the largest in the test by a wide margin, nearly double the iPhone 17’s 3,692 mAh, yet it tied for second with the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 18 Pro. A bigger battery helps, but the chip driving the phone and the software managing it matter just as much. The Pixel 11 Pro XL improved on last year’s model in the mixed-use test, finishing at 97 percent against the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s 93 percent.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 took third overall, ahead of the Duo. Apple also led CNET’s comparison of average results by manufacturer for the second consecutive year, with several iPhones clustered near the top of the table.
What this means if you are buying now
Three takeaways are worth keeping. First, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the safest pick if battery life tops your list, and the smaller 18 Pro is the better streaming phone of the two. Second, the standard iPhone 17 is the value play: it tied for second overall despite the smallest battery among the leaders. Third, the test has a limit worth knowing. No phone was run until it died, so these are snapshots of burn rate over under four hours, not total runtimes.
CNET’s broader finding is the sobering one. Phones tested in 2026 had about the same average battery performance as those tested in 2025 and 2024. The leaders are getting better. The average phone is not. If you are choosing between the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro, the battery gap is real but small, and the rest of the comparison matters more.
Sources: CNET, via MacRumors and 9to5Mac, November 11, 2026; Android Headlines, November 12, 2026.
