- We put the batteries in Apple’s newest iPhones to the test
- There are upgrades here, but not major ones
- Apple has given big boosts in battery life on these phones
Sift through the press releases that Apple pushed out while announcing the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, and you’ll see some big battery life increases announced — including “the biggest increase in battery life ever” on an iPhone with the Pro Max model (compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max).
We know that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max come with 4,056 mAh and 5,391 mAh capacity batteries respectively (at least in Europe), but does that translate into much better battery life? We put both of these new phones through their paces in TechRadar’s laboratories (as part of our full iPhone 18 Pro review) to see if Apple held up to its claims under some real-world tests.
Our standard test involves driving the iPhone automatically through a series of websites over a cellular connection until the battery dies. Features such as location services, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are all turned off while the test is running, and the battery management functions in iOS are also disabled.
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The iPhone 18 Pro managed 16 hours and 17 minutes in the test, compared to 15 hours and 21 minutes on the iPhone 17 Pro, a Increase of about 6% overall. The iPhone 18 Pro Max managed 18 hours and 27 minutes compared to 17 hours and 54 minutes on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Increase of about 3% in total.
These increases are of course welcome, but perhaps not quite as impressive as Apple makes, although there are many different variables (such as screen brightness) involved. Apple’s own figures usually use video playback time – how long a single battery charge lasts while watching a video.
For the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple quotes 33 hours and 39 hours, respectively, while for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, these figures increase to 36 hours (a 9% increase) and 45 hours (a 15% increase). That last jump is really significant, but can only apply in very narrow scenarios.
“All battery requirements depend on network configuration and many other factors,” Apple explains in the small print on its comparison page. “Actual results will vary. Batteries have limited charging cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings.”
We can safely say that you should see better battery life on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max compared to the models that preceded them, but based on our own tests, don’t expect the kind of improvements that Apple promises unless you do nothing but watch videos and long stretches between charging stations.
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