iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro battery life tested — the results are surprising

With every new release, Apple is confident about the endurance of its devices — and that hasn't changed with the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro. Even with expectations set higher than ever, the stakes are undeniably steep for this year's Pro lineup.

Not only do they need to prove their endurance against their predecessors to truly earn the best iPhone crown, but they also need to outlast many of the best Android phones around. Apple leaves no doubt that these are positioned as the longest-lasting phones it's ever built, backing up those claims with the efficiency gains of the new A20 Pro silicon alongside upgraded battery capacities.

After putting both handsets through our custom battery drain test, the results are surprising. Here’s what we found.

iPhone 18 Pro Performance & Battery TESTED: The A20 Pro Is Ridiculous! - YouTube

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iPhone 18 Pros vs iPhone 17 Pros battery life comparison

If you check Apple’s official comparison tool, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro are rated for up to 45 and 36 hours of video playback, respectively. In the Tom’s Guide battery test, however, we test real-world endurance by setting displays to 150 nits and running an automated script that simulates web browsing over a cellular connection until the device shuts off.

Our testing reveals an average battery life of 16 hours and 17 minutes for the iPhone 18 Pro, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max stretches that endurance to 18 hours and 27 minutes. While both represent clear year-over-year gains, the numbers are surprising given the heavy emphasis placed on the A20 Pro’s power efficiency.

Specifically, the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted 33 minutes longer than the iPhone 17 Pro Max — a modest 3.1% increase. The iPhone 18 Pro gets a more meaningful jump, outlasting the iPhone 17 Pro by 56 minutes for a 6.1% bump. Even if these figures don't quite deliver the dramatic generational leap many anticipated from Apple's shift to 2nm silicon, progress is progress nonetheless.

How they compare to rival Android phones

Just as importantly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Pro need to prove their worth against their primary Android rivals. The iPhone 18 Pro Max holds its ground convincingly against key competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro XL. It bests Samsung’s flagship by a solid margin of 1 hour and 47 minutes, a lead that stretches to nearly 4 hours over Google’s largest Pixel. Meanwhile, the smaller iPhone 18 Pro also holds its own against these supersized flagships, trailing the Galaxy S26 Ultra by just 23 minutes despite its noticeably more compact footprint.

Despite these promising gains, neither iPhone can touch the staggering endurance of the OnePlus 15 — the undisputed best phone battery life champion. Clocking in at an unbelievable 25 hours and 13 minutes, the OnePlus remains in a league of its own, beating the iPhone 18 Pro Max by more than 6.5 hours. That victory is largely thanks to the massive 7,300 mAh silicon-carbon battery packed beneath its hood.

iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro battery life: Bottom line

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max deliver dependable, all-day endurance that easily handles demanding tasks. However, this year's modest gains highlight an area where Android manufacturers are pulling ahead. While the new A20 Pro chip is an efficiency powerhouse, Apple’s reliance on conventional lithium-ion batteries has clearly reached its limits.

To truly unlock multi-day battery life — like the staggering endurance we're seeing on the OnePlus 15 — Apple needs to explore silicon-carbon battery technology. Silicon-carbon anodes provide substantially higher energy density without adding bulk, preserving the slim profiles and comfortable ergonomics users expect. While Apple can claim a clear victory over Samsung and Google for now, embracing this battery tech is the essential next step if it wants to capture the overall endurance crown.

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