Tech Showdown: iPhone 17 vs. Android Power – A Battle of Battery Life

While it’s not uncommon to hear complaints of lackluster iPhone battery life, Apple’s largest flagship iPhone Pro Max models typically hold their own against even the best modern Android rivals, even despite packing in smaller cells. The iPhone 16 Pro Max came in third behind two others with substantially larger batteries, but this year the iPhone 17 Pro Max is beating out even those thanks to Apple’s power-efficiency improvements.

In a battery stress test of 35 phones, CNET found that the iPhone 17 Pro Max came in first, beating out the new OnePlus 15 despite that model’s 40% larger battery. However, there was another second-place contender that was even more surprising: the humble iPhone 17.

That’s a stark contrast from previous years, when the standard iPhone model has failed to crack the top ten, and it’s even more surprising considering it packs in only a 3,692 mAh battery. Whatever Apple has done with its in-house silicon — specifically the A19 and new N1 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips — and new 120Hz ProMotion display, it appears to be working.

To put this in perspective, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which handily came out on top, has a 5,088 mAh battery, while the OnePlus 15, which tied with the iPhone 17 for second place, packs in a gargantuan 7,300 mAh cell. Those larger batteries have always been a hallmark for OnePlus, but it’s clear the enthusiast brand needs them, as the more affordable OnePlus 15R has an even larger battery — 7,400 mAh — yet it sat back in fifth place in the CNET roundup, in a four-way tie with the 2025 Motorola Edge, 2025 Moto G Stylus, and OnePlus 13R, all of which had cells of 6,000 mAh or less.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro sat in a solitary fourth place, behind the Poco F7 Ultra. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone Air didn’t make the list, since even though it delivers impressive battery life for its ultra-thin 5.6 mm form factor, it can’t hold a candle to smartphones that actually have the space to pack in real batteries.

In averaging out the scores to come up with a list of brands that offer the best battery life, Apple came out on top with 91.7%, edging out OnePlus at 89.25%, followed by Motorola (87.43%), Samsung (87.22%), and Google (85.70%).

Methodology Matters

Before we get too excited, it’s important to note that CNET’s tests actually differed substantially from a roundup that Tom’s Guide published last month. In that battery life tourney, the iPhone 17 Pro Max actually came in tenth, with several Motorola and OnePlus phones scoring higher, and the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro coming in third behind the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15R.