Expert tests iPhone 17 battery life across entire lineup and it's looking promising
Published on Sep 23, 2025 at 8:06 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The Apple iPhone 17 battery life has been put to the test across the entire range, and the results are in.
Earlier this month, Apple announced the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.
It also unveiled the iPhone Air, hailed as the ‘thinnest and most durable’ iPhone yet.
And if you’ve been wondering what sort of battery life you can expect from the new handsets, one expert has put them to the test.
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How does the Apple iPhone 17 battery life measure up?
As ever, when a new Apple product is released, there is plenty of fanfare.
Revealing the new iPhones, the tech giant said folks could expect major updates when it came to the camera and display.
It also launched the Apple iPhone Air, which people have been trying to bend to test its durability.
But, of course, the real question most want to know is how the battery fares.
Thankfully, that’s been answered by YouTuber The Tech Chap.
He carried out a battery test for the full Apple iPhone 17 range as well as the new iPhone Air.
To test the battery life, he used the phones to continuously screen YouTube videos on Wi-Fi and cellular until the batteries gave out.
The tech enthusiast used the iPhone 16 Pro Max as the benchmark, which had a battery life of seven hours and 29 minutes.
This was bested by the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which managed seven hours and 58 minutes.
It was also beaten by the iPhone 17 Pro, which clocked a time of seven hours and 34 minutes.
The stock standard iPhone 17 battery life didn’t last quite as long as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, dying after six hours and 55 minutes.
There was one clear loser in this test, and that was the new iPhone Air.
The iPhone Air that did the worst. The new addition lasted six hours and 43 minutes.
Apple has warned that downloading the new iOS 26 might impact your battery
Alongside the range of new phones, Apple has also launched its latest operating system, which comes with lots of cool new features, including the Liquid Glass display.
However, the company has also warned that updating to iOS 26 might impact your iPhone’s battery, albeit only temporarily.
“Immediately after completing an update, particularly a major release, you might notice a temporary impact on battery life and thermal performance,” the company warned.
“This is normal, as your device needs time to complete the setup process in the background, including indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps.”
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With a background in both local and national press in the UK, Claire moved to New Zealand before joining the editorial team at Supercar Blondie in May 2024. As a Senior Content Writer working on New Zealand Standard Time (NZST), Claire was the first writer on the team to make the site’s output a slick 24/7 operation covering the latest in automotive news.
