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- Battery life results
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Bottom line
I have some good news. Every single model in the iPhone 15 lineup offers better battery life than their predecessors based on our battery test. This is likely due to a combination of slightly larger batteries and more efficient chips in each handsets. But if you really care about endurance, there are clear winners.
We put the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max through the Tom's Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing over 150 nits of screen brightness. And the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro Max rose to the top. In fact, they both make our best phone battery life list.
Here's how the new iPhone 15 models stack up against their iPhone 14 counterparts, as well as other competing flagship phones.Also check out our iPhone 15 Pro benchmarks to see how powerful the A17 Pro chip is.
iPhone 15 battery life results: All four models compared
Swipe to scroll horizontally
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Battery size* | Battery life (hours:mins) |
| iPhone 15 | 3,349 mAh | 11:05 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 4,383 mAh | 14:14 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 3,274 mAh | 10:53 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 4,422 mAh | 14:02 |
| iPhone 14 | 3,279 mAh | 9:28 |
| iPhone 14 Plus | 4,325 mAh | 11:57 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | 3,200 mAh | 10:13 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | 4,323 mAh | 13:39 |
| Galaxy S23 | 3,900 mAh | 10:27 (adaptive), 11:20 (60Hz) |
| Galaxy S23 Plus | 4,700 mAh | 11:24 (adaptive) / 12:08 (60Hz) |
| Galaxy S23 Ultra | 5,000 mAh | 12:22 (adaptive), 13:09 (60Hz) |
| OnePlus 11 | 5,000 mAh | 13:10 (adaptive) / 12:48 (60Hz) |
| Google Pixel 7 | 4,355 mAh | 7:14 |
| Google Pixel 7 Pro | 5,000 mAh | 7:54 |
iPhone 15 battery life
The 6.1-inch iPhone 15 reportedly packs a 3,349 mAh battery based on regulatory listings. (Apple does not list the battery sizes.), That would be slightly bigger than the 3,279 mAh batttery in the iPhone 14. And yet we saw a very big jump in runtime.
On the Tom's Guide battery test, the iPhone 15 lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, which is about an hour and a half longer than the iPhone 14. This time also beats the regular Samsung Galaxy S23 with its screen in adaptive mode, but the S23 lasted an even longer 11:20 with its screen in 60Hz mode. The iPhone 15 also has a 60Hz refresh rate.
The Google Pixel 7 endured for only 7 hours and 14 minutes, so it's not even in the same ballpark.
iPhone 15 Plus battery life
This is what happens when you spend the extra $100 for the iPhone 15 Plus over the regular iPhone 15. Based on our testing, the iPhone 15 Plus lasted a very impressive 14 hours and 14 minutes, compared to just under 12 hours for the iPhone 14 Plus. So we're talking about 2 hours longer.
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The Galaxy S23 Plus lasted 11:24 in adaptive mode and 12:08 in 60Hz mode, so that's about 2 hours behind the iPhone 15 Plus. The OnePlus 11 lasted a max of 13:10 so an hour less than Apple's device.
iPhone 15 Pro battery life
The iPhone 15 Pro turned in the lowest battery life in our testing. The handset lasted 10 hours and 53 minutes, which is 40 minutes longer than the iPhone 14 Pro.
That's not bad, as it's an hour or so ahead of the average smartphone's time on our test. But we consider great battery life to be 11.5 hours or longer. Still, the iPhone 15 Pro lasted about 3 hours longer than the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life
Now we're talkin'. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the Pro model to get from Apple if you want serious staying power. We saw 14 hours and 2 minutes of battery life in our testing, which is a bit shorter than the iPhone 15 Plus but more than 20 minutes longer than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
This easily puts the new Pro Max on our best phone battery life list. No other major flagship phone we've tested offers this much endurance. So clearly the slightly larger battery helped.
Bottom line
If you prioritize battery life I would buy the iPhone 15 Plus or iPhone 15 Pro Max. You'll pay more for these phones than the smaller versions, but you won't be reaching for the outlet as soon during your day. And that's worth a lot to many.
For those who{"data-model-name":"INIU 10000mAh Portable Charger","data-widget-type":"review"} prefer compact designs, the iPhone 15 lasts a little bit longer than the iPhone 15 Pro. But you might want to pick up one of the best portable batteries if you're worried about making it through longer days on a charge.
More from Tom's Guide
- iPhone 15 vs iPhone 15 Plus vs iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iOS 17 review: The biggest rewards for iPhone owners
- iPhone 15 Pro delays — here’s the latest delivery dates
Mark Spoonauer
Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.
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5 CommentsComment from the forums
ohstetson Was the iPhone 15 Pro Max using the 120hz display during the test for it's 14 hour run? The nerd inside me wants to know! Didn't know if it was a inherently 120hz constantly or if you have to toggle for it.
Thanks!
Reply
leojw1 With 3nm and larger battery, surprisingly the 15 Pro Max lasted shorter than the 15 Plus.
Reply
Carson Lujan leojw1 said:
With 3nm and larger battery, surprisingly the 15 Pro Max lasted shorter than the 15 Plus.Likely because of the 120hz refresh rate. But even then, the performance difference of the two is minimal.
But next year will be a big jump. Unfortunately the battery leaks were wrong this year but a new “stacked” technology will likely make its way over to the 16 models. Which will greatly increase battery life.
Reply
Carson Lujan Good result by Apple again.
Although I’ve seen many reviews on the internet slander the 15 pro max having terrible battery life. Yet your test shows it performed really well.
But things will get better once both the A17 chip and iOS17 is better optimized with updates.
Reply
OGUncleG Sadly, real world experience has different results. With my 14 pro max, I rarely dipped below 50% battery using the phone throughout the day from 6am to 10pm.
With the 15 pro max, I am at 33% right now, starting the day at 6am and it is now 5pm. At this rate, I will have to charge mid day to have a phone all day.
This is consistent with the 4 other phones purchased by others in my family. Some pro max’s and some just pro versions.
Since this is all over other forums, hopefully a software fix is incoming.
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