5G Drains iPhone 12 Battery 20% Faster Than 4G in Benchmark

by

After the first reviews for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro emerged yesterday, a new report by Tom's Guide reveals the extent of battery life reductions when using 5G.

iphone 12 5g

The report outlines a test wherein the iPhone surfs the web continuously at 150 nits of screen brightness, launching a new site every 30 seconds until the battery drains. Interestingly, the test was run on an iPhone 12 and 12 Pro both over 4G and 5G.

Using 5G, the ‌iPhone 12‌ lasted just eight hours and 25 minutes, while the iPhone 12 Pro lasted nine hours and six minutes. When using 4G, the ‌iPhone 12‌ and 12 Pro perform better enduring for ten hours and 23 minutes and 11 hours and 24 minutes, respectively. This means that the ‌iPhone 12‌ and ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌'s battery life drains around 20 percent faster when using 5G in this artificial benchmark.

The same test on the iPhone 11 in 2019 yielded a result of 11 hours and 16 minutes over 4G, and the ‌iPhone 11‌ Pro achieved ten hours and 24 minutes.

Tom's Guide reports that this falls short of the battery life of 5G Android phones under the same test:

Compared to the Android competition, Apple's new phones are a step behind those devices on our best phone battery life list, especially over 5G networks.

The battery capacities across the ‌iPhone 12‌ lineup are believed to have been reduced this year, and while it was known that 5G would likely drain battery life, the extent of which was unknown.

The battery results may have been behind Apple's move to include a "Smart Data mode" with the ‌iPhone 12‌ and ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌, which selectively turns off 5G at times when it may not be needed. For example, when streaming music with the screen turned off, Smart Data mode reportedly turns off 5G and favors 4G instead.

However, users can go further and manually turn off 5G to boost battery life on the ‌iPhone 12‌ and ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌. In settings, users can choose from "5G On," "5G Auto," which seems to be Apple's Smart Data mode, and "LTE."

Related Roundups: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro
Tags: battery life, 5G
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 12 (Caution), iPhone 12 Pro (Caution)
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Voyageur Avatar
Voyageur
10 months ago
5G is not needed today. Just good coverage of the latest LTE standards is sufficient. The most optimal option for the next few years.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Caliber26 Avatar
Caliber26
10 months ago
I predict this information will leave some of you more pressed than a panini.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hunapu Avatar
hunapu
10 months ago
I want 5g, so I can turn it off to save battery...
Next year I'm gonna turn off 120Hz to save even more battery
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ruka.snow Avatar
ruka.snow
10 months ago
I'll care in 2025/2030 when 5G is a thing.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IsaacM Avatar
IsaacM
10 months ago
They really made some CHOICES when designing this phone. Less battery capacity with their first 5G phone that is known to consume more battery? A choice.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
farewelwilliams
10 months ago
no one is going to visit a site every 30 seconds for 9 hours straight

more than enough battery it looks like
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Top Stories

iphone 5g mmwave

Greater Share of iPhone 13 Models Expected to Support Ultra-Fast mmWave 5G

Tuesday June 1, 2021 11:03 am PDT by
More than 50% of iPhone 13 models set to be shipped later this year will support mmWave, according to a paywalled preview of a DigiTimes report, in line with rumors that mmWave will be supported in more regions. "Apple will launch its next-generation iPhone series - tentatively dubbed the iPhone 13 - later in 2021, according to industry sources, which believe that more than 50% of the total...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
galaxy s21 iphone 12 pro max

iPhone 12 Pro Max Named Most Popular 5G Smartphone in United States

Wednesday February 17, 2021 11:14 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max held the title of most popular 5G smartphone in 49 of 50 U.S. states as of January 2021, according to PCMag, citing data from Speedtest.net parent company Ookla and research firm M Science. The methodology behind the rankings:M Science directly tracks sales, and gave us cumulative sales figures up until Jan. 23. Ookla looks at the usage of its Speedtest apps on...
Read Full Article • 22 comments
qualcomm snapdragon x65

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X65 Modem Upgraded With Wider mmWave Coverage Ahead of Inclusion in 2022 iPhones

Wednesday May 19, 2021 8:00 am PDT by
Qualcomm today announced it has upgraded its Snapdragon X65 5G modem with improved power efficiency and support for wider mmWave carriers, a key requirement ahead of the rollout of 5G mmWave networks in China. Specifically, the modem now supports wider 200MHz carrier bandwidth in the mmWave spectrum and mmWave in standalone (SA) mode, while new power-saving technologies part of Qualcomm 5G...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
iPhone 13 Battery Life Feature

iPhone 13 Lineup Appears to Feature Significantly Larger Battery Capacities

Tuesday June 1, 2021 7:10 am PDT by
A new rumor from Weibo, shared on Twitter by credible leaker l0vetodream, alleges to be the battery capacities for the upcoming iPhone 13 lineup, revealing that all of the 2021 iPhones will feature larger batteries. According to the rumor, the iPhone 13 Pro Max will feature a 4352mAh battery, compared to the current iPhone 12 Pro Max's 3687mAh battery. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro will...
Read Full Article • 166 comments
verizonlogo

Verizon Again Delays Plans to Shut Down 3G Network

Tuesday January 5, 2021 1:02 pm PST by
Verizon does not plan to shut down its 3G network in the near future, a Verizon spokesperson told Light Reading this week (via The Verge). "Our 3G network is operational and we don't have a plan to shut it down at this time," said the spokesperson, who also added that Verizon will "work with customers to move them to newer technology." Verizon's decision to leave its 3G network functional is ...
Read Full Article • 54 comments
maxresdefault

Chris Rock Sells iPhone 12 and mmWave 5G in New Verizon Ad

Friday October 16, 2020 3:55 am PDT by
During its iPhone 12 event this week, Apple expended an unusually long amount of talk time on pressing home the benefits of 5G, and even gave the chairman and CEO of Verizon, Hans Vestberg, a segment to explain how "5G just got real." "The power of Verizon 5G meets the first iPhone with 5G." That same slogan is at the heart of Verizon's marketing campaign for mmWave 5G on iPhone 12, as this...
Read Full Article • 86 comments
14

Some Users Reporting Excessive Battery Drain Following iOS 14.6 Update

Tuesday June 1, 2021 5:50 am PDT by
Following the release of iOS and iPadOS 14.6 last week, some users have taken to social media and online forums to note that their devices have been experiencing excessive battery drain since installing the software updates. The Apple Support Community and MacRumors forums are riddled with posts from users stating their device now drains faster following the update. One user on the Apple...
Read Full Article • 171 comments
iPhone 13 Battery Life Feature

iPhone 13 to Finally Feature Bigger Batteries

Wednesday March 10, 2021 2:16 am PST by
Apple appears to be improving the iPhone's battery life with the iPhone 13 lineup, using a number of design changes, bigger batteries, and efficiency improvements. In a recent investor note seen by MacRumors, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo explained that all four of the iPhone 13 models will feature larger batteries with higher capacities:The new 2H21 iPhone models feature a larger battery ...
Read Full Article
Screen Shot 4

Apple Reportedly Planning Substantial Increase of Shipments for 5G mmWave iPhone Models in 2021

Friday April 9, 2021 1:05 am PDT by
Apple is expected to substantially increase shipments of mmWave enabled iPhone models in 2021 thanks to the increased demand and improved global support for the newer technology, according to DigiTimes. Apple currently only offers mmWave-enabled iPhone 12 models in the United States and is likely to hold off on offering the option to more countries until the technology is more widely...
Read Full Article • 16 comments
t mobile network deployment plans

T-Mobile Aiming to Cover 90% of Americans With 'Ultra Capacity 5G' By 2023

Thursday March 11, 2021 4:32 pm PST by
T-Mobile has plans to rapidly expand the availability of 5G across the United States, with the company aiming to offer "Ultra Capacity 5G" to 90 percent of Americans by the end of 2023. "Ultra Capacity 5G" includes T-Mobile's mid-band and millimeter wave 5G connectivity, with the company also planning to offer slower "Extended Range 5G" across 97 percent of the U.S. by the end of 2022. As ...
Read Full Article • 91 comments