A broad new smartphone test has found that Apple devices lead the industry for battery life, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max ranking as the longest-lasting phone tested and Apple tied as the top overall brand.
CNET this week published the results of a large-scale battery-life comparison based on testing conducted throughout 2025 across 35 smartphones sold in the United States. According to the report, Apple and OnePlus ranked as the two brands with the strongest battery performance overall, based on averaged results from multiple battery benchmarks.
The top-performing individual device in the testing was Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max, which finished first overall despite not having the largest battery capacity among the tested phones. It has a battery capacity of 5,088 mAh, and its extended battery life is largely attributed to silicon efficiency and software optimization.
The iPhone 17 tied for second place alongside the OnePlus 15. The iPhone 17 achieved this ranking despite having the smallest battery capacity among the top-performing phones. The Poco F7 Ultra placed third, while the iPhone 17 Pro placed fourth in the overall rankings.
CNET's methodology included standardized tests using two benchmarks designed to minimize real-world variability. The first involved streaming video over Wi-Fi at full brightness for three hours, while the second was a 45-minute endurance test that included gaming, video streaming, social media scrolling, and a video call. Results from both tests were averaged to determine final rankings.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max again ranked first in the endurance benchmark, followed by the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 16e. The publication noted that Google's Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold also performed well in this specific test, along with Motorola's Razr.
The experiment also compared battery life across smartphone brands by averaging results from companies for which at least three models were tested. Apple and OnePlus ranked first and second respectively in overall brand battery performance. Motorola and Samsung followed in third and fourth place, while Google ranked fifth.
