Key takeaways:
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has excellent battery life that easily lasts a day with charge to spare.
Our lab data shows you don't have to pay over a grand for excellent battery life. The $829 iPhone 17's battery lasts just as long as the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro.
The ultrathin iPhone Air with a modest battery capacity outlasted Samung's premium Galaxy S25 phones.
I've been reviewing smartphones at CNET for nearly a decade and if there's one feature people consistently want in a new phone, iPhone or Android, it's more battery life. When Apple launched the new iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air, it spent time touting how the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max have longer battery life than their predecessors. Now, my fellow CNET reviewers and I have had the chance to test its claims.
When introducing the iPhone Air and its super slim design, Apple showed a slide during its keynote stating that it has all-day battery life. However, the company undercut its claim on the next slide when it announced a new MagSafe battery pack designed for the Air, which fed into fears that a thinner design might indicate a significant sacrifice to battery life.
Your phone's battery life is affected by multiple variables, like how bright you keep your display or if your phone has a weak signal from your carrier. How you use your phone has a big impact, too. Someone who is obsessively online will have a much different experience with their battery life than someone who has their phone in their bag at work and checks it on breaks.
So, how do you know whether the battery life is good on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 series?
CNET tested the new Apple phones' battery life three ways: through an anecdotal stress test, a video streaming test and observing battery life after everyday use. We also tested wired and wireless charging. Our lab data showed strong battery life for the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and even the Air, especially compared to older iPhone models.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has excellent battery life
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