Best iPhone battery life ranked [Updated for iPhone 16]

Battery life is one of the most important aspects of a smartphone. After all, you can’t use your phone if it has no juice. We’re here the help you find out once and for all which iPhone is the real battery king.

Is it worth upgrading to the iPhone 16 for the battery alone?

It depends which iPhone you’re currently using. When comparing the base model iPhone 16 to the iPhone 15, there’s not a significant difference. But when you compare the Plus & Pro to the base models, you'll feel a tangible boost in battery life.

How does battery life compare between models?

Most people look at Apple’s own data when researching battery life performance. But we’ve gone one better.

Say hello to MrWhoseTheBoss. He’s a tech Youtuber who set up an impartial test comparing the battery life of all the current iPhones, simulating actual daily usage through music streaming, gaming, app switching, and much more. The winner being the last iPhone standing.

You can watch the full review here: MrWhoseTheBoss - iPhone 16 Ultimate Battery Test!.

Latest iPhones ranked by battery life

1st – iPhone 16 Pro Max – 11hrs 22mins

2nd – iPhone 15 Pro Max – 9hrs 35 mins

3rd - iPhone 16 Plus - 8hrs 45 mins

4th – iPhone 16 Pro – 8hrs 19mins

5th – iPhone 16 – 8hrs 19mins

6th – iPhone 15 – 7hrs 45mins

These results stack up as you’d expect with the higher-end models providing the best battery life. But there are anomalies...

It's easy to see why the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the fan favourite, as it survived 50 extra minutes when compared to the newer iPhone 16 Plus, despite having a slightly smaller battery size.

MrWhoseTheBoss puts this down to the iPhone 15 Pro Max's ProMotion display feature, which can scale up or down the refresh rate of your phone's display depending on the application used to save you a lot of battery.

iPhone battery sizes

If you want to jump into the specs, you can see the battery size of the latest iPhones below.

• 1st - iPhone 16 Pro Max - 4,685 mAh
• 2nd - iPhone 16 Plus - 4,674 mAh
• 3rd – iPhone 15 Pro Max - 4,422mAh
• 4th – iPhone 15 Plus - 4,383mAh
• 5th - iPhone 13 Pro Max - 4,352mAh
• 6th – iPhone 14 Pro Max – 4,323mAh
• 7th - iPhone 16 Pro - 3,582 mAh
• 8th - iPhone 16- 3,561 mAh
• 9th – iPhone 15 - 3,349 mAh
• 10th – iPhone 14 – 3,279mAh
• 11th – iPhone 15 Pro - 3,274mAh

What are milliampere hours: Phone batteries are measured using milliampere hour. Milliampere hours are commonly used to describe the energy charge that a battery will hold and how long a device will run before the battery needs recharging.

Which iPhone has the best battery life?

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best battery life.

However, we think most people would be well served by last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 14 Pro Max, which offers a mix of good value and battery stamina.

If you really want to double down on your savings, you can grab a refurbished iPhone from our partner Reboxed® - Go through SMARTY & get an extra money off.

All refurbished phones from Reboxed® are put through a comprehensive 70-point check before being sold. Including a battery health assessment that covers:

• Cycle Count
• Power On
• Health Percentage
• Battery Resistance Reading
• Battery Full Charge Reading
• Battery Temperature Range Reading

Choosing a Reboxed® iPhone could save you up to £899* compared to buying new. Guarantying great battery life and a cash saving. Who could argue with that!

Want more tips on how to save money on your next iPhone? Read 5 ways to save money on your next iPhone.

*Save up to £899 on iPhones correct as at 25th September 2023.

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