iPhone 17 Pro Max Wins CNET’s 2025 Battery Showdown

• Key Takeaways:
• CNET’s large-scale 2025 battery comparison ranks the iPhone 17 Pro Max as the longest-lasting phone tested.
• Apple devices lead the industry for battery life in this study, and Apple tied as the top overall brand.
• The comparison covered 35 smartphones sold in the United States and was conducted throughout 2025.
• Buyers should prioritize real-world battery tests over headline specs like mAh when choosing a phone.

What CNET found

CNET this week published results from a broad battery-life comparison that ran throughout 2025 and included 35 smartphones sold in the United States. The headline: the iPhone 17 Pro Max came out on top as the longest-lasting model in the test.

Beyond the single-model win, the report finds Apple devices leading the industry for battery life overall, with Apple tying as the top-rated brand in the comparison. CNET’s findings reinforce that Apple’s approach to system-level power management continues to pay off in real-world endurance.

Why the iPhone 17 Pro Max led

CNET’s testing emphasizes real-world usage rather than lab-only metrics. That approach factors in a mix of screen-on time, mixed app loads, background tasks, and network use across a full day, which better reflects how people actually use their phones.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s win likely reflects a combination of a large battery, power-efficient silicon, and tight hardware-software integration that reduces wasted energy. Those system-level gains can produce longer run times even when competing phones advertise similar capacity on paper.

What this means for shoppers

If battery life is a top priority, prioritize independent, real-world tests like CNET’s over raw mAh numbers. Two phones with the same stated capacity can perform very differently once software optimization and display efficiency are included.

Also consider charging speed, battery health over time, and how you use your phone: heavy camera use, gaming, or constant background syncing will change which model is right for you.

Where to go next

For readers deciding between flagship models, CNET’s full report is the best next stop to see the complete ranking, methodology, and per-device scores. The 35-phone sample and year-long testing window make these results unusually comprehensive for a single-year comparison.

Ultimately, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s top placement and Apple’s brand-level performance suggest buyers can expect strong all-day endurance from Apple’s current lineup, but individual needs and usage patterns should guide the final choice.