iPhone 15 Pro Max Gains Extra Hour With iOS 18 Updates

In a recent exploration of the iPhone 16 lineup, Geekerwan, a popular Chinese tech reviewer, conducted an extensive battery performance test. This evaluation included comparisons between all new iPhone 16 models and the prior generation iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as several high-end Android devices from China.

As with similar tests conducted by others, the iPhone 16 Pro Max demonstrated exceptional battery endurance, surpassing 10 hours in his assessments. Interestingly, the iPhone 15 Pro Max experienced a noteworthy enhancement, gaining an additional hour of battery life when updated to iOS 18, a revelation that adds depth to its performance versus the previously benchmarked iOS 17. The iPhone 15 also enjoyed proportionate improvements.

While all battery tests can be somewhat artificial in nature—and may not truly reflect everyday usage—it’s crucial to note that this assessment was comprehensive, involving more than just endlessly streaming videos.

The methodology employed by Geekerwan involved common applications such as WeChat for messaging, video calling, browsing the web, engaging with Douyin (TikTok), and playing games like Genshin Impact, running these tasks in a loop until the devices lost all power.

Under these practical scenarios, iOS 18 effectively extended the battery life of the older models.

For instance, the iPhone 15 Pro previously had a runtime of 6 hours and 22 minutes, but with the upgrade to iOS 18, this increased to 6 hours and 55 minutes. Similarly, the iPhone 15 Pro Max improved from 7 hours and 56 minutes to 9 hours and 2 minutes.

This translates to an increase of approximately 30 minutes for the iPhone 15 Pro and over an hour for the Pro Max, highlighting significant gains achievable simply through an operating system update.

During Apple’s September launch event, the company consistently highlighted the “advanced power management of iOS 18” as a contributor to the enhanced battery life of the iPhone 16 series, possibly referring to these specific improvements.

While certain benchmark results may demonstrate slightly reduced scores due to changes in resource management, users are unlikely to notice any decline in overall performance during normal operations.

If optimal battery longevity is your goal, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is certainly worth considering. This model achieved an impressive 10 hours and 23 minutes in testing, representing a substantial increase of nearly one and a half hours compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18. The 16 Plus also impresses with a remarkable 10-hour lifespan. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro and standard iPhone 16 displayed runtimes of about 8.5 hours, comfortably outperforming their predecessors.

For an in-depth look, check out Geekerwan’s full video here: