2026 comparison: Which iPhone has the best battery life?

TL;DR

​​✨​In 2026, the iPhone with the best battery life is the iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to both Apple’s playback claims as well as real-world testing done by CNET. The iPhone 16 Pro Max closely rivals the 17 Pro Max, albeit with a slightly smaller battery and a slower charging speed. The iPhone 15 Plus is a good mid-range option if you want strong battery life and fairly fast charging without paying a premium price for a newer model, while the iPhone 13 offers the best battery life under $300.

Our top picks at a glance: Which iPhone has the best battery life?

Why can you trust this iPhone battery comparison?

At Back Market, our goal is simple: to make tech simple, accessible, and reliable. Our team of professional third-party refurbishers works with smartphones every day — taking them apart, inspecting them, repairing them, cleaning them, and testing them to make sure they function at premium quality. In doing so, they’ve become intimately familiar with the ins and outs of iPhones, including their batteries.

In this guide, we combine expert insight with real-world user experiences and testing to bring you unbiased information on which iPhone has the best battery life, so you can choose the phone that works best for both your needs and your budget.

Best iPhone battery life in 2026 overall: iPhone 17 Pro Max

​​✨​The iPhone 17 Pro Max wins out easily for the best iPhone battery life in 2026, with the biggest battery of any iPhone and fast charging, lasting over a full day on a single charge.

​​​If you’re willing to splurge for the best battery life, choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This new powerhouse has the biggest battery any iPhone has ever had at around 5000 mAh, providing up to 39 hours of video playback, according to Apple. It can also charge at speeds of up to 40W via USB-C, reaching 50% in 20 minutes and is compatible with MagSafe and wireless chargers.

Apple’s claims are one thing, but CNET’s real-world tests are another. According to the outlet, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lost only 9% of its battery during a test in which they streamed video over Wi-Fi for 3 hours at full brightness — pretty impressive, if you ask us. Most real-world users have reported that the iPhone 17 Pro Max can last around 1.5 to 2 days on a single charge. One Reddit user even said, “I charge it to 100 and work 12 hrs a day, I’m on WiFi only all day on a slow workday I use it for like 8 hours sot mostly social media apps no games and get home with 50+ percent left.”

This long battery life can be attributed not only to the battery’s size, but also to the A19 Pro chip, which adds efficiency in scrolling, streaming, graphics, and more — also making this phone the best for heavy gaming. Keep in mind all the features this battery supports: a smooth 120Hz display with ProMotion technology, Apple Intelligence, pro-level cameras, and 3000 nits peak brightness outside. With all these bells and whistles, the battery life is even more impressive.

What is the iPhone 17 series battery life like?

​​✨​The iPhone 17 series offers improved battery life over the iPhone 16 series, with larger batteries overall and faster charging speeds at ​​up to 40W wired for the Pro models (iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max); up to 30W for the standard iPhone 17, 17e, and Air.

Best iPhone battery life of previous models: iPhone 16 Pro Max

​​✨​The iPhone 16 Pro Max is a step down from the 17 Pro Max pricewise, but it still closely rivals the newer phone when it comes to battery life.

If you’re looking for newer tech and a powerful battery but you’re not willing to spring for the latest and greatest, consider the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This older model will generally cost less than most phones in the iPhone 17 lineup (except maybe the 17e and the Air), especially when bought refurbished, but still offers all-day battery life suitable for even the heaviest of users. In fact, this model was CNET’s winner before the 17 Pro Max came along.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a battery capacity of around 4600 mAh and can offer up to 33 hours of video playback — a mere 6 hours less than the 17 Pro Max. In the same CNET 3-hour video playback test, it lost only 11% of its battery; this was only 2% more than the 17 Pro Max. And if you’re not constantly streaming video, this difference may not even be noticeable. ​​The iPhone 16 Pro Max charges slightly slower than the newer model at speeds of 20W, reaching 50% in about 30 minutes. It is also compatible with MagSafe and wireless chargers.

Powered by the A18 Pro chip, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a slightly less advanced camera, slightly lower peak brightness, and fewer storage options, but it’s still a powerful pro model. If you don’t need all the premium features of the latest model, this is a good alternative.

What is the iPhone 16 series battery life like?

The ​iPhone 16 battery life across the series is still quite impressive, even if it doesn't quite match that of the new 17 lineup.

Best iPhone battery life under $500: iPhone 15 Plus

​​✨​The iPhone 15 Plus is a great mid-range pick as one of the first iPhones to get USB-C charging, offering fast charging speeds and good battery life for under $500.

The iPhone 15 Plus has one of the biggest batteries of the 15 lineup, with a capacity of about 4300 mAh, offering up to 26 hours of video playback, according to Apple. If you’re looking for a mid-range optionpricewise and you don’t need all the newest features, the iPhone 15 Plus is your pick.

The 15 lineup was the first to make the switch from the Lightning port to the USB-C port, leading to faster charging capabilities than all of its predecessors. It charges at speeds of 20W — the same as the 16 lineup — via USB-C and also supports MagSafe and wireless charging. There are other similarities between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Plus: in CNET’s 3-hour video playback test, the iPhone 15 Plus only lost 11% of its battery. Not only is that the same performance as the 16 Pro Max, but it’s also better than the 15 Pro Max, which lost 13% of its battery. Therefore, if you need long battery life without pro features, the iPhone 15 Plus is the obvious pick.

The iPhone 15 Plus is powered by the A16 Bionic chip, which may not be as good as the Pro chips but is still very efficient. It also supports a peak brightness of 2000 nits outdoors and offers a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display.

What is the iPhone 15 series battery life like?

​​✨​The iPhone 15 series has been tested to be almost as efficient as the iPhone 16 series at an even lower price point, still offering fast charging.

Best iPhone battery life under $300: iPhone 13

​​✨​The iPhone 13 base model is a great value pick, offering strong battery life at a more affordable price point.

The iPhone 13 is far from the latest and greatest iPhone, having been released in 2021, but it still packs a powerful punch battery-wise, even 5 years later. If you’re looking for one of the best budget iPhones with good battery, the iPhone 13 base model is for you.

The iPhone 13’s battery capacity is around 3200 mAh, offering up to 19 hours of video playback, according to Apple. Since it was released so long ago, the iPhone 13 did not go through the same 3-hour video playback test from CNET, but the outlet still reported that the phone lasted almost 22 hours playing a looped video on Airplane Mode with the screen at half brightness. This indicated significantly better battery life than its predecessors in the 12 series, and it has been proven to easily last a full day on a single charge.

One downside is that the iPhone 13 charges via Lightning cable instead of USB-C, but it can still reach charging speeds of 20W paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable, reaching up to 50% in 30 minutes. It also supports MagSafe and wireless charging.

Powered by the A15 Bionic chip and with a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, this is a great value choice for those on a budget who still need to get a full day out of their phones.

What is the iPhone 13 series battery life like?

​​✨​The iPhone 13 series packs a good punch for its age battery-wise at a much more affordable price.

Honorable mention: What is the iPhone 14 series battery life like?

​​✨​The iPhone 14 series models have decent battery life, but they’re not different enough from the iPhone 13 series to warrant the slight price hike.

You may be wondering why we’ve left out the iPhone 14 series so far: It’s simply because it’s not that different from the 13, but it is more expensive than the 13 because it’s newer. The iPhone 14 base model offers up to 20 hours of video playback — just one more than the 13, according to Apple. Its capacity remains the same at around 3200 mAh, as do the charging methods and speeds. It also has the same chip, is the same size, and has the same display as the iPhone 13, making it not worth the slight price hike where battery is concerned.

Best iPhone battery by use case

​​✨​The best iPhone battery for you largely depends on how you use your phone.

Battery health: How fast will my battery degrade?

​​✨​The main factors affecting battery degradation are charge cycles and environmental factors like temperature, so it depends on how you use your phone.

Your phone’s battery will degrade over time, but exactly how fast? Apple designs all its phones with the goal of reaching 80% battery health after 1000 charge cycles. A charge cycle occurs when you use an amount of battery power that equals 100% of your phone’s capacity — not when you charge your phone from 0% to 100% in one sitting.

With this goal in mind, newer phones are expected to lose 1% of their battery health with every 50–60 charge cycles, with variations for your specific charging habits, phone use, and environmental factors like extreme heat or cold. This can also vary by phone model. Let’s have a look at how our top picks compare.

How can I preserve my phone’s battery health?

​​✨​The best ways to preserve your phone’s battery health are to charge it to between 20% and 80%, optimize your settings, and update your software regularly.

You want your phone’s battery to last as long as possible, and luckily, there are ways to keep it healthy. Consider these tips:

• 80–20 rule: Keep your phone’s charge between 20% and 80% and avoid full 0% to 100% charging cycles.

• Optimize your settings: Keep Wi-Fi on at all times — Wi-Fi uses less power than a cellular network. You can also turn on Auto Brightness so your screen dims according to the environment.

• Update your software: When you get a notification about an available software update, do it right away; these software updates support performance and efficiency.

• Use Low Power Mode: When your phone dips below 20%, enable Low Power Mode.

• Avoid extreme heat: When your phone reaches temperatures of 95°F or above, it can cause damage to your battery or other hardware, ultimately affecting endurance and performance.

• Avoid extreme cold: If your phone reaches temperatures at or below 32°F, your battery will drain much faster and require more frequent charging, causing immediate performance loss and battery degradation over time.

How can I troubleshoot battery drain?

​✨​Check your battery usage by navigating to Settings > Battery and look for any abnormal activity.

Troubleshooting battery drain on an iPhone is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Settings > Battery. This screen lets you see which apps are using the most power and a comparison of your daily usage. You can also check your battery’s health by navigating to Battery Health & Charging from this screen. If Optimized Battery Charging isn’t already on, toggle it on.

2. Disable background app refresh so you don’t have things running in the background that you aren’t using. Navigate to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. From here, toggle it on and off for certain apps or turn it off altogether.

3. Check for software updates you may not have installed yet and install them if they’re available.

4. Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, hotspots, and GPS when you’re not using them.

5. Factory reset your phone as a last resort. To do this, go to Settings > General. Then, tap Transfer or Reset, then Erase All Content & Settings. Before doing this, we recommend backing up your phone as you will lose all your data.

When is it time to replace my battery?

​​✨​It’s time to replace your battery if its health has dipped below 80% or if you’re noticing significant battery drainage issues.

Unfortunately, iPhone batteries don’t last forever, and there will come a time when you have to replace your battery. You’ll know when to replace your battery when its health reaches 80% or below — check this by navigating to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. Or, if you’re noticing significant battery drain but your battery health seems fine, have it checked by a professional.

Replacing your iPhone battery can be done either at home on your own with a special kit, or by a professional at an Apple store or certified reseller.

Why buy refurbished?

Buying refurbished is a good decision for both your wallet and the planet. Back Market specializes in Verified Refurbished devices, so each item goes through an extensive process of inspections, repairs, aesthetic cleanings, and tests to make sure it performs at premium quality before it hits our product pages. You can save 20% to 50% when buying an iPhone from us compared to buying new. Each item also comes with a 1-year warranty and a 30-day return period for your peace of mind.

Purchasing a refurbished device is also good for the planet, as it gives old tech a second life. This prevents usable technology from ending up in landfills as e-waste and reduces the need for new manufacturing. So, it’s a win-win.

Trade in your old tech for cash

Our trade-in program makes it even easier to save money on your new-to-you device. If you’ve got old tech lying around, take a few minutes to fill in an online form about your device. Receive a quote from us, and if you choose to accept it, ship your device to us for free. Once it’s verified, you get paid — either in money directly in your account or in credit towards your next purchase on Back Market.

Price and availability

* Back Market prices are updated daily and may differ from those displayed at time of reading.

Final thoughts: Which iPhone has the best battery life?

The iPhone with the best battery life overall in 2026 is by far the iPhone 17 Pro Max, as it has the largest battery, most efficient chip, and fastest charging speeds. It’s followed closely by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which packs almost just as much power and similar pro features, but for a lower price. The iPhone 15 Plus is a great mid-range model under $500 when bought refurbished, offering a large screen and USB-C charging. Finally, budget-conscious buyers will appreciate the iPhone 13, which still offers a full day of battery life for a significantly lower price of under $300.

Ultimately, the phone with the best battery life for you will depend on your use cases and budget. Heavy creative users will want to consider the 17 Pro Max (or the 16 Pro Max if your budget is a little lower). Those needing a large screen without the pro features will find the 15 Plus meets their needs, while light users will find the 13 does the trick.