iPhone 16 Ultimate Battery Test!

Summary

In this video, the iPhone 16 series is put to the test against last year's models and Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra to evaluate Apple's claim of significant battery improvements. The new iPhones feature larger batteries and more energy-efficient A18 chipsets. Despite initial promising results, the iPhone 16 Pro Max falls short of expectations, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra emerging as the battery life champion. The video also touches on charging speeds and the impact of Android 14's optimizations on battery performance.

Takeaways

• 📱 Apple claims significant battery improvements for the iPhone 16 series, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max touted as having the best battery life ever on an iPhone.
• 🔋 The iPhone 16 series reportedly includes larger batteries, a strategy that has been resisted by phone companies in the past due to potential impact on upgrade cycles.
• 🏃‍♂️ The battery test includes a variety of real-world usage scenarios such as workout apps, messaging, social media, video streaming, and gaming to simulate a typical day's usage.
• 📊 The test results show that the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro have battery life improvements over the previous generation, but they do not drastically outperform them.
• 🌟 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra emerges as a strong competitor with impressive battery life, challenging Apple's claim of having the best battery life on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
• 💡 The new A18 and A18 Pro chips in the iPhone 16 series are designed to be more energy-efficient, contributing to better battery performance.
• 📉 The iPhone 15's display dimming during the test is attributed to the older chip, indicating the efficiency improvements in the new chips used in the iPhone 16 series.
• 🔥 Intensive tasks like 4K video recording put significant strain on the phones, leading to rapid battery drain and thermal throttling in some models.
• 🔋 The iPhone 16 Pro Max achieves an impressive 11 hours and 22 minutes of battery life, but the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra still outlasts it.
• 🔌 The charging speed test reveals that the iPhone 16 series charges relatively quickly, with all models reaching around 22% in 10 minutes of charging.

Q & A

What was Apple's claim about the iPhone 16 series in terms of battery life?

Apple claimed that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus should have a big boost in battery life, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max should have the best battery life ever on an iPhone.

How did Apple achieve the supposed battery boost in the iPhone 16 series?

Apple achieved the battery boost by adding bigger batteries to all iPhone 16 models and introducing new, more energy-efficient A18 and A18 Pro chipsets.

What role do larger batteries play in improving iPhone 16 series battery life?

Larger batteries provide more capacity for energy storage, which directly translates to longer battery life before needing a recharge.

How do the new A18 and A18 Pro chipsets contribute to battery efficiency?

The new chipsets use a new process that allows transistors to be packed closer together, reducing communication distance and making them faster, more energy efficient, and less hot.

What was the initial unexpected result in the battery test?

The base iPhone 16 was initially leading the battery test, which seemed strange as it's not typically expected to outperform its more advanced counterparts.

Why might phone companies resist making significant battery improvements?

Phone companies might resist battery improvements to encourage users to upgrade more frequently, as battery degradation over time is a primary incentive to upgrade.

What was the outcome of the battery test after 4 hours of use?

After 4 hours, the new iPhones were outperforming their predecessors, but Samsung was leading the test, indicating strong battery life from the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

How does the iPhone 16 Pro Max's battery life compare to the iPhone 15 Pro Max?

The iPhone 16 Pro Max improved upon the already impressive battery life of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, lasting 11 hours and 22 minutes compared to the 15 Pro Max's 9 hours and 35 minutes.

Which phone had the best battery life in the test, and what was the significance of this?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra had the best battery life in the test, lasting longer than any iPhone. This is significant as it suggests that despite Apple's claims, the Samsung model outperformed the best iPhone battery life ever recorded in their tests.

What was the charging speed of the iPhone 16 series after 10 minutes of charging using a 65W plug?

After 10 minutes of charging, the iPhone 16 series reached approximately 22% battery, indicating a relatively fast charging speed.

Outlines

00:00

📱 iPhone 16 Series Battery Test Introduction

The script introduces a battery test for the iPhone 16 series, including the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, 16 Plus, and the base iPhone 16. The test aims to verify Apple's claim of significant battery life improvements, especially for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is touted to have the best battery life ever on an iPhone. The test also includes a comparison with the previous year's iPhone 15 Pro Max and the base iPhone 15, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to assess Apple's standing against the competition. The test begins with a workout app to simulate a typical day's usage.

05:01

🔋 Deep Dive into iPhone 16 Battery Improvements

The script delves into the two main reasons behind the supposed battery life improvements in the iPhone 16 series: larger batteries and new, more efficient chips. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus use Apple's A18 chipset, while the Pro models use the A18 Pro. These chips are designed with a new process that allows transistors to be closer together, resulting in faster and more energy-efficient performance, which benefits battery life. The script also discusses the business strategy behind phone companies' reluctance to improve battery life, suggesting that it's to encourage more frequent upgrades. The test continues with various apps like Slack and Instagram, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra taking the lead in battery performance.

10:02

🏆 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Leads in Battery Test

The script concludes the battery test with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra outperforming all the iPhones, including the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which was expected to have the best battery life ever on an iPhone. The test includes a rigorous regimen of app usage, including 4K video recording, which is particularly demanding on the phone's battery. The script speculates on the reasons for Samsung's superior battery performance, suggesting that it might be due to improvements in Android 14, which has addressed background app management. The test results show that while the iPhone 16 series has improved battery life, they do not significantly outperform the competition. The script also briefly touches on charging speeds, with all iPhone 16 models showing similar charging rates after being drained.

Keywords

💡iPhone 16s

The iPhone 16s refers to the new line of Apple smartphones discussed in the video, which are expected to have significant battery life improvements. This is a central theme of the video as the script details a battery life test comparing these new models to previous iPhones and a Samsung competitor. The iPhone 16s are mentioned as having 'a big boost' in battery life, indicating Apple's claims of enhanced performance.

💡Battery Life

Battery life is a critical aspect of smartphone performance, focusing on how long a device can operate before needing to be recharged. In the video script, battery life is the main subject of the test, with various iPhone models and a Samsung phone being compared based on how long they last during a series of typical usage scenarios. The script discusses Apple's claims of improved battery life in the iPhone 16s and aims to verify these claims through testing.

💡iPhone 16 Pro Max

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is one of the iPhone models tested in the video, positioned as a high-end variant with expected superior battery life. The script highlights Apple's claim that this model should have 'the best battery life ever on an iPhone,' making it a key subject of the battery life comparison test conducted in the video.

💡Workout App

A workout app is mentioned in the script as one of the applications used during the battery life test to simulate a typical user's day. It represents a real-world use case where the phone's battery is put under load, helping to assess the practical battery performance of the devices being tested.

💡A18 Chipset

The A18 chipset is Apple's latest processor technology, discussed in the script as a factor contributing to the improved battery life of the iPhone 16s. The script explains that the new chips are designed with a process that allows transistors to be closer together, making them more energy efficient and contributing to better battery performance.

💡Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra is a flagship smartphone from Samsung, included in the video's battery life test to compare its performance against the new iPhones. The script positions it as a competitor to Apple's devices, with a focus on its battery life as a point of comparison.

💡Battery Degradation

Battery degradation refers to the decline in a battery's capacity over time, which is a natural process. In the script, it's mentioned as one of the reasons phone companies might be reluctant to improve battery life too much, as it could reduce the incentive for users to upgrade to new models. The video explores this concept in the context of Apple's battery improvements.

💡Charge Speed

Charge speed is the rate at which a device's battery can be recharged. Towards the end of the script, there's a segment where the video tests how quickly the iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra can charge, providing a comprehensive view of their battery performance, not just in usage but also in recharging.

💡iOS 18

iOS 18 is the latest operating system version for iPhones at the time of the video. The script mentions that all iPhones tested are running on iOS 18 to ensure a fair comparison in the battery life test. It's an important detail as software optimizations can significantly impact battery performance.

💡Android 14

Android 14 is the version of the Android operating system that the Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra is running. The script suggests that improvements in Android 14, particularly in managing background app activity, might be contributing to the device's impressive battery life during the test.

Highlights

Apple claims significant battery improvements for the iPhone 16 series, particularly the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are expected to have a 'big boost' in battery life, according to Apple.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is touted to have the best battery life ever on an iPhone.

The new iPhones are compared with the iPhone 15 series and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to assess battery performance.

Apple has added bigger batteries to all iPhone 16 models, a significant change for the company.

Phone companies are often resistant to increasing battery size due to the impact on upgrade cycles.

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus use Apple's new A18 chipset, while the Pro models use the A18 Pro for improved efficiency.

The iPhone 16 series' battery life is crucial as it's one of the main selling points this year.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra shows impressive battery life, outpacing the new iPhones in the test.

The iPhone 15's display dims due to thermal issues, indicating the new chips' efficiency in the iPhone 16 series.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max lasts 11 hours and 22 minutes in the battery test, showing an improvement over the previous model.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra wins the battery test, suggesting that Android 14's improvements have a significant impact.

The iPhone 16 series' charging speeds are tested, with all models reaching around 22% in 10 minutes.

The Opera browser's AI capabilities are highlighted, including image recognition and generation.

The iPhone 16 series' battery life is a key consideration for potential buyers, with the Pro Max model standing out.

Transcripts

these are the iPhone 16s and this should

be a huge year for battery improvements

Apple said that the iPhone 16 and 16

plus should have a big boost yes that

was the official term they used but then

also that the iPhone 16 Pro Max should

have the best battery life ever on an

iPhone so let's find out if they were

telling the truth and just how long

we're talking about here so this is the

$1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max the $999 16 Pro

the $899 16 plus and then the $799

iPhone 16 and we're doing something

different this year we're comparing

these new phones to two iPhones from

last year the top end iPhone 15 Pro Max

and the base iPhone 15 but also Samsung

to see where Apple sits against the

competition so this is the Samsung

Galaxy s24 Ultra which is the best phone

that Samsung makes okay let's unplug the

test begins now and since I wanted to

base this test off a typical days usage

let's begin with a workout app that I've

just started using so the big question

how has Apple achieved this supposed Big

Boost in battery this year well two

things the first is they've apparently

added bigger batteries to all iPhone 16s

which sounds like the most obvious thing

I've ever said but you would be amazed

how resistant phone companies are to

doing this I would guess because Apple

knows how much people want bigger

batteries combined with how a bigger

battery is one of the easiest ways to

upgrade a phone that they specifically

save these battery improvements for

years where there's not much else going

on kind of like a Band-Aid always ready

to slap in and fix a slower year of

changes okay so that's an hour of

workout and oh the base iPhone 16 is

currently leading the pack that seems

like a strange result but I'm not

worried I've done enough of these

battery test to know that the software

of a phone will sometimes tell you it's

on one percentage even when the battery

itself is actually on something quite

different the one thing that can't lie

is the final result how long till the

phone completely dies so let's jump into

some work now this is slack this is the

messaging app that our team uses so I

have bravely asked them all to say

something funny for the next hour and I

did want to add that there's another

reason that I think phone companies have

resisted battery improvements over the

years is that they don't just want you

to buy one phone they want you to keep

upgrading phones and so I imagine a big

part of why they're so stingy with

battery is it would hurt their

businesses if they gave you too much

like imagine if one year Apple doubled

the battery life on their iPhones I

would bet everything I have that 3 to 4

years after that around the time where

the people who bought that phone would

normally start upgrading to the next

thing significantly less would do so

because batteries degrading over time is

one of the primary incentives to upgrade

but if you start with more battery than

you need then you don't care even when

it degrades time for Instagram let's do

some planned spontaneous Dooms growling

so yeah the last time that Apple

properly upgraded the batteries on their

phones was between the iPhone 12s and

the iPhone 13s and even though that

wasn't a massive year of other changes

battery is so important that I would say

that one change alone made the iPhone 13

stand out as a good time to upgrade my

point being that even though the iPhone

16s feel like a smaller more incremental

update to the iPhone 15s if the battery

improvements are actually big then that

alone would be enough to put them on the

map so there's a lot resting on this and

so is it working for them well you can

see that the normal iPhone 16's battery

has fallen back in line it's still doing

really well but just now at a sensible

believable level Samsung is the one

who's taken the lead which man would it

not be such a smooth move if on a table

of six iPhones though one Samsung is the

one that takes the win oh can you see by

the way that the iPhone 15 screen has

gone super dim well that actually ties

perfectly into the second reason for the

Apparently improved battery life this

year the first is the larger battery

which we've talked about but the second

is the new chips in these phones see the

iPhone 16 and 16 plus are running

Apple's new a18 chipset and the 16 Pro

and proax are running the new a18 Pro I

won't get too technical here but

basically these chips are designed using

a new process that manages to get the

transistors closer together the

transistors are kind of like the

building blocks of the chip so if

they're packed in even closer together

it reduces the communication distance

making them faster making them more

energy efficient which is the thing

that's good for battery but also less

hot and that is a key part of why the

iPhone 15's display is dimmed and the

new phones haven't yet and this

Improvement to the chipset should

actually be a particularly big jump for

the base iPhone 16 and 16 plus because

those phones have actually jumped

forward two generations before Apple

would only let the pro phones have the

latest tech and so the normal iPhone 15

is using a chip from 2 years ago even

even though it's last year's phone but

this year it's simple every new iPhone

gets a new a18 generation of chips I

guess because all iPhones need to run

Apple intelligence and apple

intelligence requires this new hardware

that said after 4 hours now that we're

jumping into YouTube is it looking like

as big of a claim as Apple was making it

seem well so far the new iPhones are

outpacing their last generation

counterparts the iPhone 16 is doing

better than the iPhone 15 and the iPhone

16 Pro Max is doing better than the

iPhone 15 Pro Max but they're also

they're not exactly crushing them it's

really Samsung who seems to be running

away with this test now bear in mind

this Samsung Galaxy s24 Ultra I've never

actually tested in one of these battery

videos before but I have used it as my

main phone for a while and I have been

blown away by battery life so if Samsung

wins this it doesn't mean that the new

iPhones have poor battery but it also

wouldn't reflect great on Apple since

battery is meant to be one of the big

new things here also just so you know

we've taken a lot of precautions to make

this t as Fair as possible all phones

are on their latest non beta updates so

that means every iPhone is on iOS 18 and

the Samsung is on Android 14 we' bought

new versions of each phone so nothing

here has had more than five charging

cycles and their battery is 100% healthy

the room temperature is controlled at

18° C because that's been the average of

indoor and outdoor temps for us they're

all on light mode their settings are

calibrated their screen brightness is

matched they will look very slightly

different to you because of natural

variances in panels and also are the

viewing angle from the camera but they

are matched my point being that there

are things that you can't factor in with

a test like this like no phone has a SIM

card in because that would introduce a

whole new tier of variables but at the

same time this should give you as

accurate a representation as you can get

of how all of these phones perform

relative to each other we're on the

cameras now by the way and this is

probably the most demanding thing that

any normal person does on a day-to-day

basis because recording 4K video pushes

just about every single component in

your phone to the max all at once so

this is where you expect overheating and

rapid battery drain but oh boy I'm

actually particularly impressed with

this Samsung and it shows that serious

work has been done somewhere here the

Galaxy s24 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery

and you might know that Samsung's had

5,000 Mah batteries for ages on their

Flagship phones but they never used to

be this good there was a time not that

long ago where iPhones that had less

than 4,000 mahs were destroying Samsungs

that had 5,000 the iPhones were just

getting far more juice per milliamp hour

but that looks like it's flipped now

Apple doesn't disclose precise Milli

measurements but the estimate for the

battery size on this 16 Pro Max is

around 4,700 which if true means that

this phone has 95% of the capacity of

the Samsung but it seems like it's

lasting less than 95% as long so its

juice per milliamp hour if that term

isn't taken I'm coining it is looking

lower for the first time ever the side

note isn't it actually kind of

mesmerizing watching chat gbt write out

7 20,000 word essays at the same time

what a wild time to be alive now as for

why this Samsung is doing so good I've

been thinking about this I thought it

could be a Samsung specific thing but

that wouldn't be my first guess as I've

noticed Android flagships in general

lasting a lot longer this year it could

be related to the new Snapdragon chip

that most top-end Androids are being

powered by and maybe that's a factor but

that can't be the main thing because my

new Google pixels battery is also really

surprisingly good and that doesn't use a

Snapdragon then I realized the Common

Thread it's Android 14 every phone I've

tested that has surpris me with how good

the battery is has been running Android

14 which has fixed basically a loophole

that allows apps to consistently run in

the background if they decide they want

to and based on how much of an

improvement this software seems to have

made that loophole might well have been

the thorn in Android side that's now

been removed and well it changes the

entire landscape so the iPhone 15 is

down and out after 7 hours and 45

minutes just before we're about to enter

some heavier gaming and oh look the

iPhone 16 has just started dimming too

it's good to see that the pro iPhones

and the Samsung are not dimming cuz you

know you would expect that Pro phones

are designed to be able to take more

stress oh no I'm wrong the pro has just

started dimming now too iPhones

sometimes do this just before they die

but the fact that I can't turn the

brightness back up does mean that this

is a thermal issue well that's

disappointing pointing and now both

phones are out in the exact same minute

but from this point now that it's just

the big Bo left let's just get to it

let's fast forward this test all the way

to the Finish now it's brutal seemingly

unending finish right into the late

evening which is when the editing starts

and I'm going to do something a little

extra this time around as soon as we've

gone through the battery drain results

I'm also going to while the phones are

here quickly stick them on charge so we

can see how fast they go the other way

so as you've seen in seventh place was

the iPhone 15 with 7 hours and 45 not an

amazing result but still I would say

sufficient battery for most medium users

then there was a pretty large gap before

the 16 died which is good based on the

intensity of this test 8 hours 19 is a

sign that I still wouldn't recommend the

16 to the absolute heaviest users but

you've got more than enough as long as

you're not one of them and then

completely neck and neck with the 16 is

the 16 Pro and I'm kind of both glad

that Apple has managed to make a compact

phone with actually great battery life

now while also feeling a little

disappointed that they didn't manage to

make the pro last well even a minute

longer than the base iPhone isn't

battery life like the single feature

that power users are going to need more

of than basic users and then another

large gap later the iPhone 16 plus

called it at 8 hours and 45 minutes this

is great battery there is no doubt about

it but it's also not as great as I

expected I actually assumed that this

plus would Outlast the base 16 by at

least an hour and so the fact that its

lead has ended up as just 26 minutes

means battery isn't really a massive

factor in going for the plus this

generation the iPhone 15 Pro Max has top

end battery life this one I expected to

last a long time and it absolutely did

with 9 hours and 35 which I think is

down to the extra efficiencies from the

promotion display that can both scale up

the refresh rate when you want things

super smooth but also scale down to

really low refresh rates when your apps

just don't need it so in apps where it

can scale back it will save you a lot of

battery in second place then the iPhone

16 Pro Max does indeed improve upon the

15 Pro Max's already Stellar battery

life with 11 hours and 22 minutes which

fair play that's pretty amazing but not

amazing enough the Samsung actually did

just go and do it it beat every iPhone

and while this isn't the longest battery

life reading I've ever recorded it's

worth bearing in mind that every time we

do this test you shouldn't expect the

same results and you can't compare

between them because I'm always updating

the app list and so if we look at how

well Samsung has performed compared to

the phones in this test then it's far

enough ahead of supposedly the best

iPhone battery life ever that I think

this is the best battery on any phone

that has been put through our tests and

now that all the phones are fully

drained this is our perfect opportunity

to see how fast they can all charge so

I've got each phone connected to the

exact same 65 W plug that I got off

Amazon which since these companies don't

send you their recommended charges

anymore I feel like is the best plug

that most people might realistically

have lying around and while that happens

I want to show you something pretty cool

that you can do thanks to the Opera

browser this vid sponsor I am

consistently surprised at how

intelligent the bakedin Arya AI actually

is like check this out command plus

slash to bring it up on top of whatever

you're doing what's the battery life

difference between an iPhone 15 Pro and

an iPhone 15 Pro Max I mean the thing

literally draws a table to present the

information in a clearer way that's

actually crazy but it gets better

because Arya now has both image

recognition an image generation so like

I mean let's try this make me a

wallpaper for my phone that's pretty but

also has a lot of black in it to save

battery that I can download and apply

okay that's cool it's by far the best

browser for organization thanks to tab

Islands but also functionality thanks to

being able to have your tabs all the way

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download the Opera browser for free so

after about 10 minutes of charging these

are the percentages 22% 22% 22% 21% % wo

so basically every iPhone 16 has the

same charging speed we got 19% on the 15

Pro Max and then 22 again so the pro Max

iPhone last year was a tiny bit slower

17 bear in mind this phone can charge a

little faster if you specifically use

Samsung's own 45 W power bricking cable

but that's not cheap so if you're using

something more generic then it seems

like iPhone is likely to charge faster

catch you in the next one