Android Phones With Huge Batteries Still Can't Beat The iPhone 17 Pro Max

There are several ways Android phones are changing in 2026, and battery technology seems to be of primary importance to most manufacturers. More smartphone vendors are using silicon-carbon batteries, offering consumers larger battery capacities than previous-generation models. The spec sheets of some newer phones list battery capacities that surpass massive numbers, such as 7,000 mAh. On the other hand, the iPhone Air and 17 Pro Max, with much smaller batteries in comparison, have performed well in battery tests. Since the iPhone 17 Pro Max tops out at 5,088 mAh, Android phones have a clear advantage — at least on paper. A larger battery suggests the phone will offer better battery life. However, an extensive battery test from CNET shows that the iPhone 17 Pro Max outperforms its Android rivals, including phones like the OnePlus 15, featuring a mammoth 7,300 mAh battery.

CNET ran the same battery tests on 35 phones, including the iPhone 17 models from Apple, along with phones from OnePlus, Motorola, Poco, Samsung, and Google. After averaging the results, CNET concluded that the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers the best battery life. The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro took the second and fourth spots in CNET's rankings. The OnePlus 15 tied for second place with the standard iPhone 17 model, while the Poco F7 Ultra ranked third. CNET's battery life tests, detailed below, show that battery size alone will not guarantee the best possible battery life in a handset. Other factors, like the efficiency of the internal components and software optimization, also play an important role.

CNET uses two standard battery tests for all the smartphones it reviews. The first is a video streaming test where each phone streams a video under the same conditions. The battery level starts at 100%, and the display is set at full brightness. The content is then streamed over Wi-Fi. The iPhone 17 Pro Max had 91% battery left at the end of the session. The OnePlus 15 came in second with 90%, and the standard iPhone 17 was third with 89%. CNET calls the second test a stress test, which involves playing games, streaming videos, scrolling social media apps, and making a video call. As with the first test, the conditions are identical for all phones: The battery level starts at 100%, and the test runs for 45 minutes.

At the end of this test, all four iPhones were at the top of the list: iPhone 17 Pro Max at 99%, iPhone 17 Pro at 98%, iPhone 17 at 98%, and iPhone 16e at 97%. The OnePlus 15 was seventh with 97% battery left. The differences between these phones are more significant when looking at the battery capacity lost during the tests, instead of percentages. The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses 9% or 458mAh of the total battery capacity to stream three hours of video. The OnePlus 15 consumes 10% of its 7,300 mAh capacity for the same task. CNET's findings echo the results of similar battery comparisons between the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL.