I absolutely welcome you! Remember buying your first phone? If this happened in the early to mid-2000s, then remember what characteristics played a primary role for you? I can give you an almost 100% guarantee that the issue of battery capacity was considered in the very last place, if considered at all. There is it (the battery) and that’s fine, but practically no one was interested in what indicators it had.
Now, the time that a phone can work without a charger is almost the main criterion when choosing. After all, none of us wants to live “from socket to socket” and charge our smartphone 2-3 times a day.
I can immediately note the fact that the battery life of the iPhone is at a fairly good level. One might say above the “ward average.” And this despite the fact that in pursuit of design, in an effort to make the gadget thinner and lighter, Apple does not install large-capacity batteries in its devices. How do you manage to achieve a compromise? The answer is simple - iOS. System optimization decides a lot, and here Apple managed to achieve excellent results.
Now let's take a look at the operating time of the iPhone for each model separately. Let’s not disturb the “oldies,” simply because the relevance of these models today is minimal (after all, they came out quite a long time ago), but let’s start with the most popular iPhones in Russia.
Updated! For those who want to know “dry numbers” and not read “the author’s thoughts on the topic,” I have compiled a special plate that shows all the official data (battery capacity, hours of talk time, listening to music, standby mode, etc.) of time works on absolutely all iPhone models. The plate turned out to be large, but... at least more or less detailed. Please love and respect!:)
| Device | Battery capacity (mAh) | Standby time (h) | Characteristics from Apple | Talk time (h) | Listening to music/Watching videos (h) |
| iPhone 4 | 1420 | 300 | Absent | 2G - 14 3G - 7 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 4S | 1430 | 200 | Absent | 2G - 14 3G - 8 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 5 | 1400 | 225 | Absent | 8 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 5S | 1560 | 250 | Absent | 10 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 5C | 1507 | 250 | Absent | 10 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 6 | 1810 | 250 | Absent | 14 | Music - 50 |
| iPhone 6 Plus | 2915 | 384 | Absent | 24 | Music - 80 |
| iPhone 6S | 1715 | 240 | Absent | 14 | Music - 50 |
| iPhone 6S Plus | 2750 | 384 | Absent | 24 | Music - 80 |
| iPhone SE (1st generation) | 1624 | 240 | Absent | 14 | Music - 50 |
| iPhone 7 | 1960 | 240 | Run time up to 2 hours longer than iPhone 6S | 14 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 7 Plus | 2900 | 384 | Run time up to 1 hour longer than iPhone 6S Plus | 21 | Music - 60 |
| iPhone 8 | 1821 | 240 | Lasts about as long as an iPhone 7 | 14 | Music - 40 |
| iPhone 8 Plus | 2675 | 384 | Lasts about as long as an iPhone 7 Plus | 21 | Music - 60 |
| Internet time (hours) | |||||
| iPhone X | 2716 | 12 | Lasts up to 2 hours longer than iPhone 7 | 21 | Music - 60 |
| iPhone XS | 2658 | 12 | Lasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X | 20 | Video - 14 Music - 60 |
| iPhone XS Max | 3174 | 13 | Lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone X | 25 | Video - 15 Music - 65 |
| iPhone XR | 2942 | 15 | Lasts up to 1.5 hours longer than iPhone 8 Plus | 25 | Video - 16 Music - 65 |
| Video viewing time in streaming mode (hours) | Talk times are no longer specified | ||||
| iPhone 11 | 3110 | 10 | Absent | Video - 17 Music - 65 | |
| iPhone 11 Pro | 3190 | 11 | Lasts up to 4 hours longer than iPhone XS | Video - 18 Music - 65 | |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | 3969 | 12 | Lasts up to 5 hours longer than iPhone XS Max | Video - 20 Music - 80 | |
| iPhone SE (2020) | 1821 | 8 | Absent | Video - 13 Music - 40 | |
| iPhone 12 mini | 2227 | 10 | Absent | Video - 15 Music - 50 | |
| iPhone 12 | 2815 | 11 | Absent | Video - 17 Music - 65 | |
| iPhone 12 Pro | 2815 | 11 | Absent | Video - 17 Music - 65 | |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | 3687 | 12 | Absent | Video - 20 Music - 80 | |
| iPhone 13 mini | 2406 | 13 | Absent | Video - 17 Music - 55 | |
| iPhone 13 | 3095 | 15 | Absent | Video - 19 Music - 75 | |
| iPhone 13 Pro | 3095 | 20 | Absent | Video - 22 Music - 75 | |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | 4352 | 25 | Absent | Video - 28 Music - 95 |
The numbers just don't work? Do you want to read the text and chat about how long each iPhone model holds a charge? Could be so!
How long does iPhone 4 and 4s last to charge?
Let's look straight away at the official data.
| iPhone 4 | iPhone 4S | |
| Battery capacity | 1420 | 1430 |
| Standby mode | 300 | 200 |
| Talk time (2G network) | 14 | 14 |
| Talk time (3G network) | 7 | 8 |
| Listening to music | 40 | 40 |
As you can see, with a slight increase in battery size, smartphones perform approximately the same. The only thing is that the talk time on 3g networks has increased for the iPhone 4s. It’s unlikely that the extra 10 mAh played a role; rather, it was the improved processor and wireless communication chip. Although, to be fair, from my own experience I can note that they hold a charge equally – the difference is almost impossible to notice.
iPhone 5, 5S and 5C - battery capacity and operating time
| iPhone 5 | iPhone 5S | iPhone 5C | |
| Battery capacity | 1400 | 1560 | 1507 |
| Standby mode | 225 | 250 | 250 |
| Talk time (3G network) | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Listening to music | 40 | 40 | 40 |
The difference is not that big, and the data, although official, is still approximate. A lot will depend on how you use the device. It’s immediately noticeable that the iPhone 5s smartphone has a smaller battery capacity than the iPhone 5c, but they work the same. Why?
- A more powerful processor and the presence of a fingerprint scanner require a little more energy, which is offset by a larger battery.
How long does it take to charge iPhone 6 and 6 Plus?
And finally, the sixth iPhones! Is there any point in paying the price they are asking for? Has there been a qualitative leap in operating time? Let's take a look!
| iPhone 6 | iPhone 6 Plus | |
| Battery capacity | 1810 | 2915 |
| Standby mode | 250 | 384 |
| Talk time (3G network) | 14 | 24 |
| Listening to music | 50 | 80 |
And here are the results. Agree, the battery capacity of the “plus” is impressive, and the “sixth” also distinguished itself, both the talking time and listening to music have significantly increased. This alone encourages you to buy a new gadget!
Charging optimization
On iPhones with the iOS 13 operating system, which is installed, for example, on the iPhone 11, and can be installed on other models, for example, the relatively old iPhone 7, there is a feature called “Optimized Charging”. It is needed in order to increase the battery life by reducing the time during which it is charged to 100%.
This feature uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze charging times on a daily basis. Thanks to this, it charges the gadget up to 80%, and stops charging immediately before it is removed from charging.
Optimized Charging is enabled by default. To turn it off, you need to go to this path: “Settings” -> “Battery” -> “Battery status” -> “Optimized charging”.
If the function is enabled, a message will be displayed on the screen, which will determine the time when the iPhone will be charged to 100%. In order not to wait for the specified time, you need to click on the notification and hold it, and then click on the “Charge now” item.
iPhone 6S and 6S Plus battery life
In the improved iPhone 6 series, Apple has “cut down” the battery capacity compared to their younger brothers, the regular “six”. Moreover, given how reluctant the company is to increase the batteries in its gadgets, such “cuts” are not very pleasant for users. Let's take a look at how this affected the battery life of the iPhone 6S:
| iPhone 6S | iPhone 6S Plus | |
| Battery capacity | 1715 | 2750 |
| Standby mode | 240 | 384 |
| Talk time (3G network) | 14 | 24 |
| Listening to music | 50 | 80 |
As you can see, almost nothing has changed. According to the company, this is achieved primarily through the use of a new, more energy-efficient processor. Let's believe her, especially since in reality this is approximately the case - the iPhone 6S holds charge at the same level as its predecessor.
Smartphone screen
The story with the design of the Apple iPhone 7 smartphone is continued in the screen. There are no obvious features from the previous version of the phone. The diagonal is 4.7 inches with an IPS matrix format, which is not a guarantee of super-quality images, however, in this case it demonstrates a decent level of color rendition.
The image resolution is 1134x750 pixels, which is, of course, a rather low setting for a modern phone. The only good thing is the pixel density, which is why the pixel grid will not hurt the user’s eyes so much.
The surface of the screen is covered with protective glass, which is very smooth and pleasant to the touch. An oleophobic coating is applied on top of it, due to which fingerprints do not cover the entire screen so massively. In addition, there is a good anti-reflective surface.
The phone boasts an excellent brightness reserve, taking into account the maximum limit and anti-glare coating - the user can safely view all content even in direct sunlight. Minimum brightness allows you to comfortably view texts in the dark.
The new Apple iPhone 7 has advanced features in the screen settings, including brightness adjustment. You can control it yourself or activate auto-adjustment. The automatic mode is carried out due to the built-in light level sensor, which independently analyzes the degree of ambient light and sets the optimal level in the phone. In practice, this function did its job perfectly.
The device screen also demonstrates excellent viewing angles, even at maximum tilt, the picture on the display retains its colors and clarity of objects. It is clear that some distortions still occur, but for the human eye they are not catastrophic.
There is good color balance and the correct color temperature is maintained, which displays pictures in a natural color palette. The contrast level is also good, we have nothing to complain about here.
Battery capacity of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus - how long does it hold a charge?
With the iPhone 7, many, including myself, were expecting, if not a revolutionary breakthrough in battery life, then at least a significant increase. Did you wait? Now let's find out:
| iPhone 7 | iPhone 7 Plus | |
| Battery capacity | 1960 | 2900 |
| Standby mode | 240 | 384 |
| Talk time (3G network) | 14 | 21 |
| Listening to music | 40 | 60 |
The battery capacity has increased by 245 mAh for the iPhone 7 and by 150 mAh for the iPhone 7 Plus, which should provide improved battery life. This is what Apple tells us in the specifications of the “seventh” iPhones on its website:
However, if you skip all these statements and look at the numbers, you will see that nothing has changed significantly. And some of the numbers indicating operating hours have even decreased. As a result, we can conclude: all these “dances” with the indicators left autonomy at the same level - the iPhone 7 (Plus) holds a charge as long as the “sixes”.
Contents of delivery
The iPhone 7 comes in Apple's traditional small cardboard box. This time it shows a photo of the smartphone from the back, which is not surprising given the old design of the front panel.
Inside, the user will first see the accompanying documentation, under which the iPhone 7 is hidden. Under the smartphone itself, you can find a charger with a Lightning cable, EarPods with the same connector, and an adapter from Lightning to a 3.5 mm jack.
Considering Apple sells the latter separately for $9, it was surprising to see it included in the box.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus operating time on a single battery charge
Considering the fact that the iPhone 8 is practically the same iPhone 7, it would be foolish to count on any kind of maximally increased autonomy compared to the previous model. It is logical to assume that everything will remain at “plus or minus” exactly the same level.
And this is what Apple came up with:
| iPhone 8 | iPhone 8 Plus | |
| Battery capacity | 1821 | 2675 |
| Standby mode | 240 | 384 |
| Talk time | 14 | 21 |
| Listening to music | 40 | 60 |
Agree, not much. The battery capacity has become slightly lower, and all other numbers are similar to the “seven”. However, Apple does not hide the fact that the iPhone 8 holds a charge exactly the same as the iPhone 7. And even directly indicates this in the specifications of the G8.
The only thing is that the iPhone 8 now has fast charging, and for some this may be a decisive factor when choosing a device.
Use cases: which model did we test this on?
Although we already carry more recent devices when writing ITIGIC, we continue to salvage some iPhones from past generations, and we used them last Monday when iOS 15 came out. A device that, in addition, we factory restored to be able to carry out a more complete test to performance level.
This is an iPhone 7 with a capacity of 128 GB purchased in November 2016 and with a battery health of 89% . It's worth noting that this component was replaced a year and a half ago, so under normal conditions of long-term use and without replacing the battery, its performance will likely be much lower.
How long will an iPhone X charge last?
Flagship 2017-2018, new design, new screen, new technologies, etc. This is all great, of course. But for the purposes of this article, we are interested in something else - has Apple managed to release something truly revolutionary in terms of battery life?
Let's take a look at what the iPhone X has with the battery:
- Battery capacity - 2716 mAh.
- Talk time is up to 21 hours.
- Work on the Internet - up to 12 hours.
- Audio playback - up to 60 hours.
As you can see, the performance is almost identical to the iPhone 8 Plus. And the battery capacity does not differ much. Apple itself claims that the iPhone X can last up to 2 hours on a single battery charge than the iPhone 7.
Total. The iPhone X is smaller than any Apple phone with the Plus prefix, but it is not inferior to them in terms of autonomy. I think this is very cool!
Smartphone equipment
The packaging of the Apple iPhone 7 smartphone is absolutely identical to the older version with a larger screen. The main color of the box is white; the top cover displays the phone model in a pleasant color. The packaging is made of very durable cardboard, which is why it can easily “survive” delivery from a remote area.
Inside, the main feature is the new Lightning adapter, in order to use a regular headset with the device. It is noteworthy that, despite the presence of an adapter, the manufacturer still placed new Lightning headphones here.
Thus, the owner of the model can try using new headphones or still give preference to the old ones.
In all other respects, the model’s equipment is traditional:
- the phone itself;
- charger (5 V 1 A);
- headset adapter;
- headset;
- sticker;
- clip for SIM card tray;
- paper instructions, warranty card, etc.
How long does iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max last to charge?
Let's start with the most important thing:
- iPhone XS battery capacity is 2658 mAh.
- The battery capacity of the iPhone XS MAX is 3174 mAh. At the moment, this is the largest battery ever installed in an iPhone!
Now let's move on to the main indicators. And if we take official data, then something unimaginable is happening here :)
Here's the thing.
We go to the Apple website and see this information about the operating time of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.
Nothing bothers you? For example, I am very struck by two lines:
- iPhone XS lasts up to 30 minutes longer on a charge than iPhone X.
- iPhone XS Max lasts up to 1.5 hours longer on a single charge than iPhone X.
Now we look at the performance of the iPhone X (+ previous iPhone models) and we get a very interesting chain:
- iPhone XS lasts 30 minutes longer than iPhone X. And iPhone XS Max lasts 1.5 hours longer than iPhone X.
- At the same time, iPhone X lasts 2 hours longer than iPhone 7.
- But that is not all! iPhone 7 lasts 2 hours longer than iPhone 6S.
Apple, are you okay? :) We add up the indicators and get the result:
- iPhone XS lasts longer than iPhone 6S by 4.5 hours.
- iPhone XS Max outlasts iPhone 6S by 5.5 hours.
Is it true? It turns out that Apple has achieved an almost double increase in operating time since the iPhone 6S?
I wouldn't say that. In fact, of course, the latest Apple smartphones do hold a charge a little better. But in the end, everything comes to one denominator - the iPhone XS, with active use, holds a charge from morning to evening. The iPhone XS Max has a slightly better situation (about 30 percent).
Battery monitoring function
iOS 11 introduced a feature that allows you to monitor your battery status. It shows the iPhone's peak battery capacity. When this indicator begins to decline, the battery life of the gadget decreases. Moreover, failures, unexpected shutdowns, and overheating begin. In the end, everything can lead to the battery swelling and squeezing the iPhone screen out of the case. But that's not the worst thing. Such damage may cause the battery to explode. Therefore, if your phone starts to discharge quickly, you should go and replace the battery.
iPhone XR operating time
As usual, we open the Apple website and see this wonderful inscription: “iPhone XR lasts up to 1.5 hours more than iPhone 8 Plus.”
If you remember the “plus eight”, then it really held a charge quite well. And here we are promised even more! Victory? Depending on which way you look at it...
Judging by user reviews, the battery life of the iPhone XR is really not the worst. But! There is still no need to say that it holds a charge much better than the iPhone 8 Plus (that’s what the phrase “up to 1.5 hours longer” makes you think).
About the same? Yes. Much longer? No.
However, as we remember, a lot depends on the use case.
For example, if you listen to music on headphones, the iPhone XR will easily work for a couple of days.
But who does that? Almost no one.
Sound
In terms of sound reproduction, the iPhone 7 received two innovations at once. One is good, the other is very controversial. Let's start with the good: the iPhone 7 uses two external speakers. One is on the bottom edge, and the second is the earpiece. Thus, the smartphone sounds better than the iPhone 6s, but it cannot be said that it is much louder. Apparently, the protection from water has an effect.
But the second innovation is the abandonment of the 3.5 mm headphone jack, which Apple has made the standard for modern smartphones. The company motivates its decision by the fact that the connector is very old and takes up space in the case that can be used for other needs. In the iPhone 7, as we already know, the place of the 3.5 mm jack was taken by an enlarged battery and Taptic Engine. Apple now offers music listening via the Lightning connector or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Both options have a right to life, but if the latter is truly universal, then the first is simply the creation of another standard that will be incompatible with third-party devices. Apple would make it much easier to ditch the 3.5mm jack for everyone if it switched to USB Type-C.
As for Ligtning itself, this connector, apparently, was slightly modified in the iPhone 7. It fixes the plug more clearly, so even if the smartphone suddenly falls out of your hands, it can be held with the headphones. The sound quality through Ligtning is good, and even the adapter does not spoil it. It's not like you won't eventually lose it, but at least it allows you to listen to your favorite wired headphones.
Operating time of iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max
With the “eleventh iPhones,” Apple has outdone itself.
In any case, if we talk about smartphones with the “Pro” prefix.
The battery life of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max far exceeds what we saw in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max:
- iPhone 11 Pro lasts up to 4 hours longer than iPhone XS.
- iPhone 11 Pro Max lasts up to 4 hours longer than iPhone XS Max.
In my opinion, it’s very worthy!
Moreover, according to reviews from owners, these data are not so far from the truth - charging is quite enough for a whole working day (with fairly active use). And in the case of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the phone “survives” until the evening with approximately 20% charge.
Excellent result!
You ask: “What about the regular iPhone 11? How does it hold a charge?
I will answer: “The same as the iPhone XR. Even a little better (due to the newer processor).”
In general, the iPhone 11 lineup has good battery life. You can take it! :)
What made me happy
This is the first Apple smartphone with water resistance. The IP67 standard allows a smartphone to remain at a meter depth for thirty minutes - you’ll barely have time to catch anything from the bottom of the paddling pool. Protection from water came in handy: once I was passing a smartphone across the table, and the iPhone fell (I told you it was slippery) right into a glass of soda. There was nothing left to lose: I had to rinse it in running water. The smartphone showed no signs of concern. The main thing is not to charge your iPhone until it is completely dry.
How long does iPhone SE (2020) last to charge?
But here there is practically nothing to describe. Since the iPhone SE (2020) is an almost complete copy of the iPhone 8, their operating time is almost the same.
Yes, there were hopes for a more energy-efficient processor in the iPhone SE (2020), however...
They were not justified.
iPhone SE (2020), in comparison with iPhone 8, did not receive any noticeable increase in autonomy. It's a shame, a shame, but... okay. At least the indicators haven’t deteriorated, and that’s good! :)
What greatly affects the battery charge
So we got to the most voracious capabilities of the smartphone.
1. Geolocation
GPS has always been and will be the main devourer of a smartphone's battery after the screen and GSM module, which, of course, we will not turn off.
You need to receive data from satellites and cell towers, calculate the position of the device and transfer this data to the desired application. All this is repeated several times a minute.
Even programs that can use GPS only while they are running (instead of constantly being used) have a serious impact on battery consumption.
Messengers and clients of social networks do not need to know our location; browsers and client banks will do the same. Even weather apps can display data for a manually set city instead of regular automatic searches.
Many programs use geolocation even when opening widgets
System services also do not need to know our location, especially tracking and advertising ones.
Operating time of iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
In 2022, Apple did its best and released as many as four new iPhone models.
Tim Cook, stop! No need to churn out many different iPhones. Make two, but normal ones! :)
Well, before Tim stops, let’s figure out how long these same iPhone 12s hold a charge:
- iPhone 12 mini. If you look at the battery capacity and the data provided by Apple, then the situation is quite normal (slightly better than the iPhone 8). However, it would be stupid to count on anything more (with such dimensions).
- iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. These models have the same battery, therefore, they hold a charge, plus or minus, the same. Judging by the characteristics - at the level of the iPhone 11 Pro.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max. The largest smartphone - the largest battery capacity - the longest operating time. The iPhone 12 Pro Max lasts about the same as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
By the way, here are the results of the iPhone 12 battery test when playing video in “home conditions” (not the way Apple tests it).
Absolutely “working” result!
Total: in comparison with the iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 has changed the design, improved the internals (processor, memory, etc.), and the autonomy indicators remained at the same level. Which, in itself, is not so bad :)
Operating time of iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Well, dear friends... It's done!
Apple has done a good job on optimization, the battery, its behavior (underline what is necessary), and the result of these works is visible to the naked eye - each iPhone 13 model holds a charge better (and in some scenarios, much better) than similar models of the previous generation.
Moreover (this is important!), the operating time has increased:
- Not just in standby mode, but during active use (Safari, watching videos on YouTube, playing games).
- Against the background of “measurements” in real life, and not under ideal testing conditions (as they do at Apple).
Overall: the battery life indicators of the iPhone 13 (mini, regular, Pro and Pro Max) definitely deserve attention - after all, these same indicators are the highest among all current iPhone models.
E - Evolution!
Hopefully, this is not all that Apple is capable of, and in iPhone 14 we:
- Or we will see exactly the same battery life as in the iPhone 13 (which, in itself, is not so bad).
- Or we’ll once again be surprised at how long this smartphone can last on a single battery charge (which, of course, would be great).
As they say, we’ll wait and see... We’re waiting:!)
