iPhone 18 Pro Max Tops Autonomy Test Among 32 Smartphones, According to CNET
Apple's flagship delivered the best result in a comprehensive test, outperforming models from Google and other manufacturers.
The publication CNET has published the results of a large-scale autonomy test of 32 smartphones available on the U.S. market. The iPhone 18 Pro Max took first place in the overall ranking. The tests covered 28 new models from 2026 and four devices from previous generations, requiring over 120 hours to conduct.
Journalists used two testing scenarios. In the first, smartphones continuously played video for three hours at maximum screen brightness and connected to Wi-Fi. The second stage involved a 45-minute simulation of daily use, including video viewing, video calls, gaming, and social media.
In the short comprehensive test, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo lost only 1% of their charge. Following them was the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL with a 3% result. In a separate video playback test, the iPhone 18 Pro led, consuming only 6% of its battery over three hours.
Experts attribute the high autonomy of the iPhone 18 Pro Max to its larger battery, iOS 27 optimizations, and the energy efficiency of the A20 Pro processor.
However, the results showed that battery capacity is not the sole factor in a smartphone's runtime. Energy consumption is also influenced by the display, processor, and artificial intelligence features.
