CNET tested 32 phones and found Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max lasts longest, while a bigger battery on paper often did not mean more time between charges.
After 120 hours of battery testing on 32 phones, CNET named the iPhone 18 Pro Max the phone with the longest battery life. The bigger surprise is that the average phone tested in 2026 lasted about as long as phones from 2025 and 2024. A new phone does not automatically mean fewer trips to the charger.
CNET ran two tests on each phone, starting at a full battery. One was a 3-hour video stream over Wi-Fi at full screen brightness. The other was a 45-minute stress test with video streaming, a video call, games and social media scrolling. The score is how much battery is left, so higher is better. CNET averaged both results to build its rankings.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max took the overall top spot. CNET credits a larger battery, software tuning in iOS 27 and Apple's efficient A20 Pro chip. In the stress test, the 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo each lost only 1%. Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL tied for third, losing 3%, compared with 7% for last year's Pixel 10 Pro XL. In the video test, the smaller iPhone 18 Pro lost just 6%.
Most phones sold in 2026 got more expensive, which CNET links to US tariffs and higher memory and part costs tied to AI data centers. Still, two Motorola phones made the top 10: the $500 Moto G Stylus (2026) and the $600 Motorola Edge (2026). Neither has a silicon-carbon battery. CNET suggests their screens and processors may simply use less power than those in $1,000 flagships.
Apple's cheapest phone, the $699 iPhone 17E, tied in results with the $1,400 Razr Ultra (2026) and the $1,999 iPhone Duo.
Averaging every model per brand, Apple came first for the second year in a row. OnePlus, owned by Oppo, came second. OnePlus has said it will stop releasing phones in the US after the OnePlus 15 series. At the other end, the gold T1 Phone from Trump Mobile, a rebranded 2024 HTC U24 Pro, scored toward the bottom.
Battery size in milliamp-hours is only part of the story. Brighter screens, faster chips and AI features can use up the extra capacity. Age and habits matter too. A phone that is 2 to 3 years old holds less charge than when new, and heavy use drains any phone faster. Before buying, look for real-world battery tests, not just the number on the spec sheet.
A bigger battery on the spec sheet does not guarantee longer use, so check real tests before paying for a new phone.
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