The Galaxy S25 Ultra registered a massive win against the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a previous speed test, but Apple’s flagship has returned with a vengeance, obtaining a victory in the latest battery drain test. Of course, this run would not be complete without the Pixel 10 Pro XL added to the mix, but as you can imagine, its inclusion was just a reminder that Google needs to up its game.
Apple’s top-end flagship might have secured the win, but a YouTuber shares another smartphone that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has yet to beat in the endurance test
The beginning of the battery drain test conducted by PhoneBuff is a ‘business as usual’ affair, where the iPhone 17 Pro Max pulls ahead of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL. The real efficiency test arrives in the web browsing category, where the A19 Pro, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Tensor G5 are stressed to see which SoC consumes the least amount of juice. Surprisingly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra did better, but the battery drain test is far from over.
With Instagram fired up, each flagship is taxed to see which display is the most efficient. The best thing about the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Pixel 10 Pro XL is that they all feature an LTPO OLED, meaning their refresh rate can go up to 120Hz when required and clocks down to 1Hz to save battery. In this area, Apple’s top-end offering pulls ahead of its competitors.
Coming to the 16-hour standby test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra obtains a lead, but remember that this is not Samsung’s only win. Just last month, we reported that the Galaxy S25 Edge narrowly beat the iPhone Air in the same battery test, meaning there is a chance that history repeats itself. At this point, the competition is extremely heated, but there was always going to be one winner.
Moving to Snapchat, which is the most intensive part of the test, since all the components such as the display, Wi-Fi, GPS, front camera are active, the Pixel 10 Pro XL dips into the single digits, signaling that, to no one’s surprise, it is the least efficient out of all three smartphones, despite sporting the biggest battery capacity from the trio. In the end, Google’s current flagship was the first to power down, followed by the Galaxy S25 Ultra, making the iPhone 17 Pro Max the winner.
As for the total runtime for each model, those details are given below, concluding that if you want the best ‘no nonsense’ battery life experience, switch to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It is important to keep in mind that Samsung has had plenty of time to polish the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s software, which allowed it to beat Apple’s premium player in the previous speed test.
Perhaps with future software updates, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s battery will improve too, since there is a ton of optimizations required for iOS 26. PhoneBuff also displayed the smartphone battery rankings, and if you think the iPhone 17 Pro Max made it to the number one position, just take a look at the image below.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Active time - 13 hours and 5 minutes
- Standby time - 16 hours
- Total time - 29 hours and 5 minutes
Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Active time - 11 hours and 50 minutes
- Standby time - 16 hours
- Total time - 27 hours and 50 minutes
Pixel 10 Pro XL
- Active time - 10 hours and 45 minutes
- Standby time - 16 hours
- Total time - 26 hours and 45 minutes
Battery time difference
iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Outlasts Galaxy S25 Ultra by 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Outlasts Pixel 10 Pro XL by 2 hours and 20 minutes
Galaxy S25 Ultra (second place)
- Outlasts Pixel 10 Pro XL by 1 hour and 5 minutes
News Source: PhoneBuff
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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