Battery drain tests conducted on smartphones often don’t show the full picture because, the majority of the time, these devices are exclusively connected to Wi-Fi. However, the latest comparison does things a little differently, with an iPhone 17 Pro Max taken through its paces solely on a 5G and home Wi-Fi network to see what kind of runtimes can be experienced. Even without checking the entire test, we can assume our winner, but if you read on, there are some bits you’ll find interesting.
New battery drain test shows that the iPhone 17 Pro Max had 25% of charge remaining, while the other 5G-powered flagship had powered off
The YouTube channel PhoneBuff received suggestions that they should also include 5G battery drain tests in their content, so they obliged. The problem is that there are so many scenarios to watch out for, meaning that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s battery life shown in the video below won’t be representative of what the average owner experiences because they’ll be handling their devices very differently.
Typically, a smartphone running exclusively on Wi-Fi will always last longer than a 5G-enabled one because a home’s router is barely more than 20 meters to 25 meters away, meaning that the wireless networking chip in the iPhone 17 Pro Max doesn’t have to work that hard. On the other hand, the 5G modem gets a proper workout because the user won’t always be next to a cellular tower, so the phone needs to continuously search and cycle between each tower to deliver the best possible speeds and signal reception.
Also, when exclusively connected to a 5G network, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be using more than one radio, resulting in even higher battery drain. All of these factors mean that a Wi-Fi-powered smartphone will last longer, but by how much? To test this, two iPhone 17 Pro Max models that have been calibrated properly were pitted against one another.
Initially, there was no difference in battery level, but as soon as FaceTime is opened, we get a clearer picture: the 5G-powered iPhone 17 Pro Max drops 42 percentage points, compared to the Wi-Fi-connected model, which drops only 25 percentage points. Under regular scrolling and running on standby, both smartphones’ battery life hardly drained, but firing up FaceTime made all the difference in the world. You can check out the results below.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max (Wi-Fi only) - 25 percent battery remaining after 26 hours and 22 minutes
- iPhone 17 Pro Max (5G only) - 26 hours and 22 minutes
What factors weren’t accounted for in this battery drain test?
Even though the latest comparison does answer the painfully obvious pitfalls of using a smartphone with just 5G enabled, there are other considerations that weren’t taken into account, which the YouTuber points out. To be fair, we are glad these were stated before the comments poured in because it confirms that the same device cannot deliver the same runtime.
- The iPhone 17 Pro Max wasn’t being travelled around with, which can drastically reduce battery life because the modem needs to switch between towers.
- The test was performed at a single location, and if another area was chosen, the difference in signal strength would have affected battery life.
To be clear, we’re not undermining the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s battery endurance. In fact, what surprised us the most was the fact that the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, which is equipped with a 7,500mAh silicon-carbon battery, only outlasted Apple’s latest and greatest by 5 minutes. We can only imagine the runtimes one will experience when the iPhone 18 Pro Max launches, as it is rumored to ship with the largest battery for any non-foldable smartphone.
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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