The test outcome
The technology outlet CNET has published a battery-life report conducted on 32 smartphones available on the U.S. market, naming the iPhone 18 Pro Max as the model with the best overall battery performance. This is reported by IT之家, according to which the investigation involved 28 phones launched in 2026 plus four models not updated this year, for a total of more than 120 hours of accumulated testing.
The protocol involves two scenarios. In the first, the phone is charged to full and streams video for three hours at maximum screen brightness over Wi-Fi, recording the remaining charge. In the second, a 45-minute stress test combines video, video calls, games and high-intensity social media use.
In the stress test, the iPhone 18 Pro Max lost only 1% of its charge, placing first, tied with the iPhone Duo; Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL stopped at 3%, tied for third. In the three-hour video test, however, the best result was achieved by the iPhone 18 Pro, with 6% consumption.
Why it wins, and why that is not enough
According to CNET, the iPhone 18 Pro Max's top ranking depends on the combination of a larger battery, iOS 27 optimization and the efficiency of the A20 Pro chip. This is the outlet's assessment, not a figure measured in isolation.
The report nevertheless points to a structural limitation: a larger battery does not automatically translate into greater endurance. Brighter screens, more powerful processors and artificial intelligence features absorb the additional energy, so much so that the average battery life of 2026 phones is substantially in line with that of 2024 and 2025 models.
The most closely watched technological development of the year is the silicon-carbon battery, adopted by foldables such as the Motorola Razr (2026) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: it makes it possible to increase capacity without significantly enlarging the battery compartment. CNET predicts that other manufacturers will adopt it from 2027 onward.
What remains to be verified
The material does not clarify how CNET weighted the two tests to select the best overall model, nor does it indicate the ranking of the other 28 devices. The battery capacity values, prices and test temperature conditions are not published.
The results also cover only the U.S. market and a sample of 32 devices: they therefore cannot be automatically extended to other geographic areas or to manufacturers' entire product ranges. The forecast on silicon-carbon adoption remains the outlet's indication, not sales data.
The competitive landscape
The report compares an Apple model and a Google model at the top of the battery-consumption tests, while Samsung appears in the material not for its endurance results but for adopting the new battery technology on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The ranking concerns battery life exclusively and does not assess other device characteristics.
