iPhone 15 Pro Max gets epic iOS 18 battery boost

The iPhone 16 Pro Max arrives on Friday with the promise of the best battery life ever from an Apple handset. However, if you’re an iPhone 15 Pro Max owner, the inevitable new release envy might be soothed by the following news.

A new analysis of the 2023 flagship device has shown significant battery gains following Monday’s iOS 18 update.

One blogger found that the iPhone 15 Pro Max had gained an extra hour of battery life when using a benchmarking tool, thanks to the optimsations within the new operating system.

The tests deployed by China-based Geekerwan (via 9to5Mac) involve running common apps until the device dies.

While the iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 17 stayed alive for 7 hours and 56 minutes during the testing, the longevity was extended to 9 hours and 2 minutes when running iOS 18.

Those tests where apps are constantly running aren’t necessarily representative of natural usage habits, so it’s possible users might see even greater gains in the real world. The iPhone 15 Pro also picked up some extra run time, with around an extra half an hour tacked on in testing on iOS 18.

This isn’t surprising given Apple spoke of the “advanced power management of iOS 18” when extolling the virtues of the iPhone 16’s battery life, beyond the larger cell inside the handsets.

Following the launch event Apple said the iPhone 16 Pro will provide a “huge leap in battery life — with iPhone 16 Pro Max offering the best battery life on iPhone ever.”

That was played out in Geekerwan’s testing who said the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted for 10 hours and 23 minutes under the same circumstances.