iPhone 16 battery and charging: Here's what we found in our tests
The iPhone 16 series is here, and one of the main upgrades this year are related to battery size, battery life, and even to charging speeds (finally).
We have now carried out our battery life and charging tests on each iPhone 16 model and we have found that Apple's statements are true. The battery sizes have increased by some amount, and so has the battery life when compared to last year's generation.
We have now carried out our battery life and charging tests on each iPhone 16 model and we have found that Apple's statements are true. The battery sizes have increased by some amount, and so has the battery life when compared to last year's generation.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max even managed to beat all of its competition and previous iPhone generations, coming in at 8th place in our battery test rankings. It beat the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Pixel 9 Pro XL by more than an hour of estimated battery life.
Perhaps more interesting is the charging situation of the iPhone 16 series, as we saw some peculiar charging behaviour during our experiments with the iPhone 16 series.
iPhone 16 battery upgrades
Apple has changed the design and size of the iPhone 16 series batteries.
Apple says that all four new iPhones will last longer compared to their predecessors, and for the most part we confirmed that statement during our own tests.
Not only are the batteries larger this year, but there are also the new Apple A18 and A18 Pro chips that are built on TSMC's second-generation 3nm process (dubbed N3E). The first generation of TSMC's 3nm process produced powerful chips like Apple's A17 Pro silicon, but it did not have the greatest balance between power consumption and delivery, which is what the N3E process corrects.
Both the larger batteries and the more efficient chips have resulted in longer estimated battery life according to our tests for all iPhone 16 models besides the 16 Plus, which was about on par with its predecessor. That said, the iPhone 15 Plus was already an absolute beast when it came to battery life so that's not bad news at all.
PhoneArena iPhone 16 Battery and Charging Test Results:
Out of the four new iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the absolute star when it comes to battery life.
We only expected it to beat the more compact iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models, but it also scored higher than the Plus model on the web browsing and gaming tests. On our YouTube video streaming test, however, the 16 Pro Max scored exactly the same as the 16 Plus.
The two compact phones get a slight battery upgrade compared to models from previous years, but nothing major. We were hoping to see them hit at least 7 hours, but maybe next year, when Apple is expected to introduce its first self-made 5G modem that should help with battery efficiency.
iPhone 16 Pro Max battery life comparison
So how does the 16 Pro Max fare against previous iPhone models and other rivals?
Well, we get a full hour more than the last three Pro Max generations, which is a noticeable upgrade. The biggest uptick is in the web browsing and gaming tests, where the 16 Pro Max shines.
In our testing, it also outlasts the Galaxy S24 Ultra, its main competition from the Android side. Galaxy phones underperform consistently in our YouTube video streaming test, which brings their total score down significantly, and we hope Samsung addresses this in future models.
Looking at the grand scheme of things, or our all-time PhoneArena battery ranking, there are only a handful of phones that perform better, such as the Asus ROG Phone 8 and Honor Magic 6 Porsche Edition, both devices with giant, 5600 mAh batteries.
Interestingly, this year, the Plus model did not outlast the Pro Max. One would expect the most premium model to be the best at everything, after all.
PhoneArena iPhone 16 Pro battery life comparison
Among compact phones, the iPhone 16 Pro is not so domineering as its larger sibling.
Google's new Pixel 9 phones have much bigger battery sizes and manage to outlast the iPhone 16 Pro.
Still, it is a slight upgrade compared to previous models, as the 16 Pro now gets a battery life estimate of around 6 hours and a half, which is some 15 to 30 minutes improvement from previous Pro iPhones.
Apple official iPhone 16 battery life numbers
Below, you will also find the information that Apple has provided about the battery life of each iPhone 16 model. We have added the equivalent information Apple provided for the iPhone 15 series last year for comparison.
| 16 Pro Max vs 15 Pro Max | 16 Pro vs 15 Pro | 16 Plus vs 15 Plus | 16 vs 15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Playback 33 / 29 | Video Playback 27 / 23 | Video Playback 27 / 26 | Video Playback 22 / 20 |
| Video Playback (Streamed) 29 / 25 | Video Playback (Streamed) 22 / 20 | Video Playback (Streamed) 24 / 20 | Video Playback (Streamed) 18 / 16 |
| Audio Playback 105 / 95 | Audio Playback 85 / 75 | Audio Playback 100 / 100 | Audio Playback 80 / 80 |
During the launch event, Apple also said there are battery optimizations for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, besides the ones that come from the new chips, but the company did not share what exactly those optimizations are.
iPhone 16 charging upgrades
MagSafe wireless charging has either matched or surpassed regular wired charging with the iPhone 16 series.
Let's get the more clear charging-related improvement out of the way—all iPhone 16 models now come with faster wireless charging speeds, which are now 25W (a 40% increase). The caveat here is that you need a MagSafe charger in order to achieve those speeds.
Things get a bit more blurry when it comes to the wired charging though. Apple did not mention any upgrades, but there is mixed information online about it. Our findings gave us some answers, but also gave birth to new questions.
During our charging tests we found out that the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro charge at 20W while the iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max at 26W when they are not being used. Those are the same speeds as the previous generation. However, when we were carrying out performance benchmark tests or playing a game, the phones would start charging at 38W.
So, in other words, the iPhone 16 series IS capable of charging faster than last year's models, but for some reason we can't get our units to charge at those speeds while they aren't any heavy loads.
As for why Apple has designed the new iPhones to charge quicker in those scenarios, our guess is to keep the charging speed consistent even at times when they are using up a lot of battery.
Does the iPhone 16 use have reverse wireless charging?
Yes, it does. You can charge other devices that support wireless charging via any iPhone 16 model, which has a maximum power output of 4.5W. This is the same as last year's iPhone 15 series, so it is not a new upgrade.
What charger does the iPhone 16 use?
Since the wired charging speeds appear to have not changed, Apple's 30W USB-C charger would be the default one to go for. That being said, if you want to make use of the rare instances when the iPhone 16's charging speed spikes, it's best if you opt for a 40W charger instead. Just make sure you buy a brand that is trusted and has good reputation, that way you can avoid any damage to your phone.
How fast does the iPhone 16 charge?
Apple claims that the each iPhone 16 model will charge to around 50% in about 30 minutes of charging. Funnily enough, charging via a MagSafe wireless charger might be a bit quicker as it is 25W, while the wired charging we have managed to measure in regular conditions on the smaller iPhone 16 and 16 Pro is 20W. For the larger models, which charge at 25W via a wire, that means their wireless charging is matched.
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