Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup posts clear battery life gains over the prior generation. The highlights: bigger jumps on the Pro models, a substantial step up for the standard iPhone 17, and an ultra-thin iPhone Air that still matches last year’s iPhone 16 Pro in Apple’s streaming test. Below is a concise breakdown of the official ratings, what changed, and how to interpret the numbers.

Metric iPhone 17 iPhone 16 Gain
Base – Video Playback 30 hrs 22 hrs +8 hrs ✅
Base – Streaming 27 hrs 18 hrs +9 hrs ✅
Air – Video Playback 27 hrs 27 hrs (16 Pro) Same ➖
Air – Streaming 22 hrs 22 hrs (16 Pro) Same ➖
Pro – Video Playback 33 hrs 27 hrs +6 hrs ✅
Pro – Streaming 30 hrs 22 hrs +8 hrs ✅
Pro Max – Video Playback 39 hrs 33 hrs +6 hrs ✅
Pro Max – Streaming 35 hrs 29 hrs +6 hrs ✅

Battery ratings for iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 line-up

Apple publishes “up to” figures based on controlled video playback and video streaming tests. Full methodology and model ratings appear on Apple’s product and comparison pages, including the iPhone 17 Pro’s battery section on the product page and the broader Compare iPhone models view.

  • iPhone 17: up to 30 hours video playback; 27 hours streaming
  • iPhone Air: up to 27 hours video playback; 22 hours streaming
  • iPhone 17 Pro: up to 33 hours video playback; 30 hours streaming
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max: up to 39 hours video playback; 35 hours streaming

For context, Apple’s iPhone 16 family was rated as follows:

  • iPhone 16: up to 22 hours video playback; 18 hours streaming
  • iPhone 16 Plus: up to 27 hours video playback; 24 hours streaming
  • iPhone 16 Pro: up to 27 hours video playback; 22 hours streaming
  • iPhone 16 Pro Max: up to 33 hours video playback; 29 hours streaming
Model Video Playback (hrs) Streaming (hrs)
iPhone 17 30 27
iPhone 17 Air 27 22
iPhone 17 Pro 33 30
iPhone 17 Pro Max 39 35
iPhone 16 22 18
iPhone 16 Plus 27 24
iPhone 16 Pro 27 22
iPhone 16 Pro Max 33 29

Year‑over‑year gains

  • iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: +8 hours video playback; +9 hours streaming
  • iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: +6 hours video playback; +8 hours streaming
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: +6 hours video playback; +6 hours streaming
  • iPhone Air: matches iPhone 16 Pro on Apple’s streaming test (22 hours) and video playback (27 hours)

A notable crossover: iPhone 17 Pro now matches last year’s Pro Max for local video playback (33 hours) and exceeds it by about an hour in the streaming test (30 vs. 29 hours).

Comparison Video Playback Gain Streaming Gain
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 +8 hrs +9 hrs
iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro +6 hrs +8 hrs
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max +6 hrs +6 hrs
iPhone Air vs iPhone 16 Pro Same (27 hrs) Same (22 hrs)

Charging time changes

  • iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max: up to 50% in 20 minutes with a high‑wattage USB‑C adapter
  • iPhone 17: up to 50% in 20 minutes
  • iPhone Air: up to 50% in 30 minutes

Charging times depend on adapter wattage, temperature, battery health, and device activity while charging.

Why the numbers improved

  • Internal design and capacity: Apple states the new internal design creates significant additional room for battery capacity, which contributes to the Pro Max’s best‑ever iPhone battery life.
  • Silicon and thermals: A19 Pro and an updated thermal architecture (including a vapor chamber on Pro models) are designed to sustain performance efficiently under prolonged load, which can reduce throttling and help overall endurance in heavier tasks.
  • System efficiency: Software power management and display/power subsystem tuning typically provide incremental savings across common use cases.

How to interpret Apple’s “up to” figures

Apple uses standardized video playback and streaming tests as a consistent yardstick. Actual battery life varies by:

  • Connectivity: 5G usage, marginal cellular coverage, and hotspot use increase drain
  • Display: screen brightness, outdoor readability boosts, and high refresh rates
  • Workloads: camera recording, gaming, navigation, and AI features are more demanding than video playback
  • Background activity: push email, frequent notifications, and location services

Streaming results typically trend lower than offline playback because decoding plus active networking and radio activity draw more power than local playback alone.

Which model to choose if battery life is your priority

  • Maximum runtime: iPhone 17 Pro Max (39/35) is the clear leader.
  • Long life without a large phone: iPhone 17 Pro (33/30) now reaches last year’s “Max” territory for video and tops it in streaming.
  • Best mainstream jump: iPhone 17 (30/27) is a major step up from iPhone 16, adding roughly eight to nine hours in Apple’s tests.
  • Thinnest option: iPhone Air (27/22) keeps runtime in the “all‑day” bracket while matching iPhone 16 Pro’s streaming figure despite the ultra‑thin design.
Priority Best Pick Battery Life (Playback / Streaming)
Maximum runtime iPhone 17 Pro Max 39 / 35 hrs
Top battery life in smaller phone iPhone 17 Pro 33 / 30 hrs
Biggest mainstream jump iPhone 17 30 / 27 hrs
Thinnest option iPhone Air 27 / 22 hrs

Bottom line: Apple’s iPhone 17 family delivers meaningful endurance gains across the board, with the Pro models seeing the largest boosts and the standard iPhone 17 taking a notable leap over last year’s base model. If you value maximum time away from the charger, start with Pro Max, then Pro; if you want a mainstream phone with clearly better longevity than iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 is the sweet spot; and if you prefer the thinnest design, the iPhone Air meets “all‑day” expectations while holding parity with the 16 Pro on Apple’s streaming test.