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iPhone 14 Pro Max tops Galaxy S23 Ultra in battery life test

Published Mar 13th, 2023 1:37PM EDT
iPhone 14 Pro Max in Deep Purple is the most popular color.
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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It’s been six months since Apple released the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and it still holds the crown as the best smartphone for several reasons. While BGR already reported it has a better camera and a better processor, a test conducted by YouTuber PhoneBuff shows Apple’s biggest phone also beats the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in a battery test.

Besides the spoiler alert, his video is very interesting as it’s the first time a Galaxy phone lasts for so long in a battery test. Long story short, the iPhone 14 Pro Max beat the S23 Ultra by 30 minutes, and during several hours of the 27-hour long test, it’s Samsung’s phone that actually reigns over the iPhone.

That said, it’s worth noting that while the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery and the iPhone 14 Pro Max offers a 4,323 mAh battery, it’s Apple’s iPhone that wins the test thanks to optimized applications and better integration between hardware and software.

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max Battery TestPImage source: PhoneBuff

During the tests, the YouTuber starts with a call, then texting, e-mail scrolling, web browsing, and Instagram scrolling. While both phones offer a similar experience, it’s during a 16-hours standby test that the iPhone’s battery drops way below Galaxy S23 Ultra from 73% to 66% (S23 Ultra stays at 69%).

The experiment continues with watching YouTube videos, gaming, playing music, and sending Snapchats. That said, with the Snapchat app, Galaxy S23 Ultra loses the lead as the battery drains from 27% to 15%, and the iPhone remains with 16% of battery life.

To end the test, the YouTuber kept opening all the apps he used from the test until the battery of one of the phones died. That said, it’s Galaxy S23 Ultra that turns off first. By the end of the trial, here’s how each phone performed:

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  • Active time: 11h06
  • Standby: 16h
  • Total: 27h06

iPhone 14 Pro Max

  • Active time: 11h44
  • Standby: 16h
  • Total: 27h44

You can watch PhoneBuff with all testings in the full video below.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.

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