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iPhone 18 Pro Max crushes Galaxy S26 Ultra in real-world battery test

When Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro Max, it emphasized that it offered the biggest leap in battery life ever compared to previous generations. Although some initial tests suggested that the difference compared to the previous generation was moderate, the direct competition with its traditional rival showed a crushing victory; live and independent tests revealed that Apple’s phone was clearly able to outperform Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, in power consumption and battery endurance.

From Phonegram: A red smartphone with a triple-lens camera system next to a gray smartphone with a camera array and a stylus, similar to the iPhone 18 Pro Max battery design.


A vast difference in continuous video playback testing

Comparison between iPhone 18 Pro Max and its Galaxy rival

Experts at Phone Arena conducted a practical and precise test for YouTube video playback, where both phones were set to the same brightness level and played the exact same content. The result proved the significant difference; the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted for 12 hours and 6 minutes, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra gave up and stopped after only 9 hours and 36 minutes, a massive difference of two and a half hours of continuous playback in favor of Apple’s phone.

This experiment was not an isolated case, as tests by the famous content creator Mrwhosetheboss confirmed the same results, where not only did the iPhone 18 Pro Max outperform the competition, but its smaller sibling, the iPhone 18 Pro, was also able to surpass the Samsung flagship. This simply means that if battery life, media consumption, and video playback are the deciding factors in your choice, the iPhone wins without hesitation.


Battery capacity and software harmony: The secret to the crushing win

From Phonegram: A dark red iPhone 18 Pro Max showing both its back and screen, next to a gray smartphone showing its back.

Although processor efficiency and software management play a decisive role in extending battery life, the actual capacity remains an undeniable foundation. This is precisely where Apple made the difference; the iPhone 18 Pro Max comes with a 5,567 mAh battery in the eSIM model, compared to only 5,000 mAh in the Samsung phone, giving the iPhone a size advantage of nearly 10%.

The interesting thing is that Samsung has stuck to a 5,000 mAh capacity in Ultra models since the launch of the Galaxy S20 series without a noticeable increase, while Apple continues to gradually increase the battery capacity of Pro Max models with every generation. With the addition of Apple’s complete control over processors and their absolute harmony with the iOS operating system, compared to Samsung’s reliance on Google’s Android and Qualcomm processors in key markets, the equation that decided the result clearly appears in Apple’s favor.

Do you think superior battery life alone is enough to decide your purchase of the next flagship phone?

Source:

bgr.com

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