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With every new iPhone launch, Apple has a knack for captivating the audience with its keynote. The iPhone 15 series unveiled was no different. As always, Apple avoids revealing the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro specifications. We know that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro come equipped with a larger battery pack as opposed to its predecessor. Let us take a look at what it means for end-users like you and me.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Battery Capacity
Needless to say, a combination of factors such as battery capacity, chip efficiency and heat management decides iPhone battery backup. At the outset, the top of the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max should sport the biggest battery. We no longer have to wait for battery capacity as iFixit’s detailed iPhone 15 teardown comes to the rescue.
iPhone 15 Series Battery Capacity
iPhone 15 Battery capacity based on the teardown.
- iPhone 15- 3,349 mAh battery.
- iPhone 15 Plus- 4,383mAh
- iPhone 15 Pro- 3,274mAh
- iPhone 15 Pro Max- 4422 mAh
Weirdly enough, the iPhone 15 Pro has a smaller battery pack than the base iPhone 15. And that’s despite the latter featuring a display with 120Hz refresh rates. It would be interesting to see how the iPhone 15 series battery would play out in real-world usage. And if you are confused about which new iPhone to buy, check out our article on best reasons to buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
How Long Does iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Pro Battery Last?
Popular YouTuber MrWhosetheboss has lined up the latest iPhone 15 series alongside the iPhone 14 for a comprehensive battery check. The test involved an entire day of phone usage. It mimics typical usage such as Zoom calls, social media, Headspace, video streaming, gaming etc.
The iPhone 15 Plus topped the chart alongside the iPhone 15 Pro. Talking numbers, the iPhone 15 Plus lasted a staggering 13hr 19 min. Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max battery endured 25 hours of video playback.
Much to our surprise, the iPhone 15 Pro lasted for just 9hr 20 min minutes. As mentioned earlier, the higher refresh rate and smaller battery could be the culprit. Apple should have increased battery capacity on the iPhone 15 Pro, especially since it is a “Pro” model.
iPhone 15 Battery Backup Duration List
- iPhone 15- 10 hours
- iPhone 15 Plus- 13 hrs 19 min
- iPhone 15 Pro- 9hrs 20 min
- iPhone 15 Pro Max- 11 hrs 41 min.
It is evident from the test that the new iPhones offers a significantly better battery backup as opposed to the iPhone 14. Apple claims it uses 100 percent recycled aluminum and recycled rear earth elements.
The latest iPhones get three Charging Optimisation options. It includes Optimised Battery Charging, 80% limit, and None. The 80% limit automatically cuts off charging at 80%. What it does is enhance the battery’s health while reducing backup.
Apple has added a new and exclusive battery optimization feature for the iPhone 15 series. It learns your charging pattern and charges at 80%. And right before you unplug the iPhone charges to 100%. Thus avoiding overcharging and, eventually, battery deterioration.
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro battery life and charging speeds
The iPhone 15 series battery life is a bit of a mixed bag both when compared to their predecessors, and between themselves. Apple bumped the battery capacity in a negligible manner but placed more efficient processors and displays compared with the iPhone 14 series, but did this translate to longer battery life? Let’s dive in and see if the improved efficiency of the new crop brought any meaningful endurance changes!
Apple iPhone 15 battery capacity
The Apple iPhone 15 line barely got a capacity boost, despite being thicker and allowing for larger cells via the “stacked” battery production method similar to what is used in electric vehicles. Check out the changes in the iPhone 15 series battery sizes below.
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life
Since the battery size increase rumor didn’t happen, we can’t expect the correspondent increase in the battery life of the handsets. The more efficient Apple A16/A17 processors, as well as a newer OLED display generation apparently don’t help, as Apple cites absolutely the same iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life as their predecessors:
| Phone | Video Playback | Video Streaming | Audio Playback |
| iPhone 15 | Up to 20 hours | Up to 16 hours | Up to 80 hours |
| iPhone 15 Plus | Up to 26 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 100 hours |
| iPhone 15 Pro | Up to 23 hours | Up to 20 hours | Up to 75 hours |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Up to 29 hours | Up to 25 hours | Up to 95 hours |
iPhone 15 series PhoneArena battery tests
Funnily enough, the Plus seems to beat the Pro Max in our YouTube and Gaming tests, while the Pro Max takes the win in the Web Browsing category. This might have something to do with the A17 Pro chipset getting hot and throttled, despite Apple’s software update that addressed some of these issues.
Battery Test Results
| Video Streaming(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max9h 45 min
Apple iPhone 15 Plus11h 14 min |
| Web Browsing(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max19h 20 min
Apple iPhone 15 Plus16h 21 min |
| 3D Gaming(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max9h 36 min
Apple iPhone 15 Plus11h 22 min |
Interestingly enough, we actually got lower battery scores for the 15 Pro compared to the previous model. And yes, we have double-checked the results and we have run them AFTER the iOS 17.0.3 update which addresses any possible overheating issues (in case you were wondering).
| Web Browsing(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 15 Pro14h 54 min
Apple iPhone 14 Pro16h 18 min |
| Video Streaming(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 15 Pro6h 54 min
Apple iPhone 14 Pro9h 14 min |
As for the cheapest iPhone 15, it only beats its predecessor in the gaming test due to its more efficient GPU.
| Video Streaming(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 157h 51 min
Apple iPhone 148h 35 min |
| Web Browsing(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 1513h 25 min
Apple iPhone 1415h 23 min |
| 3D Gaming(hours)Higher is better | Apple iPhone 158h 24 min
Apple iPhone 146h 44 min |
Does the iPhone 15 come with USB-C port?
Yes, serious analysts were of the opinion that all the phones in Apple’s 2023 line – the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max – will come with a modern USB-C port with Power Delivery capabilities, rather than the aging Lightning port. That turned out to indeed be the case, while Apple even upgraded its AirPods cases with USB-C connectors.
Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max charging speeds
- 30 minutes to 50%
- 90 minutes to 2 hours for a full charge
An European Commission legislation forced Apple to move to a USB-C port for data and charging, though, so at least there is a more convenient charging experience with less cable waste.
With the advent of the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series, Apple has all the infrastructure for faster charging in place. Unfortunately, Apple paces itself and left any significant charging speed upgrades for the next iPhone iterations, as is its habit in incremental progress.
The use of USB-C, however, didn’t officially boost the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max charging speed to the 27W-29W charging peak that their predecessors can score with one of the more powerful Apple chargers.
The iPhone 15 models are still taking 30 minutes to get up to 50% when charged using Apple’s standard 20W or higher charger and cable, so charging the iPhone 15 series fully would still take at least an hour and a half or more, while most Androids are now at 3x faster charging speeds.
| Charge%reached in 15 minsHigher is better | Charge%reached in 30 minsHigher is better | Charging time(hours)Lower is better | |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | 28 | 53 | 2h 1 min |
| Apple iPhone 15 Pro | 30 | 53 | 1h 42 min |
| Apple iPhone 15 Plus | 27 | 55 | 1h 32 min |
| Apple iPhone 15 | 32 | 60 | 1h 55 min |
| Apple iPhone 14 | 31 | 60 | 1h 28 min |
What charger does iPhone 15 use?
- 20W and 30W Apple chargers
Since the iPhone 15 series charging speeds are not getting even the slightest boost from the move to USB-C, Apple’s current official chargers remain standard for topping them up. As for wireless, the comparatively slow 15W MagSafe and 7.5W Qi charging sans cable stays, too.
Apple’s 30W charger is 27% off
Our iPhone 14 series charging tests show that Apple’s 30W charger is the sweet spot when it comes to charging the iPhone 14 Pro Max at its maximum 27W speed, and Amazon offers the brick on the cheap.
Which iPhone 15 series model has the best battery life?
iPhone 15 series is finally on sale across the globe and we are slowly seeing reviews of various aspects such as cameras, performance, and more. Now, the iPhone 15 series’ first battery test results are out. By virtue of being the highest-specced model, it is anticipated that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be taking the lead considering the efficiency of the 3nm A17 Pro chipset. Let’s take a look at the results.
iPhone 15 series battery capacities (reported)
| MODEL | Battery |
| iPhone 15 | 3,349mAh |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 4,383mAh |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 3,274mAh |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 4,422mAh |
iPhone 15 series battery test
- According to the MrWhoseTheBoss video on YouTube, the iPhone 15 Plusdelivered 13 hours of screen-on-time.
- With this, the iPhone 15 Plus now holds the title of the longest iPhone battery life.
- According to Apple’s tech specs listing, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasts the longest with 25 hours of video playback compared to 20 hours for iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro.
- However, day-to-day phone usage is usually more than just watching videos or much playback.
- Mrwhosetheboss in his video simulates realistic daily usage such as activities like Zoom video chat, watching TikTok videos, recording video in the camera, and playing games.
- The phone screen stays on the entire time until the battery is completely drained.
- The video shows that all iPhone 15 models beat out previous generation models.
- Prior to the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 13 Pro Max was the title holder of the best battery life on a phone.
| MODEL | Battery Life |
| iPhone 15 | 10 hours |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 13 hours and 19 minutes |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 9 hours and 20 minutes |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 11 hours and 41 minutes |
Among all the four new iPhones, the iPhone 15 Pro died first, which is followed by the iPhone 15. The iPhone 15 Pro lasted for 9 hours and 20 minutes. While the iPhone 15 lasted for around 10 hours. The iPhone 15 Pro Max hits 11 hours and 41 minutes. Lastly, the iPhone 15 Plus achieved a staggering 13 hours and 19 minutes in the test. In comparison, the previous best iPhone 13 Pro Max managed 11 hours and 19 minutes.
New Battery Features on iPhone 15
The iPhone 15 is the first iPhone to feature a USB-C port. Contrary to popular belief, you can even use an Android USB-C charger. Thanks to reverse charging, you can use the iPhone 15 to charge accessories and even other iPhones. That said, unlike Android, the iPhone still misses out on reverse wireless charging.
