Battery life is an essential feature that everyone considers while buying a phone. The iPhone 17 was recently launched on September 9, 2025 with many upgrades. The iPhone 17’s battery life is under discussion by tech enthusiasts who want to discover the iPhone 17’s charging speed and compare battery specifications. There are variations in the battery life within the iPhone 17 lineup and also major differences between the iPhone 17 battery life and previous models.
Battery Life of Previous Models
iPhone 15 Battery Life
The iPhone 15 has a 3349 mAh battery. The iPhone 15 lasts 20 hours while playing back a video file. This number drops to 16 hours if you watch videos on the internet instead. The larger iPhone 15 Plus packs a larger battery which lasts up to 26 hours for video playback and for internet streaming the figure drops to 20 hours.
iPhone 16 Battery Life
The iPhone 16 boasts better battery life than its predecessor with a battery size of 3,500 mAh. The standard model can play video for up to 22 hours and the iPhone 16 Plus can play videos for up to 27 hours. The Pro and Pro Max deliver more at up to 27 and 33 hours of video playback, respectively.
Charging Speed of Previous Models
iPhone 15 Charging Speed
The iPhone 15 has a charging curve that starts off pretty strong with a long period of charging at the full 20W of power. This results in the phone going up to 32% in 15 minutes and then up to 58% in 30 minutes. You can get 85% worth of charge on the battery in an hour flat. Beyond that point in the charging cycle, however, wattage starts tapering off aggressively. After 95% of charge, the iPhone 15 is only sipping around 4W of power or so, which explains why a full charge takes an hour and 50 minutes.
iPhone 16 Charging Speed
Charging speeds in iPhone 16 are faster than the iPhone 15, with the ability to reach 50% charging in about 30 minutes. This can be achieved using a 20W or higher adapter, and wireless charging is enhanced to a 25W speed via a new 30W adapter and MagSafe Charge. Charging tests revealed that the phone charged up to 33% in 15 mins and 59% in 30 mins. An hour refilled 85% of the battery. In typical Apple fashion, the last 15% takes forever to recharge, even with the Optimized Battery Charging turned off. The last 15% takes about 42mins, and the iPhone 16 reaches 100% charge in 1 hour and 42 minutes.
iPhone 17 Battery Life Across Its Models
The iPhone 17 lineup came with three variations in its models. The world had been seeing Pro and Pro Max models so Apple debuted the iPhone 17 Air this year. It is the slimmest phone in the history of the iPhone. Will it also have a smaller battery or will it have the same battery capacity?
Let us find out.
iPhone 17 Base Model
The standard iPhone 17 battery life runs for up to 30 hours of video playback and 27 hours of streaming video playback. It comes with a 3,692 mAh battery, which is a 3.7% increase compared to the iPhone 16’s 3,561mAh capacity. While the bump in size is modest, Apple states that this improvement in the iPhone 17 battery life enables it to support up to 30 hours of continuous video playback. This ensures reliable all-day performance without your phone dying on you.
iPhone Air
The iPhone Air boasts 27 hours of video playback and 22 hours of playback of streamed video. All this with the extra-thin design, yet still holding a battery that will power through a full day. For customers who demand even more durability, pairing the MagSafe Battery accessory with the phone will provide up to 40 hours of video playback.
iPhone 17 Pro
The iPhone 17 Pro is driven by a 4,252 mAh battery, 18.7% more than the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro has a battery life of up to 33 hours video watching and 30 hours video streaming. This promises a longer battery life compared to the regular iPhone 17. Apple promises that the Pro model offers one hour more of video watching than the regular iPhone 17.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
The iPhone 17 Pro Max leads the lineup in endurance, offering up to 39 hours of video playback and 35 hours of streaming video playback. It houses a 5,088 mAh battery, which is an 8.6% increase over its predecessor. This combination of capacity and efficiency makes it the top-performing model in terms of battery life within the iPhone 17 series.
iPhone 17 Charging Speed
The iPhone 17 charging speed is a little better than the previous models. iPhone 17 series charges 50% in 20 minutes with Apple’s new Dynamic Power Adapter 40W. That still isn’t that quick, but it is certainly more than last year’s phones, which only reached about 40% after the same time.The ultra-thin iPhone Air has similar USB-C charging speeds as the iPhone 16 series with the Dynamic Power Adapter i.e; 50% charging in about 30 minutes.
Key Takeaway
The iPhone 17 series demonstrates Apple’s continued advancements in battery and charging performance. All devices, in comparison to their predecessors, allow for more extended video playback, with the Pro Max setting a new benchmark for longevity. The introduction of the iPhone Air solidified that thinness doesn’t have to be at the expense of battery life, particularly with MagSafe compatibility providing lengthened time of use. The charging too has been given a much-needed boost, with the newest Dynamic Power Adapter charging faster than ever. In general, the iPhone 17 series strikes an ideal harmony of design, efficiency, and power to make one of the most reliable iPhone series ever available for daily use.
The iPhone 17 battery life had notable upgrades, with the Pro Max lasting up to 39 hours of video playback and the new iPhone Air balancing slim design with strong endurance. Faster charging in iPhone 17 models via Apple’s 40W Dynamic Power Adapter ensures you stay powered longer with less downtime.
The regular iPhone 17 has a maximum of 30 hours of video playback and 27 hours of video streaming playback, all-day use.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the highest with up to 39 hours of video playback and up to 35 hours of streaming.
Even though iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone to date, it still offers up to 27 hours of video playback and MagSafe for additional use up to 40 hours.
