The iPhone 17 models, especially the iPhone 17 Pro Max, have significantly improved battery life compared to previous versions.
Apple's biggest iPhone gets a bigger battery thanks to the removal of the physical SIM card on the eSIM-only version. However, some early testing suggests that the Liquid Glass design in iOS 26 drains battery faster than iOS 18 .
According to a recent comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max consumed 13% of the battery for common tasks such as accessing the notification center or opening an application, while the same task on iOS 18 consumed only 1%. Previous tests with iOS 26 beta by users on the iPhone 15 Pro Max also recorded the phenomenon of the phone overheating and serious battery drain when using Liquid Glass.
But not only for older devices, Liquid Glass is also a real “battery nightmare” on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This information has been proven in a test by Reddit user MarionberryDear6170. This user pointed out that even reducing the transparency of Liquid Glass did not help reduce power consumption.
However, MarionberryDear6170 also found that power saving mode can extend the battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. His testing involved limiting the charge to 80% and performing various tasks on the device while it was charging, with the power meter recording the power consumption.
Use battery saving mode if you want to get even longer battery life on your iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The results show the power consumption for some operations as follows:
- Open Control Center: 8-9W.
- Photo shoot: 8-9W.
- Screenshot: 7-17W.
- Using Apple Maps: 8-9W.
- Screen on: 5-6W in standby mode, up to 9-11W when scrolling.
The report said that using transparent icons on iOS 26 increases power consumption. In contrast, battery saving mode reduces consumption to less than 5W for similar operations, extending screen usage time to up to 10 hours compared to 6.5 hours without this mode enabled. However, battery saving mode also reduces screen brightness, refresh rate to 60 Hz, limits 5G connectivity and background activities, etc., affecting the user experience.
Despite some issues with iOS 26, the battery life of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is still impressive, resulting in users not having to use battery saving mode often.