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When Apple unveiled the new iPhone 18 Pro Max in September 2026, it claimed that the phone has the biggest leap in battery life ever on an iPhone compared to its predecessor. The real-life testing, however, showed the increase was relatively modest. But now, fresh testing done by experts at Phone Arena reveals that while the iPhone 18 Pro Max may not have a big jump over the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it certainly pips the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra when it comes to battery life.
In a YouTube playback test, the iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted for 12 hours and six minutes, compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s nine hours and 36 minutes, which is a massive difference in the battery performance of the two phones. This is despite both phones featuring the same brightness and playing the same content during the test.
Testing done by YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss showed similar results, with the iPhone 18 Pro as well as the iPhone 18 Pro Max both outperforming the Samsung flagship. This means that if battery life was somehow the deciding factor between the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and you watch a lot of video content, the iPhone 18 Pro Max would make more sense. But what’s likely responsible for this battery life difference between the two phones?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a bigger battery than the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Although a lot of factors matter when it comes to battery performance, including the processor efficiency and software optimization, the raw battery capacity is equally important. This is one area where the iPhone 18 Pro Max is winning over the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The iPhone 18 Pro Max comes with a 5,567 mAh battery (eSIM model), whereas you only get a 5,000 mAh battery in the Samsung phone. This means the iPhone has almost a 10% bigger battery than the Samsung phone.
Samsung has largely stuck with a 5,000 mAh battery in the Ultra models since the first Ultra model was introduced with the Galaxy S20 lineup, whereas Apple has gradually increased the Pro Max model battery capacity with each generation, barring a couple of exceptions. Apple’s tighter control over the software and the processors also enables it to deliver better battery efficiency, something that’s harder for Samsung, as Google is responsible for Android. Samsung also typically uses Qualcomm chips in the North American variants of the Galaxy S-series phones.
