iPhone 16e 15 Pro v 16e Battery Results

[Gregintosh]

I have the 15 pro as my primary device. I just bought an iPhone 16e just to experiment around a bit.

The first experiment is to see if the 16e battery hype lives up to reality.

Here’s the set up:

iPhone 15 Pro with 84% battery health
iPhone 16e with 100% battery health

Both phones running iOS 26 beta 4.

Both phones connected to the same cellular and WiFi network.

Unplugged both at 100% and left them side by side for most of the day.

iPhone 16e was screen up, 15 pro was face down so the always on display wouldn’t be a factor.

All day I used just my iPad and MacBook to be sure my own usage didn’t affect the results.

Test started at 9 am. By 5 pm, here were the results:

iPhone 15 Pro - 56%
iPhone 16e - 89%

Massive difference! Granted my 15 pro has lower battery health by 16% but the difference is 33% less battery over the 16e, so not sure if a fresh battery would have erased this difference entirely.

I also notice in practical use day to day they seem to drain a similar way. Makes me wonder if Apples more efficient modem is the key to significantly boosting the standby time if idle.

This is important for those of us who need the phone at times during the day and don’t wanna carry a battery bank.

I have confidence if I go out all day with the 16e from morning to night that I won’t run out of juice. The 15 pro, not so much.

Maybe with a new battery it would be better, but assuming battery is proportional to health, seems the 16e would still have an extra 17% left over.

Hope this helps some people who are wondering if the 16e is worth it or if the hype around the battery is real.

 

[jntdroid]

I also had a 15 Pro (with much higher battery health), and while my usage patterns allowed me to make it through a day pretty easy on the 15 Pro, it’s even easier on the 16e, and if I really pushed it I could probably make it almost two days before fully killing it. That definitely would not have been possible on the 15 Pro, even with my lighter usage at times.

I will say relative to the 16 Pro I tried for awhile, there wasn’t a difference in day to day usage, which I find a little odd given the ~12% larger battery and supposed more efficient modem. Not that I’m complaining about getting similar battery life to the 16 Pro, which is pretty great already. And I know it totally depends on individual usage as well. But I would’ve expected, for my usage, the 16e to outperform the 16 Pro by a decent amount. 🤷‍♂️ Sorry, I know this thread is about the 15 Pro, not 16 Pro!

 

[ab2c4]

Interesting results indeed.

 

[jntdroid]

Both phones connected to the same cellular and WiFi network.

Unplugged both at 100% and left them side by side for most of the day.

Were they sitting idle on WiFi or on cellular only? Because if you're on a solid WiFi connection, iOS will basically ignore the cellular connection.

Edit: not dismissing the results, so hopefully that didn't come across that way; more of just a curiosity question around the parameters, b/c it's solid either way

 

[ab2c4]

Do both phones have the same apps installed? I agree a point made by the person above, I would run the test again with wifi turned off so they were forced to run on cellular only.

 

[JPack]

Are we really comparing a 84% battery capacity device with a 100% device?

 

[BigMcGuire]

Are we really comparing a 84% battery capacity device with a 100% device?

So using an LLM - if the 15 Pro had 100% battery health, it would have ended the day at (estimated) 63%.

iPhone 15 Pro 63% vs iPhone 16e 89%.

I'm curious how a 15 Pro Max or 16 Pro Max would fare under the same usage conditions.

I know for me, my usage varies heavily from one day to the next.

 

[JPack]

So using an LLM - if the 15 Pro had 100% battery health, it would have ended the day at (estimated) 63%.

iPhone 15 Pro 63% vs iPhone 16e 89%.

I'm curious how a 15 Pro Max or 16 Pro Max would fare under the same usage conditions.

I know for me, my usage varies heavily from one day to the next.

The problem is those capacity numbers are completely useless. Asking an LLM to run numbers is garbage in, garbage out unfortunately.

Tests show iPhones with a lower % capacity can outlast a higher % device. Big differences in battery % can translate to only a couple minutes runtime.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/as-a-few-suspected-battery-health-isnt-really-that-useful-of-an-indicator.2355475/

The only meaningful test is 0 cycle device vs. 0 cycle device.

 

[MarkX]

I have the 15 pro as my primary device. I just bought an iPhone 16e just to experiment around a bit.

The first experiment is to see if the 16e battery hype lives up to reality.

Here’s the set up:

iPhone 15 Pro with 84% battery health
iPhone 16e with 100% battery health

Both phones running iOS 26 beta 4.

Both phones connected to the same cellular and WiFi network.

Unplugged both at 100% and left them side by side for most of the day.

iPhone 16e was screen up, 15 pro was face down so the always on display wouldn’t be a factor.

All day I used just my iPad and MacBook to be sure my own usage didn’t affect the results.

Test started at 9 am. By 5 pm, here were the results:

iPhone 15 Pro - 56%
iPhone 16e - 89%

Massive difference! Granted my 15 pro has lower battery health by 16% but the difference is 33% less battery over the 16e, so not sure if a fresh battery would have erased this difference entirely.

I also notice in practical use day to day they seem to drain a similar way. Makes me wonder if Apples more efficient modem is the key to significantly boosting the standby time if idle.

This is important for those of us who need the phone at times during the day and don’t wanna carry a battery bank.

I have confidence if I go out all day with the 16e from morning to night that I won’t run out of juice. The 15 pro, not so much.

Maybe with a new battery it would be better, but assuming battery is proportional to health, seems the 16e would still have an extra 17% left over.

Hope this helps some people who are wondering if the 16e is worth it or if the hype around the battery is real.

I'm not sure how your test helps prospective buyers of the 16e.

You are testing a nearly 2 year old phone with degraded battery vs a new phone with fresh battery.

Edit: I see this has been mentioned already.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I have the 15 pro as my primary device. I just bought an iPhone 16e just to experiment around a bit.

The first experiment is to see if the 16e battery hype lives up to reality.

Here’s the set up:

iPhone 15 Pro with 84% battery health
iPhone 16e with 100% battery health

Both phones running iOS 26 beta 4.

Both phones connected to the same cellular and WiFi network.

Unplugged both at 100% and left them side by side for most of the day.

iPhone 16e was screen up, 15 pro was face down so the always on display wouldn’t be a factor.

All day I used just my iPad and MacBook to be sure my own usage didn’t affect the results.

Test started at 9 am. By 5 pm, here were the results:

iPhone 15 Pro - 56%
iPhone 16e - 89%

Massive difference! Granted my 15 pro has lower battery health by 16% but the difference is 33% less battery over the 16e, so not sure if a fresh battery would have erased this difference entirely.

I also notice in practical use day to day they seem to drain a similar way. Makes me wonder if Apples more efficient modem is the key to significantly boosting the standby time if idle.

This is important for those of us who need the phone at times during the day and don’t wanna carry a battery bank.

I have confidence if I go out all day with the 16e from morning to night that I won’t run out of juice. The 15 pro, not so much.

Maybe with a new battery it would be better, but assuming battery is proportional to health, seems the 16e would still have an extra 17% left over.

Hope this helps some people who are wondering if the 16e is worth it or if the hype around the battery is real.

One would expect each newer generation to improve battery performance; sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot and and sometimes perhaps not at all. One would also expect lower end models to likely have less battery demands than higher end models do. I do not really see the point of the comparison except for individual curiosity, which is always a good thing.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I'm not sure how your test helps prospective buyers of the 16e.

You are testing a nearly 2 year old phone with degraded battery vs a new phone with fresh battery.

and, I’m surprised no one has pointed this out already, both phones running a BETA!
there is absolutely nothing useful about this experiment whatsoever.
The only way for this experiment to work is…
A: both phones to be running the latest public version of iOS, having been installed at least for 48 hours, with all diagnostic collection turned off.
B: the exact same set up, same apps, same settings, same home screen background, same brightness, same Wi-Fi network, etc.
C: both phones at 100% battery health, or at least with a similar amount of cycles.

this test does none of these.

 

[Gregintosh]

Were they sitting idle on WiFi or on cellular only? Because if you're on a solid WiFi connection, iOS will basically ignore the cellular connection.

Edit: not dismissing the results, so hopefully that didn't come across that way; more of just a curiosity question around the parameters, b/c it's solid either way

They both had WiFi on and cellular on with the same network/company.

and, I’m surprised no one has pointed this out already, both phones running a BETA!
there is absolutely nothing useful about this experiment whatsoever.
The only way for this experiment to work is…
A: both phones to be running the latest public version of iOS, having been installed at least for 48 hours, with all diagnostic collection turned off.
B: the exact same set up, same apps, same settings, same home screen background, same brightness, same Wi-Fi network, etc.
C: both phones at 100% battery health, or at least with a similar amount of cycles.

this test does none of these.

Incorrect.

A) Both were run in the same iOS version. Beta yes, but both had the same beta. So if the beta is responsible for lower battery then presumably both should have suffered.

B) They were the same. Brightness wasn’t a factor as both screens were fully off during the test (iPhone 15 pro face down so always on wasn’t an issue either). The phones were unused during the test.

C) Yes the batteries were different health since the 16e was new. But I did disclose that. Is it possible the iPhone 15 pro would match the battery performance if it was 100%?

Yes, but highly unlikely given the wide gap. It would have done bette for sure but I am positive the 16e would have lasted longer.

One would expect each newer generation to improve battery performance; sometimes by a little, sometimes by a lot and and sometimes perhaps not at all. One would also expect lower end models to likely have less battery demands than higher end models do. I do not really see the point of the comparison except for individual curiosity, which is always a good thing.

Yes, it’s mostly for curiosity. And users who might be torn between a second hand 15 pro and a 16e AND are concerned with battery life might find it useful.

Not sure about lower end phones having lower needs. In practical use yes (more advanced camera operation or better graphics etc), but sitting idle I don’t think so.

I will say relative to the 16 Pro I tried for awhile, there wasn’t a difference in day to day usage, which I find a little odd given the ~12% larger battery and supposed more efficient modem.

That is also interesting. Maybe with the 17 pro the battery improvements will make it last even longer than the 16e consistently. If that happens I’ll give my 16e away to a friend or relative and buy that instead.

 

[jntdroid]

They both had WiFi on and cellular on with the same network/company.

Were they connected to WiFi, or connected only to cellular? You can have both on, but if it's connected to WiFi, it's not using the cellular connection.

That doesn't negate the results of your test at all, I've just been really curious about a true cellular usage battery comparison with the 16e vs. other iPhones, and have yet to see one, which seems odd given that the C1's efficiency was highly touted.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Incorrect.

A) Both were run in the same iOS version. Beta yes, but both had the same beta. So if the beta is responsible for lower battery then presumably both should have suffered.

that isn’t how that works, at all.
when running a beta the phone is constantly logging diagnostic data, and it’s never necessarily at the exact same time on both phones. And, guess what? Collecting that diagnostic data, drains battery.
Also, most of the actual tuning for specific devices happens at the end of the beta cycle.
but sure, your test was completely fair and accurate and flawless and truly enlightening…

 

[Gregintosh]

Were they connected to WiFi, or connected only to cellular? You can have both on, but if it's connected to WiFi, it's not using the cellular connection.

That doesn't negate the results of your test at all, I've just been really curious about a true cellular usage battery comparison with the 16e vs. other iPhones, and have yet to see one, which seems odd given that the C1's efficiency was highly touted.

WiFi was connected, so maybe I will rerun the test soon with just cellular on and no WiFi. Will update when I get the chance to do this.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

They both had WiFi on and cellular on with the same network/company.



Incorrect.

A) Both were run in the same iOS version. Beta yes, but both had the same beta. So if the beta is responsible for lower battery then presumably both should have suffered.

B) They were the same. Brightness wasn’t a factor as both screens were fully off during the test (iPhone 15 pro face down so always on wasn’t an issue either). The phones were unused during the test.

C) Yes the batteries were different health since the 16e was new. But I did disclose that. Is it possible the iPhone 15 pro would match the battery performance if it was 100%?

Yes, but highly unlikely given the wide gap. It would have done bette for sure but I am positive the 16e would have lasted longer.




Yes, it’s mostly for curiosity. And users who might be torn between a second hand 15 pro and a 16e AND are concerned with battery life might find it useful.

Not sure about lower end phones having lower needs. In practical use yes (more advanced camera operation or better graphics etc), but sitting idle I don’t think so.



That is also interesting. Maybe with the 17 pro the battery improvements will make it last even longer than the 16e consistently. If that happens I’ll give my 16e away to a friend or relative and buy that instead.

TBH it boggles my mind that anyone would prefer one phone model over another based on anecdotal battery usage. IMO all the other characteristics of any given model are far more relevant, but that is just me, because
A) I care a lot about those other characteristics and
B) because Apple has met my battery needs adequately with each of the 13-14-15-16 Pro models.

If battery is so critical to you I suggest
A) Find some multi-phone testing of battery usage where n is not just 1 or 2; and ignoring UTube videos, since they seek clicks not facts. Tests of batches of stabilized phones only and absolutely no betas.
B) Learn what usages drain iPhone batteries (such as leaving the camera on unnecessarily) and behave accordingly.
C) Look for ways to have MagSafe chargers available. E.g. my phone sits on my desk at work, conveniently on a MagSafe charger. Also conveniently on a MagSafe charger when I am driving and conveniently on a MagSafe charger on my nightstand when I am sleeping. Note that all those MagSafe locations are primarily to have specific places for the iPhone to live when it is not in my pocket, not because I need to be frequently charging.
D) Consider extra battery capacity devices like cases.

 

[JPack]

Same beta iOS on both phones, but keep in mind the two devices use very different chips, from SoC, OLED driver, PMIC, to modem.

In these early betas, it’s not rare to find bugs that affect power or efficiency that impact only certain model iPhones.

 

[FeliApple]

Same beta iOS on both phones, but keep in mind the two devices use very different chips, from SoC, OLED driver, PMIC, to modem.

In these early betas, it’s not rare to find bugs that affect power or efficiency that impact only certain model iPhones.

THIS!

Betas do all kinds of weird nonsense for specific models. The test is doable, battery health if the iOS version is good isn’t too relevant imo, but this is possibly the worst possible setup to run it.

Restore both phones to default and install iOS 18, copy settings, brightness, and apps used, and then test it. That’s a test I can get behind. On a beta? Any battery life conclusions are completely worthless.

 

[Azzurro]

No surprise. We all know 15 Pro battery sucks.

 

[Gregintosh]

THIS!

Betas do all kinds of weird nonsense for specific models. The test is doable, battery health if the iOS version is good isn’t too relevant imo, but this is possibly the worst possible setup to run it.

Restore both phones to default and install iOS 18, copy settings, brightness, and apps used, and then test it. That’s a test I can get behind. On a beta? Any battery life conclusions are completely worthless.

I think there is a margin of error perhaps, but I wouldn't say it's useless.

I am not going to restore both to iOS 18 now because its a huge hassle, but when the full iOS 26 comes out, I will re-run the test and prove that this test with the beta was just as accurate (or within a very small margin) so that in the future you guys have no doubts about the validity and don't question such tests in the future.

I am almost certain that it will be proven that all the critiques about using betas or some other minor factors are extremely overblown.

Can't believe some people legitimately think that activity logs or some driver issues for a component would create a 30%+ difference (given that both phones were probably doing the same things).

The only one I can concede is the battery health (which I mentioned from the start). For now I assumed if the health is down 16% that it would affect the battery life by that, but obviously the battery health measures are just estimates and it may well be that the battery is actually lower than the health meter indicates.

I don't have access to a 15 Pro with 100% battery health, but I did plan on having my battery replaced at some point soon, so when I do that I will re-run the test and see how the true impact of the battery health was.

Apple Modem

I think given that a lot of reviewers, not to mention Apple itself, said that their modem is more efficient, DOES kind of explain the battery life increase. And it is a real thing. I am sure the modem efficiency matters much more than any of the other minor factors.

I am in an area where cell reception is okay but not too strong. So Apple modem's ability to perform better and more efficiently in such a zone probably makes a huge difference. I will re-run the test soon but using wi-fi only to try to isolate if it is indeed the modem usage that is causing this big problem. I just need to find some time again where I don't need to use my phone for 6 to 8 hours, but it will get done.

 

[Homme]

Not surprised 16e beats the 15 Pro considering the battery sizes

15 Pro has 3274 mah
16e has 4005 mah

 

[FeliApple]

I think there is a margin of error perhaps, but I wouldn't say it's useless.

I am not going to restore both to iOS 18 now because its a huge hassle, but when the full iOS 26 comes out, I will re-run the test and prove that this test with the beta was just as accurate (or within a very small margin) so that in the future you guys have no doubts about the validity and don't question such tests in the future.

I am almost certain that it will be proven that all the critiques about using betas or some other minor factors are extremely overblown.

Can't believe some people legitimately think that activity logs or some driver issues for a component would create a 30%+ difference (given that both phones were probably doing the same things).

The only one I can concede is the battery health (which I mentioned from the start). For now I assumed if the health is down 16% that it would affect the battery life by that, but obviously the battery health measures are just estimates and it may well be that the battery is actually lower than the health meter indicates.

I don't have access to a 15 Pro with 100% battery health, but I did plan on having my battery replaced at some point soon, so when I do that I will re-run the test and see how the true impact of the battery health was.

Apple Modem

I think given that a lot of reviewers, not to mention Apple itself, said that their modem is more efficient, DOES kind of explain the battery life increase. And it is a real thing. I am sure the modem efficiency matters much more than any of the other minor factors.

I am in an area where cell reception is okay but not too strong. So Apple modem's ability to perform better and more efficiently in such a zone probably makes a huge difference. I will re-run the test soon but using wi-fi only to try to isolate if it is indeed the modem usage that is causing this big problem. I just need to find some time again where I don't need to use my phone for 6 to 8 hours, but it will get done.

Thing is, the more you stray from an original iOS version, the less interesting the test is to me. I can get behind an iOS 18 test because it’s the first major update of the 15 Pro and it’s probably just as good as iOS 17, but with a redesign in the middle (which will probably bring about increased power consumption), it’s already dubious to me. This is a massively unpopular opinion which you will probably not share, but it’s been my experience after a decade and a half of iOS usage.

Perhaps iOS 26, with the redesign, isn’t as well-optimized for a 15 Pro compared to an iPhone 16 (ask iPhone 6s users on iOS 11 if you don’t believe me, it affected it massively), but since I don’t have a 15 Pro, I won’t be able to tell you that. It’s very tough to determine because most people don’t track it, and they will almost always say “it’s just as good”, without evidence. This is intended to be a very accurate test, so much so that you are testing the exact percentage difference. I cannot trust the results after a major update with a full redesign, even more so on an early version of iOS 26.

If the iOS version is good, battery health isn’t relevant in my opinion, but only if it is good. Case in point, my 6-year-old iPhone Xʀ running iOS 12 is at 89% health and battery life is just as good as it was on day 1. I don’t expect it to drop, practically ever, even if below the famous 80% mark.

On the other hand, I can get behind a test on iOS 18, as it probably didn’t impact the 15 series at all, even if it is the original iOS version for the 16 and it isn’t for the 15 Pro.

That said, I have an iPhone 16 Plus (which, with a little luck, will permanently run iOS 18), and I’d expect the 16e’s battery life to be quite similar to it, any iOS 26 drop notwithstanding. Battery life is ridiculously insane. I used my Xʀ on iOS 12 for 5.5 years and battery life was great, but the 16 Plus is ridiculous on iOS 18, and it should be for as long as I use it. I get about 27 hours of light SOT with low brightness and Wi-Fi. Cellular makes it drop to about 22 or so. Even full 5G doesn’t even make a dent. It’s just ridiculous. My first full 5G test included outdoor camera use, and even a little maps, and it gave me 5h 10 min of SOT with 77% remaining. That’s just insane. The only time I’ve significantly used its battery in one day was with full brightness, 5G, and heavy camera use. It dropped to 42% in 7 hours with the heaviest usage I’ve ever put any phone through. The Xʀ on iOS 12 can’t get to that number (or maybe it’s barely there) even with regular LTE use (no camera or maps at all).

Unless you kill it via a multitude of iOS updates (or, well, Apple kills it, but you install them), with the 16e you have an insanely good battery life for years on end. Ever since Plus models (I used the 7 Plus on iOS 10), it’s been such a pleasure for me to be able to use iPhones for years on end and never struggle with battery life. Sure, I’m an efficient user and I don’t update iOS, so my iOS devices remain good practically forever, but some just don’t have the battery life required. Heavy days of my 6s on iOS 10 would just destroy its battery life, as good as it still is with light use even after all these years. Camera use with LTE? I would just see the number tick down as if it were a countdown. Funnily enough, I have another 6s on iOS 13 with far better battery health and that one is just destroyed. Battery life, with heavy use, drops in literal chunks: 64-59-48-35%. Like that. My 6s on iOS 10 would never.

 

[Homme]

Perhaps iOS 26, with the redesign, isn’t as well-optimized for a 15 Pro compared to an iPhone 16 (ask iPhone 6s users on iOS 11 if you don’t believe me, it affected it massively),

Are you serious

Of course iOS 26 will be optimized well for the 15 Pro even compared to the 16. The 15 Pro feels like the next iPhone 5s and the 16 lineup feels like the iPhone 6 lineup ( but the 16 is much better in this regard).

The 14 Pro and the 15 remind me of the iPhone 5 and to an extent the 5c. The jump to 3nm from 5nm from the A16 is akin to the jump from 32bit to 64bit to the A7

And A17 Pro’s ANE can handle up to 35 trillion operations per second alongside A18.

I dont know what your on about regarding the 6s and iOS 11 but I’m sure the 6s can handle iOS 11 well. Especially since Apple added AFPS Support for it in iOS 10 and made the software purely 64bit in iOS 11 made it even better. The 6 and the 6 plus is what you truly mean

 

[FeliApple]

Are you serious

Of course iOS 26 will be optimized well for the 15 Pro even compared to the 16. The 15 Pro feels like the next iPhone 5s and the 16 lineup feels like the iPhone 6 lineup ( but the 16 is much better in this regard).

The 14 Pro and the 15 remind me of the iPhone 5 and to an extent the 5c. The jump to 3nm from 5nm from the A16 is akin to the jump from 32bit to 64bit to the A7

And A17 Pro’s ANE can handle up to 35 trillion operations per second alongside A18.

I dont know what your on about regarding the 6s and iOS 11 but I’m sure the 6s can handle iOS 11 well. Especially since Apple added AFPS Support for it in iOS 10 and made the software purely 64bit in iOS 11 made it even better. The 6 and the 6 plus is what you truly mean

I don’t know whether it is well optimised. Maybe it is, but I’m sorry, I can’t get behind a battery life test after a major iOS update which includes a full redesign if it isn’t the original. Any test you run I will say “if they were on iOS 18 it would, perhaps, be more accurate”. As I don’t have the devices to test, I can’t tell you whether battery life is exactly the same. Even a negligible one-hour SOT loss would impact the test. But a test like this one is either fully accurate or it isn’t, the middle doesn’t really matter. Sure, perhaps it is accurate and what I’m saying isn’t true. I cannot know that, and as a result, I cannot get behind the test.

The 6s on iOS 11 saw such a ridiculous battery life drop vs iOS 10, iOS 11 was a ridiculous fiasco for every device barring the A11 iPhones.

 

[Homme]

I don’t know whether it is well optimised. Maybe it is, but I’m sorry, I can’t get behind a battery life test after a major iOS update which includes a full redesign if it isn’t the original. Any test you run I will say “if they were on iOS 18 it would, perhaps, be more accurate”. As I don’t have the devices to test, I can’t tell you whether battery life is exactly the same. Even a negligible one-hour SOT loss would impact the test. But a test like this one is either fully accurate or it isn’t, the middle doesn’t really matter. Sure, perhaps it is accurate and what I’m saying isn’t true. I cannot know that, and as a result, I cannot get behind the test.

The 6s on iOS 11 saw such a ridiculous battery life drop vs iOS 10, iOS 11 was a ridiculous fiasco for every device barring the A11 iPhones.

Don’t forget iOS 26 is giving the 15 Pro/16 lineup Adaptive Power Mode for even more enhancement/optimization