Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max battery life and charging speeds
The somewhat disappointing upgrades to the iPhone 15 series battery capacity hence battery life return a bit of a mixed bag both when compared to their predecessors.
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.
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.
No, and Apple was reportedly working on reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 15, but it didn't materialize. The feature that allows to top up wireless earbuds and other accessories has become a challenge to implement, and will most likely be mastering it further for introduction in the iPhone 16 or beyond. The new USB-C port does allow reverse wired charging of the new USB-C AirPods case, though.
Apple bumped the battery capacity in a negligible manner but placed more efficient processors and displays compared with the iPhone 14 series. Does this translate to longer iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro battery life? Let's dive in and see if the improved efficiency of the new crop brought any meaningful endurance changes!
- Also check out: iPhone 16 Battery and charging: Here's what to expect
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.
iPhone 15 Pro Max battery size
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | iPhone 14 Pro Max | iPhone 13 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 4,422 mAh | 4,323 mAh | 4,352 mAh |
iPhone 15 Pro battery size
| iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 14 Pro | iPhone 13 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 3,274 mAh | 3,200 mAh | 3,095 mAh |
iPhone 15 Plus battery size
| iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 14 Plus | iPhone 13 mini |
|---|---|---|
| 4,383 mAh | 4,325 mAh | - |
iPhone 15 battery size
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 14 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| 3,349 mAh | 3,279 mAh | 3,227 mAh |
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.
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).
As for the cheapest iPhone 15, it only beats its predecessor in the gaming test due to its more efficient GPU.
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
A 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.
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.
Does iPhone 15 offer reverse wireless charging?
No, and Apple was reportedly working on reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 15, but it didn't materialize. The feature that allows to top up wireless earbuds and other accessories has become a challenge to implement, and will most likely be mastering it further for introduction in the iPhone 16 or beyond. The new USB-C port does allow reverse wired charging of the new USB-C AirPods case, though.
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