New smartphones released in 2026 did not deliver longer battery life on average than the models tested in 2025 and 2024, according to CNET's latest round of battery testing. The publication tested 28 phones this year, plus four handsets that did not receive updates, putting each through a three-hour streaming video test and a 45-minute stress test with the battery starting at full. Across 32 phones and three hours and 45 minutes per device, CNET reported spending 120 hours on the testing over the past year.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max took the overall win. Apple gave it a larger battery than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the added capacity, combined with iOS 27 optimizations and the Apple A20 Pro chip, pushed it ahead of last year's model and every phone tested in 2026. In the 45-minute stress test, which covers streaming video, a video call, games and social media, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo each dropped only 1 percent. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro topped the three-hour video test, losing 6 percent.
Apple had the strongest average across its lineup, the second consecutive year its phones outperformed other brands in CNET's battery tests. OnePlus finished second, but the Oppo subsidiary has said it will stop releasing phones in the US after the OnePlus 15 series. CNET singled out the OnePlus 15 and the budget OnePlus 15R as strong values for battery life, and named the late-2025 iPhone 17 among the best picks for time between charges.
Foldables made a showing. The Motorola Razr (2026) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 both use silicon-carbon batteries, which boost capacity without a larger physical cell, and the Razr (2026) and the pricier Razr Ultra (2026) scored well on both tests. Motorola and Samsung began adopting silicon-carbon batteries in some models this year, mostly foldables. CNET noted that higher capacity, typically measured in mAh, does not always translate into longer daily endurance, since brighter screens, more powerful processors and AI tools consume the added power.
Price did not track with endurance. Motorola's $500 Moto G Stylus (2026) and $600 Motorola Edge (2026) both landed in the top 10 despite lacking silicon-carbon batteries, which CNET attributed to less power-hungry screens and processors. The $699 iPhone 17E tied with the $1,400 Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) and the $1,999 Apple iPhone Duo. CNET reported that most phones sold in 2026 carried price increases tied to US tariffs and higher RAM and component costs driven by demand from AI data centers.
The tested pool ranged from Samsung, Google and Apple to Xiaomi's Leica Leitzphone and the Trump Mobile T1 Phone, a rebranded 2024 HTC U24 Pro that ranked near the bottom. Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL lost 3 percent in the stress test, versus 7 percent for the 2025 Pixel 10 Pro XL. CNET also advised owners of two- to three-year-old phones to replace the battery rather than buy new; Apple Stores charge $80 to $100 depending on the model and degradation.
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