iPhone 17 Pro Max Wins Battery Drain Test Against Galaxy S26 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL

Karachi: A detailed battery drain test comparing three flagship smartphones — iPhone 17 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL — has revealed a narrow victory for Apple’s latest premium device.

Following the global launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series, tech reviewers began sharing in-depth comparisons of the new models against rival flagship phones. Among the most discussed features of the S26 Ultra are its Privacy Display — which limits screen visibility for bystanders using software and hardware enhancements — and Horizon Lock stabilization, which keeps recorded video level even if the phone is tilted.

Despite these innovations, some users expressed disappointment over Samsung not increasing battery capacity this year.

The Battery Test

Tech YouTuber “Lover of Tech” conducted a continuous battery drain test under controlled conditions. The test was performed entirely on 4G mobile data (no Wi-Fi), in a single uninterrupted session.

All three phones had:

Auto-brightness turned off

Screen brightness fixed at approximately 200 nits

Power-saving and adaptive battery features disabled

120Hz refresh rate enabled

Resolution set to 1080p

100% battery health with low charge cycles

The test included nine one-hour tasks:

4K 60fps video recording

X (Twitter) Spaces

TikTok

Instagram Reels

1440p YouTube streaming

YouTube Music streaming

Subway Surfers gaming

Asphalt 9 heavy graphics gaming

Performance Breakdown

In the early rounds, the iPhone 17 Pro Max showed lower battery drain, especially during 4K video recording, X Spaces, and TikTok usage. The competition remained close during Instagram testing.

During YouTube streaming and YouTube Music, the Galaxy S26 Ultra demonstrated better efficiency and temporarily took the lead. However, during Subway Surfers gaming, Samsung experienced significant battery loss, allowing the iPhone to regain its advantage.

In the final heavy-graphics round (Asphalt 9), shutdown times were recorded:

3rd Place: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – 7 hours, 22 minutes, 27 seconds

2nd Place: Google Pixel 10 Pro XL – 7 hours, 30 minutes, 30 seconds

1st Place: iPhone 17 Pro Max – 7 hours, 33 minutes, 10 seconds

Battery Capacity and Performance

Interestingly, the iPhone had a smaller battery compared to its rivals. The Galaxy S26 Ultra features a 5,000mAh battery, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL houses a 5,200mAh battery.

According to Geekbench 6 scores, the iPhone led in single-core performance, while Samsung outperformed in multi-core results.

The YouTuber noted that the battery performance of all three devices was extremely close, with only minutes separating them. He emphasized that real-world results may vary depending on user habits, but under this controlled mobile-data test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max secured a slight overall edge.