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The iPhone 17 Pro Max wins the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL battery life test, lasting 17 hours 54 minutes versus 17 hours 14 minutes for Samsung and 14 hours 20 minutes for Google. The iPhone leads the Galaxy narrowly but finishes 3 hours 34 minutes ahead of the Pixel in Tom’s Guide’s standardized test.
That result makes the iPhone 17 Pro Max the endurance winner, but not automatically the best phone for every buyer. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is close enough to remain a strong Android alternative, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL offers fast charging and Google’s software strengths despite recording the shortest runtime.
Key takeaways
- The iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted 17 hours 54 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s standardized battery-drain test, beating the Galaxy S25 Ultra by 40 minutes.
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra reached 17 hours 14 minutes, making it the closest Android alternative to the iPhone in this comparison.
- The Pixel 10 Pro XL lasted 14 hours 20 minutes despite having the largest typical battery at 5,200 mAh.
- The iPhone’s lead over the Galaxy is approximately 3.9% when calculated from the reported test times, while its lead over the Pixel is approximately 25%.
- Battery endurance and charging speed are separate advantages: the iPhone lasts longest, while Samsung and Google offer compelling fast top-up claims.
What did the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL battery life test show?
Tom’s Guide’s standardized battery-drain test ranked the iPhone 17 Pro Max first, the Galaxy S25 Ultra second, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL third. The full results were 17 hours 54 minutes, 17 hours 14 minutes, and 14 hours 20 minutes respectively.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 17 hours 54 minutes | 1st | — | Longest endurance in the cited test |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 17 hours 14 minutes | 2nd | 40 minutes | Very close Android alternative |
| Pixel 10 Pro XL | 14 hours 20 minutes | 3rd | 3 hours 34 minutes | Fast charging and Pixel software, but weakest result here |
Tom’s Guide’s published comparison is the basis for this ranking. The iPhone’s 40-minute advantage over Samsung is relatively small across a test lasting nearly 18 hours. The iPhone’s 3-hour-34-minute advantage over Google is much larger and is more likely to affect a demanding day involving navigation, video, mobile data, or hotspot use.
#1 Best Overall
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
Those percentage comparisons are calculations from the reported times, not additional claims made by Tom’s Guide. The iPhone’s lead is approximately 3.9% over the Galaxy’s result, while the iPhone’s lead is approximately 25% over the Pixel’s result. The Galaxy’s advantage over the Pixel is approximately 20%.
How was the battery test conducted?
The available research identifies the Tom’s Guide result as a standardized battery-drain test, but the supplied reporting does not provide enough verified detail to reproduce every test variable. Readers should therefore treat the ranking as a controlled publication test—not a guarantee that every owner will see exactly the same number of hours.
A battery benchmark can depend heavily on screen brightness, refresh-rate behavior, network connection, app workload, software build, regional hardware, battery temperature, and the stopping rule used by the tester. The available result should not be described as universal “real-world battery life,” and the result should not be merged with another outlet’s ranking without accounting for its methodology.
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PhoneArena, for example, publishes separate battery fields for overall endurance, video playback, and charging rather than treating “battery life” as one universal measurement. Its battery benchmark page illustrates why two publications can produce different rankings without either result necessarily being invalid.
The most defensible conclusion is narrow and useful: under Tom’s Guide’s tested conditions, the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasted longest, the Galaxy S25 Ultra was close behind, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL ended substantially earlier.
Why did the iPhone win despite the Pixel’s larger battery?
The iPhone won because battery capacity is only one part of a phone’s endurance. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has the largest typical battery figure, but the complete hardware-and-software system determines how much energy the phone consumes during a workload.
| Phone | Battery figure | Charging signal | What the figure does—and does not—tell you |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | About 5,088 mAh in the U.S. eSIM-only configuration, as reported by comparison coverage | About 40 W wired charging reported; Apple rates up to 35 hours of streamed video | Smaller than the Pixel’s reported capacity, yet longest in the cited endurance test |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 5,000 mAh | Up to 45 W wired charging | Lower capacity than the Pixel, but nearly matches the iPhone’s test result |
| Pixel 10 Pro XL | 5,200 mAh typical; 5,079 mAh minimum | Up to 70% in about 30 minutes with a compatible 45-W-or-higher charger; up to 25 W wireless charging | Largest battery here, but shortest result in the cited test |
Google lists the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s typical battery capacity as 5,200 mAh and its minimum rated capacity as 5,079 mAh on the official Pixel specifications page. TechRadar reports the U.S. iPhone 17 Pro Max figure as 5,088 mAh and notes that regional SIM configurations can affect the internal battery arrangement; that figure should not be treated as a universal Apple-marketed specification.
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Milliamp-hours also do not represent total energy perfectly because energy capacity depends on voltage as well as charge capacity. More importantly for a phone comparison, the processor, modem, display, camera system, thermal management, and background software can consume different amounts of power for the same task.
The iPhone’s result is consistent with strong whole-system efficiency, but the test does not prove that one individual component caused the win. Display brightness and resolution, adaptive refresh behavior, 5G signal quality, app optimization, background activity, heat, and software scheduling can all change the result. The responsible interpretation is that Apple’s combined hardware-and-software design used less energy—or delivered more runtime under that workload—than the competing systems.
Is the Galaxy S25 Ultra close enough to equal the iPhone?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is not tied with the iPhone in the reported test, but its 40-minute deficit is small enough that many users may experience the two phones as broadly comparable. The iPhone remains the numerical winner; Samsung is the close second.
That distinction matters most for Android buyers. A Galaxy S25 Ultra owner is not accepting a major endurance compromise to avoid iOS. The Galaxy also brings Android flexibility, Samsung’s multitasking features, S Pen support, DeX, and the broader Samsung ecosystem. Those features can outweigh a 40-minute laboratory difference.
Rank #2
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
Samsung also has a charging advantage in the reported direct comparison. In Tom’s Guide’s charging test, the Galaxy reached approximately 37% after 15 minutes and 71% after 30 minutes, compared with approximately 35% and 64% for the iPhone. These are test results under that comparison’s conditions, not universal charging guarantees.
The Galaxy’s maximum 45 W wired charging requires a compatible charger and cable. Charger wattage alone does not determine how quickly a phone charges because the charging curve, starting percentage, temperature, thermal limits, and software controls also matter.
Why did the Pixel 10 Pro XL finish behind the other phones?
The Pixel 10 Pro XL finished behind the iPhone and Galaxy because its larger battery did not compensate for the total power demands of the tested system and workload. A 14-hour-20-minute result is still substantial in isolation, but it is clearly behind 17 hours 54 minutes for the iPhone and 17 hours 14 minutes for the Galaxy in this comparison.
Google advertises more than 24 hours of battery life and up to 100 hours with Extreme Battery Saver. Google’s “24-plus-hour” statement is a manufacturer estimate, not a result from the same independent battery-drain test. Apple’s claim of up to 35 hours of streamed video is likewise a manufacturer-specific playback estimate and should not be compared directly with Tom’s Guide’s mixed-use or standardized result.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe Pixel can still be the right purchase for someone who values Google’s camera processing, Pixel-exclusive software, Google AI features, and a clean Android experience. The Pixel’s fast wired charging and Pixelsnap wireless charging may also reduce the inconvenience of a shorter endurance result. Buyers should choose the Pixel for those strengths—not because its 5,200-mAh battery won this test, because it did not.
How do charging speeds change the battery verdict?
Charging speed changes convenience, not the endurance ranking. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the winner for how long the phone ran before needing power, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL offer charging features that can make a short recharge more useful.
| Battery decision | Best-supported choice | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Longest standardized endurance | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Winner in Tom’s Guide’s test only |
| Closest Android endurance | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Only 40 minutes behind the iPhone in the cited test |
| Fast wired top-up claim | Pixel 10 Pro XL or Galaxy S25 Ultra | Pixel claims up to 70% in about 30 minutes; Samsung offers up to 45 W, but identical three-way testing is not established here |
| Wireless charging headline | Pixel 10 Pro XL | Google lists up to 25 W with Pixelsnap/Qi2-certified charging |
| Largest battery | Pixel 10 Pro XL | 5,200 mAh typical, but capacity did not produce the longest runtime |
Google says the Pixel 10 Pro XL can reach up to 70% in about 30 minutes with a 45-W USB-C PPS charger or higher, sold separately. Google also lists wireless charging up to 25 W with Pixelsnap. The official Pixel specifications include those requirements and limits.
The practical choice depends on your routine. A traveler who can charge for only 15 minutes may prefer a phone with a stronger short-session charging result. Someone who spends long periods away from outlets may prefer the iPhone’s longer tested runtime. Neither preference changes the iPhone’s first-place endurance result.
Which phone is best for different usage patterns?
| Usage pattern | Best fit | Why | What remains uncertain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum all-day endurance | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Longest result at 17 hours 54 minutes | Your brightness, signal, apps, and software version can change runtime |
| Android with nearly the same endurance | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Only 40 minutes behind the iPhone | The gap may widen or shrink under different workloads |
| Fast short top-ups | Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 10 Pro XL | Samsung reached about 71% after 30 minutes in the cited comparison; Google claims up to 70% in about 30 minutes | Charging conditions and starting battery percentage matter |
| Google software and Pixel camera features | Pixel 10 Pro XL | Pixel-exclusive software and Google’s camera-processing strengths may matter more than endurance | It recorded the weakest endurance result here |
| Apple ecosystem | iPhone 17 Pro Max | Best fit for buyers already using iMessage, FaceTime, Apple Watch, or AirPods | U.S. buyers should account for the eSIM-only configuration |
| Samsung productivity | Galaxy S25 Ultra | S Pen, multitasking, DeX, and Samsung’s software ecosystem add value beyond battery life | Those features do not make it the endurance winner |
| Sustained gaming | No definitive winner from this evidence | The cited battery test does not establish a dedicated sustained-gaming ranking | Heat, frame rate, graphics settings, and modem use require a separate gaming test |
For mixed daily use, the iPhone is the safest endurance choice and the Galaxy remains close enough for Android users. Heavy social media and video users should expect the iPhone’s test advantage to be relevant, although display brightness and app behavior can alter the gap.
Gaming, extended camera recording, HDR video processing, navigation, hotspotting, and weak 5G signals can produce a different ranking. Those workloads can increase heat and modem or camera consumption, so the standardized result should not be used to declare a universal gaming or camera winner.
Travelers should consider both endurance and charging access. The iPhone’s longer result provides more margin between outlets, while the Galaxy or Pixel may be more convenient when a compatible fast charger is available. Users who depend on a physical SIM should also check regional configuration details before choosing the U.S. iPhone model.
Rank #3
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Please check with your carrier to verify compatibility.
- When you receive the phone, insert a SIM card from a compatible carrier. Then, turn it on, connect to Wi-Fi, and follow the on screen prompts to activate service.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
How much do these phones cost in the U.S.?
The following U.S. price signals were observed in August 2026. Retail prices, promotions, storage options, trade-in credits, carrier financing, and protection-plan costs can change, so the figures are reference points rather than permanent prices.
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|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $1,199 for 256 GB; $1,399 for 512 GB | Apple U.S. buying page and 512-GB listing |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | $1,299.99 for 256 GB MSRP; $1,419.99 for 512 GB MSRP | Samsung U.S. MSRP reference; current sale prices may differ |
| Pixel 10 Pro XL | From $949 on the observed configuration page; $999 reference price also displayed | Google Store U.S. configuration page; promotions and trade-in values vary |
Price can change the buying decision as much as a small battery gap. The iPhone’s endurance lead over Samsung is only 40 minutes in the cited test, so an Android buyer may reasonably prioritize the Galaxy’s features or a lower promotional price. The Pixel’s price and software features may justify it for a Pixel enthusiast, but the Pixel should not be marketed as the battery-life bargain based on this test alone.
What are the limitations of this comparison?
- Regional hardware: Battery capacity and SIM configuration can differ by market, especially for the U.S. eSIM-only iPhone model.
- Software builds: Updates can improve or reduce endurance, so results from one review period may not match later builds.
- Display settings: Brightness and adaptive versus fixed refresh rate can materially change battery drain.
- Network conditions: 5G and weak cellular signals often consume more power than Wi-Fi or a strong signal.
- Temperature: Heat and cold affect both battery drain and charging speed.
- Battery age: A new review unit is not directly comparable with a year-old phone whose battery has already aged.
- Charging methodology: A 70%-in-30-minutes claim is not equivalent to having the fastest charger; starting percentage, charger, cable, temperature, and charging curve all matter.
- Test disagreement: Results from PhoneArena, Tom’s Guide, or another outlet should not be combined into one ranking unless their test conditions are comparable.
As of August 2026, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is not Samsung’s newest Ultra model; newer products such as the Galaxy S26 Ultra may outperform it. That market context does not invalidate this comparison, which specifically answers how the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Pixel 10 Pro XL compare.
For additional model-year context, Tom’s Guide’s later Galaxy S26 Ultra coverage should be consulted when comparing current Samsung models rather than the S25 Ultra named in this test.
Which phone should you buy?
- Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if maximum endurance is your priority, you use Apple’s ecosystem, or you want the strongest result in the cited standardized test. Its trade-offs include less Android-style flexibility, potentially less convenient charging, and the U.S. eSIM-only configuration.
- Choose the Galaxy S25 Ultra if you want Android and do not want to sacrifice much battery endurance. The S Pen, multitasking, DeX, Samsung software, and faster reported top-ups make the Galaxy a strong alternative even though it finishes second.
- Choose the Pixel 10 Pro XL if Google’s camera processing, Pixel software, AI features, large display, or Pixelsnap charging matter more than winning this endurance comparison. Its 5,200-mAh battery is the largest here, but its 14-hour-20-minute test result is the weakest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which phone won the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL battery test?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max won Tom’s Guide’s standardized battery-drain test at 17 hours 54 minutes. The Galaxy S25 Ultra lasted 17 hours 14 minutes, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL lasted 14 hours 20 minutes.
Is the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery life as good as the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s?
The Galaxy S25 Ultra is close but did not tie the iPhone in the cited test. Samsung finished 40 minutes behind the iPhone, a small enough difference that many Android buyers may consider the phones broadly comparable in daily endurance.
Does the Pixel 10 Pro XL have the largest battery?
Yes. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has a 5,200-mAh typical battery, compared with 5,000 mAh for the Galaxy S25 Ultra and a reported approximately 5,088 mAh for the U.S. iPhone 17 Pro Max configuration. The Pixel’s larger battery did not produce the longest test runtime.
Which phone charges fastest?
The evidence does not establish one universal three-way charging winner. In a reported iPhone-versus-Galaxy comparison, the Galaxy reached approximately 71% after 30 minutes versus approximately 64% for the iPhone, while Google claims the Pixel 10 Pro XL can reach up to 70% in about 30 minutes with a compatible 45-W-or-higher charger.
Is the Pixel 10 Pro XL a bad phone because it finished last?
No. The Pixel 10 Pro XL finished last in this standardized endurance comparison, but it can still be the better choice for buyers who prioritize Google’s camera processing, Pixel software, AI features, or Pixelsnap wireless charging. Its weaker test result matters most to users who regularly spend long periods away from a charger.
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The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the clear endurance winner in the cited test, beating the Galaxy S25 Ultra by 40 minutes and the Pixel 10 Pro XL by 3 hours 34 minutes. The Galaxy is the close second and the strongest Android battery choice. The Pixel remains compelling for Google’s software and camera experience, but its larger battery does not overcome its weaker result.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
