iPhone 11 Pro Outlasts iPhone 12 and 12 Pro in Extensive Battery Life Test - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iPhone 11 Pro Outlasts iPhone 12 and 12 Pro in Extensive Battery Life Test

by

Arun Maini today shared a new side-by-side iPhone battery life video test on his YouTube channel Mrwhosetheboss, timing how long the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models last on a single charge compared to older models, with equal brightness, settings, battery health, and usage. All of the devices are running iOS 14 without a SIM card inserted.


In the test, the iPhone 11 Pro outlasted both the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, despite being a smaller 5.8-inch device. When the iPhone 12 Pro ran out of battery, the iPhone 11 Pro still had 18% battery life remaining, and when the iPhone 12 powered off, the iPhone 11 Pro still had 14% battery life remaining.

The final rankings ended up as follows:

  • iPhone 11 Pro Max: 8 hours and 29 minutes
  • iPhone 11 Pro: 7 hours and 36 minutes
  • iPhone 12: 6 hours and 41 minutes
  • iPhone 12 Pro: 6 hours and 35 minutes
  • iPhone 11: 5 hours and 8 minutes
  • iPhone XR: 4 hours and 31 minutes
  • iPhone SE (2020): 3 hours and 59 minutes

These rankings are of course missing the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro mini, which will be available to pre-order starting November 6.

Teardowns and regulatory filings have revealed that the entire iPhone 12 lineup features slightly lower battery capacities. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models share a 2,815 mAh battery, for example, while the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are equipped with 3,110 mAh and 3,046 mAh batteries, respectively.

While the more power efficient A14 Bionic chip in Apple's latest iPhones helps to offset the lower battery capacities, this test shows that the iPhone 11 Pro still lasts longer than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro under heavy, continuous usage.

Apple's tech specs indicate that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro provide up to 17 hours of video playback, compared to up to 18 hours on the iPhone 11 Pro, so Apple does acknowledge that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have slightly less battery life.

It will be interesting to see a real-world battery life test for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, as Apple's tech specs suggest that the device has equal battery life as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, at least based on its own metrics. Apple lists both devices as providing up to 20 hours of video playback and up to 80 hours of audio playback.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Get Two New Perks on iOS 27

Thursday July 2, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
If you pay for certain iCloud+ storage plans beyond the 5GB that Apple offers for free, you will receive two more perks on iOS 27 at no additional cost. A summary of the two new iCloud+ perks on iOS 27:Increased daily usage limits for some new Apple Intelligence features, including image generation in the revamped Image Playground app. HomeKit Secure Video cameras receive generated video...
Read Full Article • 51 comments
iPhone 4 on Black Feature

Apple Facing One of Its Worst Leaks Since the iPhone 4

Thursday July 2, 2026 9:53 am PDT by
Apple supplier Tata Electronics recently suffered a cyberattack that resulted in thousands of confidential files being published on the dark web, and this reportedly included some photos and documents related to the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro. We have elected not to share any of the leaked photos in this story due to the illegal nature in which they were obtained, but they can easily be found...
Read Full Article
American Express Gold Apple Pay Feature

American Express Announces New Apple Pay Feature

Tuesday June 30, 2026 10:27 am PDT by
American Express today announced that you can now redeem Membership Rewards points when checking out with Apple Pay on the web and in apps on the iPhone and iPad. When checking out with Apple Pay on iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later, tap on your eligible American Express card (Platinum, Gold, Green, and others) and select the Membership Rewards points option. You can use points to cover all or...
Read Full Article • 15 comments

Top Rated Comments

PlainviewX Avatar
PlainviewX
74 months ago
Who would have thought that having a smaller battery in a phone that has more features/processes would result in less battery life?

[MEDIA=giphy]10C8dIIpCux0ru[/MEDIA]
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
Amazing Iceman
74 months ago
if it wasn’t for Apple’s obsession to make it thinner and thinner, we would now have a more lasting battery
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
az431 Avatar
az431
74 months ago
A lot of shocking news lately!!!!!


* AniPhone charges slower via 15-watt inductive charging than via a 20-watt wired charger.
* AniPhone with a smaller battery, faster processor, and larger display has shorter run time
* An iPhone with smaller internal volume and additional components has a smaller battery than a phone with larger internal volume and fewer components.
* The faster 5G cellular chipset consumes 20% more battery than the slower 4G chipset


This is all just NUTS!

It's like buying a car with a larger engine and getting worse fuel economy!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
dannyyankou
74 months ago


* iPhone 11 Pro Max: 8 hours and 29 minutes
* iPhone 11 Pro: 7 hours and 36 minutes
* iPhone 12: 6 hours and 41 minutes
* iPhone 12 Pro: 6 hours and 35 minutes

Yikes, that’s a huge difference. And the phones are on WIFI so it’s not even 5G related. I’m curious to see how the 12 Pro Max does.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kylelerner Avatar
kylelerner
74 months ago
Not that anyone cares, but I was disappointedly, largely unimpressed with the new iPhones this year. The MagSafe cases are flimsy per MKBHD’s testing, I couldn’t care less about 5G or LiDAR, and the differences in the new form factor will be covered by a case.

I know “then don’t buy one,” or “why even comment,” well, fair point, but - seeing this battery test just makes it even more disappointing.

I wish we would’ve seen a smaller notch and a higher display refresh rate.

just my $0.02
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
DotCom2
74 months ago
This might influence buyers coming from 11's but for those like me who have XS Max or older, this will still be a welcome increase in battery life. My XS Max currently is at 91% battery health. Can't wait to get my 12 Pro Max!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments