A noteworthy upgrade in the iPhone 16 Pro that hasn’t received much publicity is its enhanced battery life. Although Apple hasn’t heavily promoted the battery improvements in this new model, I’d say we have reached a significant milestone this year.
iPhone battery performs well most days, yet has struggled historically during critical moments
Battery performance on the iPhone is very much a personal experience. Everyone utilizes their devices in vastly different manners.
This variability is why Apple has stopped providing a single, universal battery life estimate for the iPhone; instead, they focus on particular usages like video or audio playback durations.
The key question we all seek to answer is: will my iPhone’s battery last an entire day?
For my typical usage, the answer has mostly been ‘yes’—but that can vary from day to day.
On an ordinary day, the iPhone’s battery has generally served me well over the years. However, there are two notable exceptions:
- Days spent traveling
- Days filled with heavy photography
This is unfortunate because those are precisely the times we often need our iPhones the most, and yet their batteries may not last.
However, with the iPhone 16 Pro, I believe we have crossed an important threshold.
#1: Battery Life During Travel Days
I’ve had quite a bit of traveling recently, including this week for Thanksgiving.
The iPhone 16 Pro is the first version I recall that has successfully handled travel days without any issues.
This morning, for instance, my iPhone was utilized in the following ways:
- I woke up just after 3am for an early flight
- called an Uber and monitored its arrival
- used my mobile boarding pass multiple times in the airport
- placed a mobile order at Starbucks
- checked my emails
- engaged in some writing during the flight
- then arrived at the hotel (via another Uber), where I checked in using my phone
In the past, engaging in all these activities with previous iPhone models would have drained the battery significantly and caused me anxiety about running low. I likely would have needed to charge mid-flight to stay safe.
But this time, I felt no concern about battery life at all.
And unequivocally so: I still had over 70% battery remaining, enough to get through the extended travel day ahead.
#2. Photography Without Compromises or Advance Planning
Alongside travel days, another common battery issue I face arises during vacation-like excursions.
Traveling presents one challenge, and if you’re off on a holiday, you likely want to capture plenty of photos and videos while there.
Recently, my family and I enjoyed a full day of activities, highlighted by an unplanned trip to Universal Studios Florida in the evening.
We viewed the new holiday decorations at the park, my toddler delighted in Seuss Landing, and we ultimately spent a good amount of time in Hogsmeade, concluding our evening with a projection and fireworks spectacle illuminating Hogwarts Castle.
I took many photos and videos throughout the day.
This entire adventure transpired late in the afternoon and evening after I had already been actively using my iPhone throughout the day. Yet, I experienced no battery concerns whatsoever.
In previous trips to theme parks, knowing I’d heavily use the Camera app meant I would take conscious steps to conserve battery life.
This time, I used my iPhone continuously, yet still had ample battery for our spontaneous adventure at Universal Studios along with all the photo and video capturing that it entailed.
While I am looking forward to the rumored iPhone 17 Air next year, it will be tough to adjust to any battery life reduction after finally achieving a new benchmark with the iPhone 16 Pro.
How has your experience with the iPhone 16 Pro’s battery life been? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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