Is the battery really as bad as people say it is?

I’ve been using Android most of my life, and the only iPhone I ever used was the 5s. I loved it, but after it broke, I couldn’t afford another one. Now I’m thinking about getting the iPhone 16 in ultramarine, but I keep seeing people regret their purchase because the battery drains too quickly. Most of what I do on my phone is social media, a bit of photo editing, emails, and Spotify. So, I’m wondering, do I really need to upgrade to the 16 Pro? Right now, I use an Android and charge it once a day before bed. Any advice would help me out.

I used the iPhone 16 for a week and didn’t have any issues with the battery. Some people say the battery gets worse over time due to background processes, but I had great battery life. I even limited it to 80%. I turned off battery-draining features like app background refresh and had an automation to turn on low power mode once it hit 20%.

I don’t think the battery drains faster. I think people who use the 80% charging feature start their day with less battery without realising it. They probably end up needing to charge earlier. Those people should just use the normal optimized charging and charge to 100%. I use the 80% feature because I work from home.

@Milo
I work from home today, but I still had issues even with power saving mode on. I started the day at 08:30 with 76%, and by 19:00, I only had 32%. I only got 4.5 hours of screen-on time, including about an hour of Netflix.

@Fane
So, you had 4.5 hours of screen-on time with 40% battery left and 1 hour of Netflix. So, if you started at 80%, you’d get 9 hours of screen-on time and 2 hours of Netflix. Doesn’t seem too bad to me. Is that bad?

@Milo
43% gave me 4.5 hours, including 1 hour of Netflix, which slowed the drain. If I didn’t watch Netflix, it would’ve drained faster. Also, using power-saving mode the whole time seems poor because every 5-10 minutes of light use, it drains about 1%.

@Fane
I had the same issue, but after researching, I found that background activity can drain the battery. Try clearing the background apps, and the battery drain should reduce.

Rory said:
@Fane
I had the same issue, but after researching, I found that background activity can drain the battery. Try clearing the background apps, and the battery drain should reduce.

I already have background app refresh turned off for all apps, and I clear all the apps. But thanks for the suggestion!

@Fane
Is 4.5 hours of screen-on time for 44% battery really that bad? I think that’s pretty good.

Teo said:
@Fane
Is 4.5 hours of screen-on time for 44% battery really that bad? I think that’s pretty good.

I think 44% gave me 4.5 hours of screen-on time, but I was using power saving mode. Without that, it wouldn’t last as long.

I see people complaining about battery drains with 10 hours of screen-on time. If you mostly use it for regular tasks like texting, browsing, and social media, you should easily get a full day’s battery. Just turn off background refresh for apps you don’t use or limit location sharing for some apps. You should be fine. The iPhone 16’s battery life isn’t amazing, but it’s far from bad. Also, I’ve been told the Pro version has the same or even slightly worse battery because of the 120hz display and always-on feature.

I have the base iPhone 16, and I mostly use it for texting, calling, browsing, and watching YouTube Shorts. By 11:30 PM (bedtime), I usually have about 20% battery left. I’ve never had any battery issues since I got it three months ago. If you think you’re a heavy user, maybe go for the Pro Max. Those have excellent battery life.

My battery’s pretty good. The only time I noticed it draining fast was when I was using the camera.

Yes, the battery does drain faster on the base iPhone 16. If you want better battery life, I’d recommend the 16 Plus. It has the colour you’re looking for, and the Pro doesn’t. Get the 16 Plus instead.

I have the 16 Plus, and it lasts for two days with light to medium use. I only charge it during my 10-minute commute. I’m really happy with the battery life and haven’t had to worry about low battery at all since I got it a couple of months ago.

I upgraded from the iPhone 11 Pro to the 16 Plus, and the battery life is so much better. I usually charge to 90%, and it lasts until midnight with about 10% left. FaceTime and calling do drain the battery fast, though, so be mindful of that. I’ve had zero issues with the battery so far. It’s really good in my opinion. By the way, battery saving mode doesn’t work well. I used it even at 100%, but I noticed it actually drained the battery faster.

The iPhone 16’s battery is fine. It lasts longer than my Pixel 6, and it charges faster too.

I’m using both the 16 Plus and Pro now. They both have their pros and cons. The Plus has the bigger screen and better battery life, while the Pro has a faster processor, better camera, and better display. I use the Plus more because the bigger screen makes it easier to type.