apple iphone energizer bunny
1 year ago
Published May 16, 2021 by

DXOMARK: Apple makes the Energizer Bunny of premium smartphones

From DXOMARK Battery Team's "Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Battery review: Excellent consumption manager" posted last Monday:

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max is among the top 4 in our Battery database so far, with good scores in Autonomy, average in Charging, and an outstanding score for discharge in our Efficiency attribute. Where it could have done better was in charge up Efficiency, where its score was among the lowest among all devices tested so far (only 66% charging efficiency)...

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max achieved an above-average score of 70 in our stationary TUS testing, again leading all other ultra-premium devices in our database to date, and providing more than two days — 61+ hours — of autonomy, some 4.5 hours more than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) and almost exactly more than 15 hours than the Oppo Find X3 Pro used in our comparison here.

apple iphone energizer bunny

The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s on the go score of 64 is only average — a few points behind the Samsung, but ahead of the Oppo Find X3 Pro by 15 points. The Apple device is better for camera use on the go than both competitors, but it trails the Samsung just a little in all other activities (phone calls, GPS, social apps).

apple iphone energizer bunny

My take: The iPhone was tested with a 20 W charger (sold separately) compared with the Oppo Find X2 Pro's 65 W (repeat 65 W) charger, which more than explains why it takes longer to recharge.

6 Comments

  1. David Emery said:
    Comparing charge times between a 20w charger and a 65w charger without highlighting that difference would not be ‘good science.’

    7
    May 16, 2021
  2. Fred Stein said:
    The charging topic is more nuanced. From my hasty on-line searches:

    Apple fast charges to about 50% and then slows down the charging to preserve battery life. That’s the right thing to do (the Apple way), because most charge their phones over night, not on the go.

    And, Apple has a feature, “Optimized Battery Charging”, which uses our history to charge from 80% to 100% only towards the end of the overnight charge.

    No wonder, Apple shipment share 15%; IB share 24%

    5
    May 16, 2021
  3. Michael Goldfeder said:
    Apple can’t even receive an honest battery charging comparison. Was the testing organized by Epic or Vestager?

    2
    May 16, 2021
    • Bart Yee said:
      @David Actually the results are fine, it highlights how Apple has plenty of competition out there in the entire smartphone market, and they have NO monopoly on superior battery performance. Apple chooses battery longevity and life rather than the quick charge instant gratification that may lead to early battery degradation. Apple doesn’t need to follow paths that don’t align with much broader and long term value goals.

      2
      May 16, 2021
  4. Bart Yee said:
    To be fair though, I suspect the testing is done “with the manufacturer supplied or recommended chargers”. When it comes to battery systems, Apple chooses to be conservative and stress long term reliability (from the prior battery degradation and throttling issue), others like One Plus choose different paths like high power quick charging. We will see whether the short and ling term outcomes validate one approach over the others.

    0
    May 16, 2021

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