Apple has often ridden a fine line balancing powerhouse and “optimal” specs for years now, and nowhere has it been more apparent than in battery sizes. However, as you can guess, high-end computing and small battery sizes do not correlate to excellent battery life, and the iPhone has cultivated a bit of a reputation for delivering sub-par longevity.
Previously, if you wanted maximum battery life, the Max variant of the iPhone was your only safe bet to get some extra battery juice in your phone. But something seemingly changed with the iPhone 13 series. Sure, the phone continued to set new performance records, but the overwhelming focus was on efficiency. At its recent launch event for the iPhone 14 series, Apple once again talked about improving efficiency with its latest and greatest A16 Bionic chipset. So, what’s the deal? Does the iPhone chug battery life, or does it finally slug it out of the park with all-day longevity?
Are you satisfied with your iPhone’s battery life?
216 votes
Yes
56%
No
44%
To test if Apple has once and for all shrugged off its reputation for poor battery life, Android Authority brought three generations of iPhones to the lab to determine once and for all if the days of terrible battery life when using iPhones are finally behind us. Here are the results.
iPhone battery efficiency test: The test bench
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
While the Max-sized models have generally fared well with battery life, it’s the regular-sized iPhones that usually suffer. For our test bench, I sourced the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro to ensure a reasonable sample size of some of the most popular iPhone models. Meanwhile, my colleague Robert Triggs pitched in with data from the iPhone 14 to complete the data set.
Battery Capacity
iPhone 12
2,815mAh
iPhone 13
3,240mAh
iPhone 13 Pro
3,095mAh
iPhone 14
3,279mAh
iPhone 14 Pro
3,200mAh
Everyone’s smartphone usage pattern varies, and I’m firmly of the opinion that an arbitrary screen-on-time figure doesn’t necessarily indicate the kind of battery life you will get out of your phone. Moreover, there’s too much variance in battery capacities across iPhones, so the overall screen-on time or standby time wouldn’t make much sense without added context. Instead, we need to test efficiency.
Testing efficiency can give us a lot more data than an arbitrary screen-on time.
For our tests, we settled on a series of scenarios that gauged how much the battery dropped with 40 minutes of intensive gaming simulated via the 3DMark WildLife stress test, two hours of video streaming on Netflix, an hour of video calling, and an hour of music streaming from Apple Music — consecutively. All tests were conducted with displays calibrated to 350 nits to ensure a level playing field.
The test setup might not replicate your exact usage, but the heavier-than-average use should give us an idea of edge-case scenarios. Additionally, most users should expect slightly better overall battery life from their phones than the tests suggest.
iPhone battery test: The results
Looking at the results, it is easy to see an overlying trend of improvements in battery efficiency. A cursory glance at the overall battery consumption at the end of our tests indicates a dramatic reduction in power consumption with the iPhone 13 series. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 series largely continues the same trend. The iPhone 14 Pro, specifically, doesn’t quite match the benchmark set by last year’s Pro model but isn’t too far off either. However, adding a larger battery helps it achieve roughly similar longevity. That said, the results aren’t quite cut and dry.
Our iPhone 13 and 14 handsets survived the stress test with plenty of battery to spare.
Let’s start with some context. The A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12 was Apple’s first processor to be built on TSMC’s 5nm manufacturing line, but despite the efficiency gains that come with the smaller transistors, the discrete modem and dramatic bump in CPU performance over the A13 chipset meant that battery life suffered. In our tests, the phone dropped almost 30% charge over a 40-minute simulated gaming session and an additional 22% during a 40-minute Google Meet phone call.
While these figures sound relatively inefficient, the iPhone 12 was still, by and large, an all-day phone and could compete with and sometimes beat the best Snapdragon 888-based smartphones in terms of battery life.
The iPhone 13 series is where we start observing a sharp improvement in battery life. Apple’s shift to TSMC’s second-generation N5P process for the A15 Bionic helped it achieve significantly better performance-per-watt on the processor’s efficiency cores. This is particularly noticeable in our video call test, where the iPhone 13 consumes just 18% battery life, compared to 22% on the iPhone 12. That’s a 20% difference and speaks volumes about the more efficient GPU and CPU configuration. The gains continue in gaming, where the iPhone 13 drops just 24% charge over 40 minutes of intensive gaming, compared to 30% on the iPhone 12.
The A15 Bionic equipped iPhone 13 series improved battery efficiency by as much as 20%.
The A15 Bionic also sports an updated video decoder block which should theoretically result in more efficient video decoding, but we didn’t see much of an improvement there, and the iPhone 13 used up 10% charge during an hour of Netflix streaming. Overall, the A15 processor made substantial improvements to enable full-day use and, for many users, multi-day use.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Switching over to the iPhone 13 Pro, most of the same battery trends carry over, but there are a few notable differences. The phone proves even more efficient at video streaming, which can be tied to battery gains made via the variable refresh rate-enabled LTPO display. Battery consumption while video streaming dropped down to 6% compared to 10% on the iPhone 13, likely because of the lower refresh rate.
Interestingly, the iPhone 13 Pro exhibits the exact same battery consumption as the iPhone 13 in our simulated gaming test. We expected a bump in battery use because of the additional GPU core in the iPhone 13 Pro.
The iPhone 13 Pro improves battery life further, despite packing a smaller battery, thanks to a variable refresh rate display.
Combined with the upsized batteries, the iPhone 13 series could significantly outpace the iPhone 12 lineup in terms of battery life. Interestingly, the iPhone 13 Pro sported a smaller battery than the regular model but could deliver similar longevity to the iPhone 13, thanks to the variable refresh rate display that dramatically reduced power consumption in several scenarios.
Switching over to the 2022 series, the iPhone 14, in particular, exhibits a slight enhancement in longevity. The phone packs the same A15 Bionic chipset with an additional GPU core as last year’s iPhone 13 Pro but drops the variable refresh rate display. As a result, battery consumption sees a slight uptick in tasks like video streaming, where the display remains locked to 60Hz.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 shows significantly improved efficiency with gaming. Cumulatively, the results are similar to that of the iPhone 13 Pro despite the lack of a variable refresh rate panel.
The iPhone 14 Pro is an outlier in our efficiency tests, but the larger battery helps.
This brings us to the outlier, i.e., the iPhone 14 Pro. This year, only the Pro-variant is sporting the new A16 Bionic processor built on TSMC’s N4 fabrication process. Apple claims that the efficiency cores on the A16 Bionic use a third of the power of competing products, but our tests show that the higher clock speeds eliminate much of the gains made with battery efficiency.
In most of our tests, the iPhone 14 Pro tracks roughly in line with the iPhone 13 Pro except for the video calling test. We clocked a 21% drop in battery life here which is a noticeable increase over the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14. This could potentially be due to the new display sporting a panel area above the Dynamic Island. While this would consume a bit more battery life, it doesn’t entirely explain a 4% increase. That said, the iPhone 14 Pro is known to have a battery-related bug, and we’ll circle back for another round of tests once an update has been rolled out.
Better efficiency through hardware optimization
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Looking at the broader trends with Apple’s chipset engineering, it is clear that performance, and more specifically, performance-per-watt, is improving, but absolute gains are slowing down. To be sure, Apple leaped forward with the iPhone 13 series, both with performance and efficiency, and has continued the trend with the iPhone 14. However, many of those gains in power efficiency are also a by-product of elements like more frugal displays, be it through absolute power consumption or the ability to downclock the refresh rate. We’ve seen similar benefits for Android smartphones sporting LTPO displays too.
With nine to 10 hours screen-on time, battery life is no longer a reason to put off an iPhone purchase.
Unlike previous years, Apple is also finally increasing battery sizes, which helps mitigate some of the effects of battery-guzzling components. What can’t be denied, however, is that the iPhone has shed its image of battery inefficiency. Even the most inefficient smartphone on our test bench, the iPhone 12, ended the benchmark session with about 35% charge leftover — despite the grueling benchmarking session.
With a more typical use case, nine to 10 hours of screen-on time is not out of the picture for the latest iPhone 14 series. That’s a particularly astounding figure, keeping in mind Apple’s lead in performance and a battery that is a third smaller than most equivalent Android phones. If battery concerns have previously put you off, don’t fret, longevity is no longer a reason to avoid Apple’s iPhone.
The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.
The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.
However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”
Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.
“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.
“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”
The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.
At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.
A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”
Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.
Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.
Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.
Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.
While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.
Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.
The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.
— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?
It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.
Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:
Apple
The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.
For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.
You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.
Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.
Google
Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.
When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.
You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.
There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.
Facebook and Instagram
Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.
When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.
The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.
You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.
TikTok
The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.
Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.
X
It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.
Passwords
Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?
Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.
But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.
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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.
The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.
The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.
“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”
San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.
Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”
“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.
The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.
