iPhone 16 Pro Battery Life Has Officially Passed My Biggest Test

One of the iPhone 16 Pro upgrades that has gone unnoticed is the increase in battery life. While Apple hasn't put much emphasis on marketing the battery upgrades for the new model, this year is the first time for me that the iPhone battery has finally reached a tipping point.

The iPhone battery is fine for a normal day, but has historically struggled when you need it most

iPhone battery life is a very subjective matter. We all use our devices very differently.

That explains why Apple no longer gives a specific expected battery life for the iPhone, instead relying on specific use cases like video or audio playback time.

The big question we all want answered: can my iPhone battery last a full day?

For me, the answer has usually been “yes,” but it depends on the day.

On a typical day, yes, the iPhone battery has been more than enough for me for years. There have been two big exceptions, though:

Travel days
Intensive photography days

Which is not surprising, because as you might expect, when you rely on your iPhone the most, its battery can be in short supply.

But with the iPhone 16 Pro, I think we’ve officially crossed a key threshold.

#1: Battery on a Travel Day

I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately, including this week for Thanksgiving.

The iPhone 16 Pro is the first model I can remember that handles travel without a hitch.

This morning, for example, my iPhone was used like this:

I woke up shortly after 3 a.m. to catch an early flight
Called an Uber and tracked its progress
Used my mobile boarding pass at multiple points in the airport
Placed a mobile order at Starbucks
Checked my email
Worked on something during the flight
Then headed to my hotel (via another Uber), where I used mobile check-in to get into my room

All of the above with previous iPhones would have resulted in serious battery drain and would have made me worry about the battery. I would probably charge it on the plane, just to be safe.

But this time, I didn't worry about the battery at all.

And for good reason: I still have over 70% charge, and it will last me the rest of my super-long travel day.

#2. Photography Without Sacrificing or Planning Ahead

Aside from travel days, another regular battery issue I face is vacation-like days.

Traveling is one challenge, but if you're going somewhere on vacation, you'll probably want to take lots of photos and videos once you get there.

My family and I had a day of adventures the other day. One of the highlights was a spontaneous visit to Universal Studios Florida in the late afternoon.

We checked out the new holiday decorations at the theme park, my toddler had a blast exploring Seuss Landing, and then we spent most of our time in Hogsmeade, ending with a projection and fireworks show at Hogwarts Castle.

I took lots of photos and videos along the way.

This all happened in the late afternoon, after I had already been using my iPhone for a long time during the day. But I've never had a problem with battery life.

In the past, if I was going to a theme park, for example, and I knew I'd be using the Camera app a lot, I'd make a point of saving battery life.

This time, I'd typically use my iPhone throughout the day, then charge it at the last minute for my Universal Studios adventure and all the photos and videos that came with it.

I may be excited about the rumored iPhone 17 Air next year, but it's going to be hard to live with the battery life shortening now that the iPhone 16 Pro has finally hit a new milestone.

How long does your iPhone 16 Pro battery last? Let us know in the comments.