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Apple “significantly overstates battery life of iPhones” according to study

Paul Lipscombe
May 7, 2019

Which? Study reveals Samsung, Sony and Nokia all underestimate battery life 

A Which? investigation has revealed that Apple significantly overstates the battery life of its smartphones. 

The study assessed the vendors claims of ‘talk time’ for over 50 mobiles and five different manufacturers, with all phones brand-new and tests carried out on charging times.

Nine iPhones were tested by Which? with all falling short for how long Apple claims they can last, with Apple claiming phones last between 18 per cent and 51 per cent. 

The iPhone XR has the biggest overestimation for talk time on full charge of battery life according to the study, with Apple claiming it can last 25 hours, while Which? revealed it to be just 16 hours and 32 minutes, representing an overestimation of 51pc. 

HTC also overstate battery life says Which? as the Taiwanese vendor says its phones have an average talk time of 20.5 hours, despite tests revealing five per cent less performance (19.6 hours). 

However the tests carried out revealed that Samsung, Sony and Nokia all underestimate the battery life of its phones. 

Sony claims that the Xperia Z5 Compact can provide up to 17 hours of talk time, but Which? tests revealed it can actually last 25 hours and 52 minutes, nearly nine hours more. 

Which? head of products and services Natalie Hitchins said: “With mobile phones now an essential part of everyday life, we should be able to count on our handsets living up to the manufacturer’s claims.

“There are clearly questions here around how long some mobile phone batteries will last and so it’s important to make sure you find an independent source of reliable information when buying your next phone.”

Both Apple and HTC responded to the findings with an Apple statement saying; “ We rigorously test our products and stand behind our battery life claims.” 

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