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Apple: Any iPhone 6S battery life differences are minimal

Addressing questions about the different processors used in the new iPhones, Apple says the battery life of its devices varies by only 2 percent to 3 percent.

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng

Any differences in the battery life of iPhone 6S Plus units should be minimal, Apple says. Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Apple on Thursday downplayed the concerns that different chips powering its new iPhones offer varying levels of battery life.

"Our testing and customer data show the actual battery life of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, even taking into account variable component differences, vary within just 2 to 3 percent of each other," a company spokesman said in a statement Thursday.

The response comes after mounting chatter over the different processors found in the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. For its new smartphones, which went on sale at the end of September, Apple used chips manufactured by Korean electronics conglomerate Samsung and by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC. Some users reportedly have found that iPhones running on the TSMC chip last significantly longer than on the Samsung chip.

Apple, however, said that those tests continuously work the Apple-designed A9 processors and aren't indicative of real-world usage. That is, it's unlikely the average person would watch movies or browse the Internet on a smartphone for hours at a time.

"It's a misleading way to measure real-world battery life," the company said.

CNET is conducting its own battery tests of the new iPhones and will report on the results when they're done.

Apple said that every chip "meets Apple's highest standards for providing incredible performance and deliver great battery life."