iPhone 6s battery life varies by just 2 to 3 per cent, Apple says

Apple has slammed tests which claim the battery life of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus differs hugely based on the brand of its chip as 'misleading'

The full range of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s shades - rose gold, silver, gold and space grey
The full range of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s shades - rose gold, silver, gold and space grey Credit: Photo: Geoff Pugh | Daily Telegraph

Apple has dismissed tests which claimed to demonstrate battery life varied hugely in its new iPhone 6s models depending on the brand of its A9 chip processor as "not representative of real-world usage".

The recently-released new generation of iPhones, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, each contain a chip made by one of two manufacturers, Samsung and TSMC.

Several reports have emerged claiming the phones containing the TSMC chip boasts a significantly better life than those made with the Samsung processors, according to Anandtech and benchmark testing, with some users claiming the battery life could differ by as much as two hours between chips.

However, Apple said that these tests were based on the iPhone being extremely heavily used for a long period of time, which normal users would never do, although it had detected a small difference of up to 3 per cent between different iPhones.

"Certain manufactured lab tests which run the processors with a continuous heavy workload until the battery depletes are not representative of real-world usage, since they spend an unrealistic amount of time at the highest CPU performance state," an Apple spokesman said.

"It's a misleading way to measure real-world 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 - 3 per cent of each other,” they added.

Upon prising off the screen, the team noticed the battery is slightly smaller than in its iPhone 6 predecessor, partly due to the new taptic engine underneath it.
The iPhone 6s uses different chips in different models

Benchmark testing is often used by trade magazines and websites to assess smartphone software performance for reviews.

There is no way of telling which chip is inside your iPhone 6s when you first buy the handset, but America-based owners can check by using apps like Lirum Device Info. Samsung chips are marked as N71AP in the 6s and N66AP in the 6s Plus, and TSMC’s processers run under the name N71MAP in the 6s and N66MAP in the 6s Plus.