iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max have better battery life in some countries

Yesterday, Apple officially launched its latest high-end smartphone line - iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max duo have been comprehensively upgraded with a brushed aluminum frame design, powerful A19 Pro chip, improved camera system, and increased battery life.

Apple first introduced eSIM on iPhones in 2018 with the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. These were also the first iPhone models to support two SIMs (one physical nano-SIM and one eSIM). Since then, Apple has expanded eSIM to many newer generations of iPhones. Notably, starting with the iPhone 14 series in the US market, the company has completely removed the physical SIM slot, using only eSIM.

With the iPhone 17 Pro generation, Apple continues this trend by launching eSIM-only versions in a number of countries, including: Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, the US and the US Virgin Islands. Notably, these eSIM-only versions have larger batteries, taking advantage of the space previously reserved for the physical SIM slot. According to Apple, battery life increases by about 2 hours when playing videos.

Official battery specifications of iPhone 17 Pro series:

1. iPhone 17 Pro eSIM-only: 33 hours of video playback, 30 hours of streaming video
2. iPhone 17 Pro (with physical SIM): 31 hours of video playback, 28 hours of online video playback
3. iPhone 17 Pro Max eSIM-only: 39 hours of video playback, 35 hours of streaming video
4. iPhone 17 Pro Max (with physical SIM): 37 hours of video playback, 33 hours of online video playback

So, if users prioritize battery life over the ability to use a physical SIM, buying an iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max in the above markets can bring about a 5-7% longer battery life advantage .

Additionally, to support users when traveling internationally, Apple has also streamlined the travel eSIM setup process in iOS 26, expected to be released next week for all eligible iPhones.

Lesley Montoya

Update 15 September 2025