It Sounds Like Battery Life Might Still Be An Issue With The iPhone 6

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iphone 6

Steve Kovach/Business Insider

The iPhone 6 may be bigger, but battery life is still an issue.

The first wave of reviews is out for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and critics have had mixed things to say about the smaller model's battery life.

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The Wall Street Journal, Engadget, and CNET ran stress tests to see how the iPhone 6's battery held up under extended use. Geoffrey Fowler of The Wall Street Journal said the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 died before his iPhone 5s did after he cranked the screen's brightness up to 100% and streamed video.

During Engadget's video playback tests, the iPhone 6 only lasted for 10 hours and 19 minutes. That may sound impressive, but the iPhone 5s was able to hold out for 10 hours and 50 minutes during the same test. CNET reported similar results after early battery tests.

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Re/code's Walt Mossberg, however, seemed satisfied with the iPhone 6's battery life, writing that it lasted for about 14-15 hours after daily use. The New York Times' Molly Wood also appeared to be impressed with the smaller model's battery life, reporting that it lasted for nearly two full days on a single charge.

The Verge's Nilay Patel said the iPhone 6's battery lasted a full day and a half on a single charge.

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In most cases, the critics said the iPhone 6 Plus offered slightly longer battery life. This isn't too surprising, since the phone itself is larger and therefore requires a bigger battery. The Times' review was one of the only exceptions, saying that the iPhone 6 Plus only lasted one full day of constant usage versus the iPhone 6's near two-day battery life.

It's hard to get a clear understanding based on early tests, but it seems like the iPhone 6's battery life won't be radically different than that of the iPhone 5s. Expect a bit more juice, but it's still likely to burn out fast if you frequently stream video or regularly turn the screen brightness up high.