TechRadar Battery Test Ranks Six Foldables as Apple's iPhone Duo Joins Market

The iPhone Duo is Apple's first foldable and uses the same passport-style form factor as the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 8, Xiaomi 18 Fold and Huawei Pura X Max, according to TechRadar. The report said Apple's first foldable carries many of the compromises expected from a first-generation device, even from a company as meticulous as Apple, and that battery life may be the biggest concern for most users.

TechRadar's tester said he spent the past three months using the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its competitors. For the comparison, he developed a battery testing suite called CellMark using combinations of AI models after hundreds of hours and iterations. The suite is designed to account for each phone maker's idiosyncrasies and how an average person uses a phone. The test ran the EnduranceMark suite, which loops until the battery level reaches 5 percent; a result is valid only if the test drains 80 percent of the battery. It included the Synthesizer test for heavy loads and the Doom Scroller test for endless social media scrolling. The tester also used ChargeMark for charging times, a web-browsing script that loaded 20 heavy pages in a loop, and a looping video playback test. Some phones failed certain tests because makers aggressively limit background apps, but TechRadar included the relevant tests regardless.

In the charging test, the Oppo Find N6, with a 6,000mAh battery, reached 84 percent in 15 minutes and 84 percent in 30 minutes and charged to 100 percent in 47 minutes, with a drain rate of 127.7mAh per minute. The Honor Magic V6, with 6,660mAh, reached 66 percent at both the 15-minute and 30-minute marks and charged fully in 59 minutes, at 112.9mAh per minute. The Moto Razr Fold, with 6,000mAh, reached 67 percent at both intervals and charged fully in 100 minutes, at 100mAh per minute. The Galaxy Z Fold 8, with 4,800mAh, reached 33 percent in 15 minutes and 66 percent in 30 minutes and charged fully in 69 minutes, at 69.6mAh per minute. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with 5,000mAh, reached 41 percent and 71 percent at the same intervals and charged fully in 60 minutes, at 83.3mAh per minute. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with 4,806mAh, reached 26 percent in 15 minutes and 47 percent in 30 minutes and charged fully in 54 minutes, at 54mAh per minute.

TechRadar named the Moto Razr Fold, Honor Magic V6 and Oppo Find N6 as the top three charging performers, in ascending order, with Oppo retaining a charging lead it has held for years. It ranked the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold last because its charging was the slowest. The table in the report listed the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's full-charge time as 54 minutes, while it listed the Galaxy Z Fold 8 at 69 minutes and the Moto Razr Fold at 100 minutes.

For the iPhone Duo, Apple says 60W charging can reach 50 percent in 20 minutes, TechRadar reported. Apple has not published a full-charge estimate, especially because phones optimize charging speeds for longevity, but the company's claims place the iPhone Duo's charging speed around the level of the Honor Magic V6 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, according to the report.

In the web-browsing test, the Moto Razr Fold lasted 20 hours 14 minutes, with a drain rate of 4.86 percent per hour, or 291.7mAh per hour. The Oppo Find N6 lasted 18 hours 52 minutes, at 5.48 percent per hour and 328.8mAh per hour. The Honor Magic V6 lasted 18 hours 11 minutes, at 5.50 percent per hour and 366.3mAh per hour. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 lasted 17 hours 44 minutes, at 5.64 percent per hour and 270.7mAh per hour. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lasted 14 hours 11 minutes, at 7.05 percent per hour and 352.5mAh per hour. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold lasted 13 hours 52 minutes, at 7.21 percent per hour and 346.6mAh per hour.

TechRadar described the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as surprisingly strong in this test and said its smaller screen helped. It said the phone's drain rate was the lowest of all tests, meaning a larger battery at the same drain rate would theoretically give the best battery life overall. The table in the report, however, listed the Moto Razr Fold at 4.86 percent per hour, lower than the Galaxy Z Fold 8's 5.64 percent per hour. The report also said the Pixel 11 Pro Fold fell short of the competition in web browsing.

TechRadar said the tests are not 100 percent indicative of real-world usage, but that the Galaxy Z Fold 8's Doom Scrolling results closely matched its tester's findings during daily use. The tester said he has tested smartphones for 20 years and is confident in the CellMark app's results.

Editor's Summary TechRadar's battery tests place Apple's iPhone Duo in a six-phone foldable comparison, with Oppo Find N6 charging fastest, Galaxy Z Fold 8 showing strong web-browsing endurance, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold trailing in charging. The report also flags data discrepancies over Pixel's charging rank and Galaxy Z Fold 8's drain rate. The results give buyers an early benchmark as Apple joins the foldable market.