Apple released iOS 14 to the public last week for all compatible iPhones. Unlike previous iOS releases, Apple did not claim any performance or battery life improvements with iOS 14. A speed test comparison has already confirmed that iOS 14 does not have any negative effect on performance compared to previous iOS versions. What about battery life then?

Tests had revealed that recent iOS 13 releases have negatively impacted the battery life of newer iPhones in a big way. Has Apple managed to fix these issues in iOS 14? Comparing the Geekbench battery drain test across a bunch of iPhones starting with the original iPhone SE to the iPhone 11, it looks like iOS 14 does not bring about any noticeable improvement or regression in the battery life department. The iPhone 11 had managed to last for 5 hours and 25 minutes while running iOS 13.7 and it lasted for the same time while running iOS 14 as well. Older devices like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 also lasted for around the same time as they did on iOS 13.7 – around 3 hours 30 minutes.

The results are not exactly positive though because as I mentioned earlier, recent iOS 13 builds had greatly affected the battery life of newer iPhones and with iOS 14, Apple has not fixed this regression in any way. When compared to previous versions of iOS including iOS 10.3.3, iOS 11.4.1, iOS 12.1, and iOS 13.7, the regression in battery life is even more visible. An iPhone 6s running iOS 10.3.3 lasted for 3 hours and 32 minutes while it went down to just over 3 hours when running iOS 13.7 and iOS 14.

We could see Apple further optimize iOS 14 with future builds that should help with battery life, though the chances are pretty slim. Ultimately, if you were unhappy with your iPhone’s battery life when it was running iOS 13, things are unlikely to change much with iOS 14. You can always follow our guide on iOS 14 Battery drain issues to improve your iPhone’s battery life.