What's it like using an iPhone with a "consumed" battery? Here's my experience after three years.

You may recall the "batterygate" controversy from 2017. Apple introduced the Battery Health metric and a toggle to override performance management. The iPhone 15 series was the first to display the battery's cycle count. Apple says the iPhone 15 models are designed to complete 1,000 charge cycles before battery health drops below 80 percent.

My iPhone 15 Pro Max recently hit 1,000 charge cycles and reports a battery health of 81 percent. I'm noticing the effects of nearly three years of battery wear. The battery capacity is rated at 4,422 mAh. These days, I'm lucky to make it to the evening without needing to reach for a charger.

Two sloppy iOS releases made the situation worse. iOS 18 had lackluster performance, bugs and poor battery life. iOS 26 slowed down iPhones and negatively impacted battery life. Apple was clearly aware, because iOS 27 focuses on performance and stability improvements. My iPhone now runs like an entirely different phone.

The phone is built like a tank. With the iPhone 15 Pro series in 2023, it was the move from stainless steel to titanium.