Quickly evaluate the battery and performance of iOS 26.3 Beta 3

iOS 26.3 Beta 3: Updated new modem with improved signal, impressive battery life of up to 12 hours and added location security features.

Just a few hours after releasing the official version of iOS 26.2.1, Apple continued to surprise by releasing the third test version of iOS 26.3 for developers.

This move of “discharging” updates shows that Apple is making great efforts to perfect the operating system before launching new products in February.

After quick installation and experience on iPhone 17 Pro Max, below are detailed assessments of performance, battery and notable changes on this Beta 3 version.

Table of Contents

Update new Modem Firmware: Enhance connection

One of the most important upgrades on iOS 26.3 Beta 3 is that the Modem software (Modem Firmware) has been upgraded from version 1.40.02 (on Beta 2) to 1.40.03.

Although it is only a small jump in numbers, it promises to improve the stability of mobile signals, overcoming the errors of 5G connection loss or intermittent Wi-Fi that some users previously encountered.

New features: Location security and Wallpaper separation

On the feature front, iOS 26.3 Beta 3 brings some small but useful tweaks:

Location security: In section Privacy & Security > Location Services, A new option appears that allows users to limit the accuracy of location data shared with mobile networks (Mobile Networks), helping to increase privacy. However, this feature requires carrier support and the C1 modem chip on new models such as iPhone 16e or iPhone Air.
Weather Wallpapert: Users now have the option to use weather wallpapers based on their current location or shared location, helping to better personalize the experience. The Astronomy and Weather wallpaper sections have also been clearly separated in the settings.

Get iPhone 17 Pro Max to experience the latest wallpapers and security features:

Battery life: Expect 10-12 hours On-screen

Although it’s only been out for a few hours, early reports on battery life on iOS 26.3 Beta 3 are very positive. Some iPhone 17 Pro Max users said they achieved about 5 hours and 44 minutes on-screen while consuming only 51% of the battery. If this performance is maintained, the device can completely reach 10 to 12 hours of continuous use in a full charge cycle.

Quickly evaluate the battery and performance of iOS 26.3 Beta 3

This is an impressive number, showing that Apple is optimizing energy very well on recent Beta versions.

Performance and Benchmark Scores

In terms of performance, the touch and feedback on iOS 26.3 Beta 3 is very smooth, even on older devices. Geekbench scores on iPhone 17 Pro Max recorded a slight increase: 3,840 single-core points and 9,789 multi-core points.

Quickly evaluate the battery and performance of iOS 26.3 Beta 3

This number is higher than the Beta 2 version and promises to be even more stable after the machine completes the indexing process.

Launch roadmap: Beta 4, RC or iOS 26.4?

With a build code ending in “D”, we will likely see another Beta 4 or Release Candidate (RC) next week (early February). If according to schedule, iOS 26.3 will officially reach users around mid-February.

After that, all attention will focus on iOS 26.4, the version rumored to bring Siri 2.0 integrating Google’s Gemini language model, expected to launch the first test version this February.