Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

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ZDNET's key takeaways

Excessive temperature is a key factor in premature battery wear.

Car charging is the perfect storm when it comes to overheating.

You can still charge in the car, but you have to take some precautions.

I've been tracking the battery health of my daily driver iPhones for so long now that it's practically second nature. It's like a weird hobby/habit that I've picked up. Every few days since I got my iPhone 17 Pro Max, I've been firing up the Settings app and taking a look at my battery stats. I'm particularly curious because, with this handset, I decided to throw caution (and Apple's battery care tips) to the wind.

Also: I spent 2 years charging my phone exactly how Apple suggests - here's where it's at now

Why? Well, I followed all the rules with my last iPhone .…