Phones with best battery life in 2024: Independent test results
Looking for a phone that won't let you down when it comes to battery life? We've got you covered.
At PhoneArena, we are independently testing the battery life of each smartphone we review.
So which are the phones with the best battery life? Below, you can find the top performers, along with key details about their endurance.
Notice: How you use your phone affects how long its battery lasts. Some phones are great for watching videos, but might run out of power quickly if you play games. Others are good for checking emails and websites, but might not last long if you do a lot of other things. Consider how you'll use your phone before you choose one.
Contents:
Flagship phones with the best battery life at a glance:
1. Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is a powerhouse designed specifically for gamers. It boasts top-tier specifications and features that cater to the demands of demanding mobile games.
But gaming requires a battery that can last for a long time and power optimization to help it do that, and the ROG Phone 9 Pro delivers with a massive, 5,800 mAh battery.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro's efficient power management and advanced cooling system help to optimize battery life, allowing for extended gaming sessions without frequent charging.
- Read more in our Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Review
2. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
It is mostly universally agreed upon that Apple could have done better with the iPhone 16 series this year. That said, one area where we saw a substantial upgrade was with the battery life, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max marking the best battery life on an iPhone we have ever seen.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor. While the exact capacity isn't officially disclosed, teardowns suggest it's around 4,685mAh. This is the biggest battery ever used in an iPhone.
It offers excellent battery life. Based on our tests, it can last around 22 hours of web browsing, 10 hours of video streaming, and 12 hours of gaming. This is largely due to the combination of a larger battery, efficient A18 Pro chip, and optimized iOS software.
It offers excellent battery life. Based on our tests, it can last around 22 hours of web browsing, 10 hours of video streaming, and 12 hours of gaming. This is largely due to the combination of a larger battery, efficient A18 Pro chip, and optimized iOS software.
- Read more in our iPhone 16 Pro Max review
3. OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 offers a combination of powerful performance, a top-notch camera system, and a long-lasting battery. It features a super-bright OLED display, a cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and a large 5,400mAh battery with extremely fast charging.
The OnePlus 12 consistently outperformed many of its competitors in our testing. Whether you're a heavy web browser, avid gamer, or frequent video watcher, the OnePlus 12's battery can easily last for a full day, and sometimes even longer.
4. Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra
The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra is a feature-packed flagship smartphone designed to cater to the needs of content creators and mobile enthusiasts. It offers powerful performance and most importantly for this list—a long-lasting battery.
While the Zenfone 11 Ultra may be larger than its predecessors, its increased size has a significant benefit: a substantial 5,500mAh battery. Although not as large as the 6,000mAh cells found in ROG phones, the Zenfone 11 Ultra still delivers exceptional battery life.
In real-world usage, the phone can easily last for a full day, even under heavy workloads. With moderate usage, you can expect up to 1.5 to 2 days on a single charge.
5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is another excellent battery life performer, with strong numbers in our web browsing and gaming tests.
Unfortunately, all Samsung phones underperform when it comes to YouTube video streaming, which is a very popular use case, and that brings its total score slightly below the leaders in the space.
- Read more in our Galaxy S24 Ultra review
Affordable Phones with Great Battery Life at a glance:
OnePlus 12R (on the right) beats other rivals in the budget space like the Pixel 8a (on the left)
Among affordable phones, the OnePlus 12R has a big lead over its rivals in terms of battery life.
While most phones in this category hover around 6 hours of screen time, we estimate the OnePlus 12R can last nearly 8 hours.
Combined with its fast charging capabilities, it is our recommendation if you are looking for a budget phone with excellent battery life.
- Read more in our OnePlus 12R review
How we measure battery life
The PhoneArena Battery Score provides a comprehensive overview of a smartphone's battery performance, including:
- Overall Battery Score: A single number that represents the device's overall battery efficiency.
- Battery Life Estimate: A projected estimate of how long the battery will last under typical usage conditions.
- Detailed Test Results: Breakdown of performance in web browsing, video streaming, and 3D gaming.
- Charging Speed: Information on both wired and wireless charging speeds.
- Rank Comparison: How the device compares to other smartphones tested.
How the PhoneArena Battery Score is Calculated
Our battery tests are conducted under controlled conditions to ensure accurate and consistent results. We evaluate performance in three key areas:
- Web Browsing: A script cycles through a set of webpages, simulating typical browsing behavior.
- Video Streaming: Full-screen video is streamed to assess battery life during media consumption.
- 3D Gaming: A demanding 3D game is played to test the battery's ability to handle intensive tasks.
All tests are performed at a standardized brightness level (determined via a specialized light meter) and over a Wi-Fi connection.
This allows us to provide a straightforward assessment of battery performance, detailed test results and charging information offer a complete picture, as well as rankings and average scores that allow for easy comparison with other devices.
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