If there’s one thing we all want from our next smartphone, it’s more battery life. Thankfully, battery cells are bigger than ever, while processors are increasingly frugal. This means that many, but certainly not all, flagship and mid-range handsets can take us through a day without leaving us suffering from battery anxiety.
However, some phones are definitely better than others at lasting through more demanding work/life balances or taking lighter users through a second day. Not to mention, there’s a massive variation in how quickly phones charge back up when they eventually run out of power.
To help you pick the best phone for rock-solid battery life, we run all of our review units through a series of automated endurance tests, checking how long phones can survive daily tasks like web browsing, video playback, camera capture, and more. Based on that data and hands-on experience, these are the phones that I think you should buy.
OnePlus 13: The best phone for battery life overall
OnePlus 13
Gorgeous design • Clever AI features • Flexible cameras
MSRP: $899.99
The OG flagship killer’s killer flagship.
The OnePlus 13 is the company’s most killer flagship to date, offering a massive battery, speedy charging, and powerful cameras that give Google and Samsung something to worry about.
Positives
Gorgeous designIncredible camera zoom and overall photographyHelpful AI integrationExcellent charging optionsSimplified Oxygen OS experienceGreat performance
Cons
Magnetic charging requires accessoriesFewer updates than Samsung or Google
Many powerhouse smartphones will survive plenty of hours of intense use. However, the OnePlus 13 stands out for a few reasons. First, its cutting-edge 6,000mAh silicon-carbon-enhanced lithium-ion battery is massive. Even before looking at our test results, it’s clear the phone has the battery size to take power users through a full day or more.
It’s also the best phone I’ve tested for wired charging, and it’s pretty quick with wireless charging, which we’ll get to in a minute.
Importantly, the OnePlus 13 powers through our battery life benchmarks exceedingly well. It puts in a well-rounded effort, surviving up to 24 hours of 4K video playback, nearly six hours of 4K video recording or photo capture, 12 hours of web browsing, or over 11 hours of video calls. I think you’ll agree that’s plenty of battery life for anyone, regardless of your daily mix, with some spare for the next day.
That said, our battery life test results are quite close, with some phones having clear strengths and weaknesses. Technically, the ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra is a little more frugal than the rest, while the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a great choice if you’re primarily taking photos.
To really separate the phones for daily use, we need to look at a few additional metrics. Charging speed is a hugely important factor, allowing you to quickly top up the phone if/when the juice eventually runs out.
The OnePlus 13 is a clear winner here. It reaches full in just 35 minutes, compared to closer to the hour mark for our other four contestants. Better still, it managed to reach the 50% mark in just 12 minutes, ensuring enough juice to power through the day without spending ages attached to the wall. While it relies on SuperVOOC to reach those peak speeds, the phone also plays nicely with USB Power Delivery plugs and power banks, delivering at least 35W of power in my testing.
The OnePlus 13 is also a beast when it comes to wireless charging. With an appropriate SuperVOOC wireless charger and after jumping through a few compatibility hoops, the phone can wirelessly charge to full in around 80 minutes. That’s much slower than over a wire, but still far faster than other phones can achieve on a wireless pad.
The OnePlus 3 lasts all day, charges back up quickly, and is affordable. What’s not to like?
Besides its brilliant battery, the OnePlus 13 boasts superb hardware elsewhere. A speedy Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, sublime-looking display, and a camera package that far exceeds previous models and even rivals the best in the business make the OnePlus 13 a superb all-around phone, especially if you want a flagship that’ll last more than a day of heavy use. Oh, and it’s very affordable too.
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Google Pixel 9: Best small phone for battery life
Google Pixel 9
Powerful Gemini AI tools • Excellent build quality, refined design • Extensive update policy
MSRP: $799.00
The vanilla Pixel 9.
The Pixel 9 rocks a 6.3-inch display, Tensor G4 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and at least 128GB of internal storage.
Positives
Powerful Gemini AI toolsExcellent build quality, refined designExtensive update policySolid camera packageGreat battery life
Cons
Lacks Google’s Pro AI featuresPerformance unchanged from last yearNo telephoto cameraStill slow to charge
While you won’t find many 6-inch smartphones with huge battery capacities, that doesn’t mean they can’t last all day. According to my benchmark data, the Google Pixel 9 is the best relatively compact model for battery life, not to mention a great all-around phone, whether you want great-looking pictures or the latest mobile AI tools.
In terms of numbers, it passed our benchmark with up to nine hours of web browsing, almost 13 hours of video call time, nine hours of 4K video capture, and more than five hours of snapping capture. The only blemish is a much more modest 10 hours of 4K playback than its competitors, but that’s still plenty for most people.
In other words, the Google Pixel 9 is a phone that’ll see you through a day of solid use, no matter what you’re doing. That 4,700mAh battery goes a surprisingly long way.
Google’s Pixel 9 is a superb allrounder with outstanding battery life.
When the Pixel 9 eventually runs out of juice, the drawback is that it doesn’t charge back up all that quickly. 85 minutes to full is pretty slow, but not far behind rivals like the Galaxy S25, and is faster than the iPhone 16. Given the phone’s superb battery life, this is probably a worthwhile trade-off. Thankfully, it’s easy to find USB accessories matching the phone’s 27W USB PD PPS requirements.
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Google Pixel 9a: Best phone for battery life under $500
Google Pixel 9a
Built-in Gemini • Incredible camera • All-day battery
MSRP: $499.00
All the Pixel essentials for less.
The Google Pixel 9a brings built-in Gemini, an incredible camera, all-day battery, and seven years of updates for under $500.
Positives
Solid, reliable camerasExcellent update commitmentClever AI-powered featuresGreat battery lifeNew, streamlined designExcellent price
Cons
Relatively slow chargingAging Gorilla Glass 3 (again)Missing Pixel Screenshots
Sometimes you just need a big battery to brute-force your way through a heavy day of use, and the affordable Google Pixel 9a comes through with a hefty 5,100mAh cell. Better still, it scores consistently highly across our battery life benchmarks, ensuring it’ll last no matter what you throw at it. Test data not enough? We felt exactly the same way during our Pixel 9a review.
A little over 10 hours in our web and Zoom tests ensure the 9a can take you through more than a busy day of work and play tasks, while the phone manages a colossal 21 hours of 4K video playback. For the shutter bugs, you can continuously snap pictures or record 4K video for over seven hours before running the Pixel 9a’s battery down. Bottom line, the 9a will last everyone a full day and possibly a little more.
The best battery life $500 can buy? You can’t beat the Pixel 9a.
Of course, the Pixel 9a is much more than a big battery crammed in an affordable, compact shell. The phone sports a top-tier Tensor G4 processor, reliable dual cameras, many of Google’s latest AI features, and an update commitment that can’t be beat. It’s hard to find another $499 phone worth recommending as much as the Pixel 9a, especially when it comes to battery life.
The phone’s only drawback is its sluggish 94-minute full charge time. It’s definitely slower than other affordable phones at this price, but that’s the price to pay to fill up that large battery.
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CMF Phone 1: Best phone for battery life under $250
Nothing CMF Phone 1
Clever accessories • Solid battery life • Excellent value
MSRP: $199.99
A more customizable budget phone from Nothing
The CMF Phone 1 brings a customizable approach to the budget segment, featuring a removable back cover and an attachment point for basic accessories. The Nothing sub-brand’s affordable handset also delivers a large battery and decent performance.
Positives
Clever accessoriesSolid battery lifeGood Dimensity 7300 performanceFun Nothing OSExcellent value
Cons
Cheap plastic buildPoor camera flexibilityNo NFCWeak US support for carriers and accessories
Very affordable smartphones with big batteries are increasingly easy to come by, and budget model specs tend to be a bit more frugal, which is already a recipe for multi-day battery life. Even so, a standout and very affordable model I’ve tested is the late 2024 CMF Phone 1.
Its large 5,000mAh battery endured over 10 hours of web browsing or Zoom calls and over 18 hours of 4K video playback. The CMF Phone 1 has you well covered for daily essentials. It’ll also handle seven hours of 4K video recording and over nine hours of photo capture, so it won’t give out when capturing precious memories either.
When you eventually need to top up, the phone is fully charged in about an hour. That’s marginally faster than its rivals, and not far off many flagship phones, thanks to rather speedy 30W charging. Just like our overall best pick, this budget option has you covered on both sides of your battery needs.
Frugal specs and a big battery maky the CMF Phone 1 a great budget pick.
The CMF Phone 1 is an impressive little package for such an affordable entry. If you can spend a bit more money and fancy some additional specs, the brilliant CMF Phone 2 Pro only costs a little more and also offers very frugal battery life.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
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Motorola Razr Ultra (2025): Best foldable for battery life
Motorola Razr Ultra
Blisteringly fast charging and excellent battery life • Ultra-flagship-tier performance • Top-notch materials and eye-catching Pantone colors
MSRP: $1,299.99
High-end processing power in a folding shell
Adding Ultra to the name, the Motorola Razr Ultra is the first folding phone from Moto with a top-tier processor. The 7-inch folding display is paired with a half-size front display to give you both a premium experience, and a compact and portable communication device.
Positives
Blisteringly fast charging and excellent battery lifeUltra-flagship-tier performanceSolid dual camera setupTop-notch materials and eye-catching Pantone colorsTwo very vibrant displaysClean, simple software
Cons
Moto AI feels half bakedLimited software commitmentLong-range zoom kinda stinksExpensive
It used to be the case that foldable phones meant big compromises, most often in the battery department, which was especially true for compact clamshell models. That’s not the case anymore; the Motorola Razr Ultra offers superb battery life and even outlasts bigger booklet foldables.
The Motorola Razr Ultra bucks that trend, with a good-sized 4,700mAh battery that’s on par and even bests some traditional 6-inch flagship smartphones. Whether it’s daily web tasks, media applications, or even a spot of gaming, this cell powers through hours of screen-on time to ensure it can take you through a busy day.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
When you do need to top up, the Razr Ultra supports pretty quick charging. We clocked it to full in just 57 minutes while pulling 45W from the wall, and the phone supports up to 68W when you can line up the perfect plug and cable. The phone will also manage 30W wirelessly with a compatible charger, double what rival foldables offer.
Motorola shows that foldables don’t have to compromise on battery life.
The Motorola Razr Ultra is also a superb handset in the grand scheme of things. We love the phone’s versatile camera setup, handy dual displays, and slick software experience. The clamshell’s only real drawback is that all this tech comes with a steep price tag. Still, Motorola’s more affordable Razr and Razr Plus clamshells aren’t far off the pace for battery life either.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
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Honorable mentions
Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra
Superb battery life • Excellent universal charging • Blazing performance
The AI-powered Zenfone.
The ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra packs Snapdragon 8 Elite power, a 5,500mAh battery, a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display, IP68 dust/water resistance, up to 512GB storage and 16GB RAM, and a 50MP + 32MP + 13MP rear triple camera.
The ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra almost took top spot, with its surprisingly frugal battery life from a rather typical 5,500mAh cell. It charges quickly, too, sporting up to 65W over the commonplace USB PD PPS protocol. However, it’s quite an expensive phone given its mediocre camera and software features, but there’s no denying it’ll take power users through more than a day of heavy use.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
100x zoom • Big battery • 7 years software support
Samsung’s best for 2025
Simply put, this is Samsung’s very best phone for 2025. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a 6.9-inch QHD+ device with 12GB of RAM, 256GB+ of storage, embedded S Pen, and the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC. The key upgrade over the lower S25 models is a 200MP main camera and 100x Space Zoom.
We can’t mention longevity without the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. While it doesn’t quite last as long as the OnePlus 13 in camera capture times, it’s not far behind in every other metric. Paired with a stellar update commitment, reasonably charging speeds, solid cameras, and one of the best software packages around, don’t sleep on Samsung’s latest ultra-flagship.
Samsung Galaxy A36 5G
Big, bright AMOLED display • Fast wired charging • Long software support
Samsung’s A series 2025 upgrade.
The Galaxy A36 5G updates the popular A series line with an IP67 rating, 45W fast charging, and a slimmer and lighter design.
With a giant 5,000mAh cell, the Samsung Galaxy A36 5G continues to offer the excellent battery life we liked about its predecessor. At just $400, it’s a very affordable phone with brilliant longevity and 45W fast charging to boot. However, performance leaves a lot to be desired, so this one is only really recommended for those who desire battery life above all else.
Samsung Galaxy S25
12GB RAM • Vastly improved software • 7 years of support
Refined software, AI smarts, and next-gen hardware
With an emphasis on AI features, and a move to Gemini, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is an exciting update to the Galaxy S line. Equipped with a 6.2-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, 12GB of RAM, a powerful 50MP camera, and updated hardware materials, we expect big things from the base model of Samsung’s 2025 flagship phone.
While it didn’t survive our camera capture benchmarks as well as Google’s flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S25 still offers plenty of battery life for daily workloads, especially if you need video playback for your commute. If battery life has you torn between this and the latest iPhone, Samsung’s flagship is a clear winner.
What to look for in good battery life
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Obviously, the number one place to start with battery life is the size of the battery. The more milliamp-hours (mAh), the longer the handset typically lasts. It’s as simple as that. In addition, a bigger battery at launch means that battery life will still last through a day as the battery ages and its maximum capacity gradually decreases.
However, bigger batteries require more space, so there’s a trade-off between the phone size you want and how long it can last. That said, advanced battery technologies, like silicon-carbon, are making it possible to increase capacity without increasing size. So keep an eye out for that in more handsets in the coming months and years.
A big battery paired with frugal hardware specs is the recipe for multi-day endurance.
While battery capacity is the biggest contributor, the phone’s other specifications determine how quickly that battery drains. Bigger displays, more powerful processors, wireless modems, and much more all contribute to power consumption. More efficient, modern components can make seemingly small battery capacities last longer than you might expect, so don’t necessarily write a phone off just because its battery isn’t the biggest.
Big battery capacity: Broadly speaking, 4,000mAh is considered a reasonable baseline for a moderate day’s use and headroom as a phone ages. 5,000mAh will feel more comfortable for power users, while phones approaching or exceeding 6,000mAh should take most users well into a second day of use.
LTPO displays: Displays are one of the biggest drains on your battery, especially with the brightness cranked up and content refreshing several times a second. LTPO OLED displays have a nifty trick to save power: dynamic refresh rates. By reducing refresh rates to as low as 1Hz while screen content is idle, LTPO displays save on battery life without affecting display quality. Thankfully, most high-end and many mid-range phones already sport this technology.
An efficient processor: While there’s no hard and fast rule here, smaller, cutting-edge manufacturing processes (measured in nanometers) tend to produce more efficient processors that sap less power from a battery. 3nm is the latest cutting-edge process, but 6nm is perfectly suitable for less-demanding, affordable chipsets. Just try to avoid something too old paired with a small battery.
Fast charging: While big batteries are important, even the biggest can’t last forever. Fast charging can bring your phone back from the brink in little to no time. Measured in watts, it’s worth having, but don’t fall for 100W charging hype. 30W to 60W is often plenty.
Why you should trust me
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Testing phones is what I do best. From camera and charging, to performance and battery life, I’ve spent probably a few too many hours agonizing over the best testing methods and tools to quantify the intangibles that separate a good smartphone from a great one.
I designed and built automated battery life benchmarks specifically to test everyday workloads.
Battery life is a particularly tough nut to crack because there are so many variables. Everyone uses their phone slightly differently, and we all live in areas with different 4G/5G signal strengths and Wi-Fi networks that’ll put different stresses and strains on our battery use. However, we can still compare phones against one another in a meaningful way by looking at common use cases and testing how long handsets can endure.
I designed, built, and continually reevaluate Android Authority’s automated battery life benchmarking tools, which measure the tasks we probably all use our phones for several times each week, if not daily. Web browsing, 4K video playback, and Zoom video calls make up the humdrum of day-to-day use, while our camera and 4K recording tests ensure your next purchase can keep up with documenting the lives of friends and loved ones. The very best phones offer balanced battery life across all these possible tasks. For more on our testing process check out our dedicated page.
What do you look for in all day battery life?
8 votes
The biggest battery possible
25%
An efficient display
13%
Cutting edge processor
0%
A little bit of everything
63%
Of course, the phone landscape changes quickly. New display, processor, and battery innovations continue apace, meaning that each new generation tends to bring something new to the battery life table. As such, I review our test data every few months and update this list to make sure you’re always abreast of the best battery life that smartphones have to offer.