Best phone battery life

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Some might say they experience true horror when a low battery causes their phone to suddenly blackout during a Netflix binge. But if brands are constantly claiming their devices can survive all day, why do we need to recharge our gadgets every few hours? So, if you want to know what is the best battery life phone, read on to find out more.

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Phone battery life explained

Smartphones come with a ‘mAh’ rating to indicate their battery storage capacity available in a single hour. So, a 3,430 mAh battery is estimated to provide 3,430 mA every hour. However, a bigger battery doesn’t always mean a longer lifetime. The exact usage time you can squeeze out of your mobile phone depends on a variety of factors. Some of these include:

• Whether you frequently choose 4G data over WiFi or 5G
• App usage, such as demanding phone games
• Battery condition
• Length of time you typically spend on your phone
• The demands of the inbuilt software and hardware of the phone
• How the phone’s hardware and software has been optimised for battery performance

To help you understand all the fine print, we’ve created a list of some different battery capacities stated by various brands to help you find the best battery life phone for your needs. Keep in mind that the usage times are estimations, and results may vary depending on what you’re doing with your phone.

Best battery life phones

Here is a list of major smartphone brands available in Australia, highlighting some of the popular devices with some of the biggest batteries available. This list is somewhat theoretical given brands are listed based on their ‘potential’ battery life, but read on for our comparison of brands based on real-world customer experiences at the bottom.

Samsung

Tired of searching for a power outlet to recharge your phone? The Samsung Galaxy S24 series of phones, released early in 2024, all carry some seriously powerful batteries. Starting with the base S24 phone, you’ll get a decent 4,000 mAh battery. Going up to the bigger device, the S24+, you’ll get a the larger 4,900 mAh battery. The most premium device of the S24 series, the S24 Ultra, includes a huge 5,000 mAh battery.

The 4,900 mAh battery for the S24+ should give you at least 31 hours of video playback, while the 5,000 mAh battery with the S24 Ultra will give you up to around 30 hours of video playback.

Motorola

Motorola claims that its Motorola Edge 50 claims the 5,000mAh battery has over 30 days of battery life. It also comes with 68W TurboPower charging capabilities, which can apparently bring a substantially depleted battery back up to enough power for a day in just 15 minutes of charging.

The brand warns actual battery performance depends on different things like temperature, battery condition, usage patterns, signal strength, network and device settings.

Nokia

Nokia has built a reputation for good battery life with its phones, so it’s no surprised that it remains a focus  for the brand. The more budget-friendly Nokia G42 5G offers a 5,000mAh battery, with its big battery life one of the main selling points for this device. It is also up to 20W fast charging compatible.

The phone also sports a ‘three-day battery life’, indicating that the phone can be used for five hours over three days without needing a charge (according to Nokia), including for social media, news, music and gaming.

OPPO

OPPO offers a range of premium and more budget-friendly devices, along with foldable phones in the Find N series. The foldable OPPO Find N3 includes a large 4,805mAh battery with 67W fast charging, while its more budget-friendly OPPO A98 5G includes a 5,000mAh battery with up to 67W fast charging.

Need to quickly charge your phone before you leave home? The SuperVOOC function is said to be a unique feature found in many of OPPO’s more recent releases. This is described as the newly improved take on a fast charging technology nicknamed VOOC, which is short for ‘Voltage Open Loop Multi-Step Constant-Current Charging’.

Google

When it comes to battery life, Google’s devices fare pretty well. The Pixel 9 includes a 4,700mAh battery, as does the Pixel 9 Pro. The bigger Pixel 9 Pro XL includes a bigger 50,60mAh battery, while the Pixel 9 Pro Fold includes the smallest battery of the lineup, with a 4,650mAh battery.

Older Pixel devices were plagued with smaller batteries and a lagging battery life when compared to other Android devices, however the Pixel 9 series includes battery sizes more on par with the competition.

Apple

This tech giant doesn’t pack the same punches as its competitors in terms of battery life, however, it’s hard to make a direct comparison between Apple and Android devices as Apple measures its battery life in video playback hours. Running on different operating systems can also have an impact, so comparing batteries alone doesn’t give you the full picture.

The iPhone 15 range includes improved battery life compared to the iPhone 15 range. The iPhone 16 includes up to 22 hours of video playback (up from 20 hours for the iPhone 15), while the iPhone 16 Plus includes up to 27 hours of video playback (up from 26 hours from the iPhone 15 Plus. The iPhone 16 Pro has had a big jump up and includes up to 27 hours of video playback (up from 23 hours for the iPhone 15 Pro), while the iPhone 16 Pro Max has up to 33 hours of video playback (up from 29 hours for the iPhone 15 Pro Max). If long battery life is important to you when buying a smartphone, Apple’s iPhones might not have the best life battery for your needs.

Best phone battery life judged by users

The claims made by smartphone manufacturers are one thing, but what about the real world? How long will those batteries last when it really matters? Not on paper – but when you need to make a phone call, send a text message, or check Facebook? To offer a guide, Canstar Blue’s customer satisfaction research has seen several major brands rated on battery and charging performance:

• Samsung: 4 stars
• Oppo: 5 stars
• Google: 4 stars
• Apple: 4 stars
• Motorola: 4 stars
• Telstra: 3 stars
• Nokia: 4 stars

There is a certain amount of perception involved here, given the ratings are based on the experiences of phone users rather than ‘facts’, so it’s best to shop around and buy the right phone depending on the reviews you read. After all, finding the phones with the best battery life do greatly depend on how you use your phone.

All in all, this comparison gives you plenty to think about. Maybe you have your favourite phone brand and not even a bad battery will put you off. But if you’re tired of running low all too quickly, maybe think outside the box next time and try another phone out for size.