Ever since we traded telephones with buttons for tiny touchscreen computer systems 10 years in the past, we have complained about smartphone battery life.
TechSwitch’s battery check
What’s it?
We play a 90 minute HD video with a cellphone at 100% battery, with display brightness at max and accounts syncing over Wi-Fi within the background.
What are the outcomes?
We measure how a lot battery is misplaced throughout the 90 minutes, and provides the end result as a proportion.
We have gained nice cameras, Instagram and cellular video games that look higher than some console titles – however we have additionally inherited the necessity to cost our telephones daily. And we’re nonetheless not comfortable about it.
TechSwitch critiques nearly each main cellphone that makes it to cabinets within the US, UK and Australia, although. We all know in regards to the telephones that can hold partying ’til 3am, and people who would possibly go out earlier than you end work for those who dare to take heed to a podcast or do some gaming in your lunch break.
You would possibly surprise how a few of these telephones are doing effectively with smaller batteries – that is as a result of it isn’t in regards to the measurement of the facility pack, however how effectively optimised it’s. Listed here are the highest telephones of the second we have examined for battery life with media playback.
The battery king: Huawei Mate 10 Professional
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 9%
Battery: four,000mAh
Glorious design
Nice fanatic digicam
Class-leading battery
No headphone jack
Numerous the eye within the final 12 months has gone to the iPhone X and high Samsung telephones. Nevertheless, for those who ask us the Huawei Mate 10 Professional deserves a number of the highlight.
In addition to being a incredible cellphone all-round, it has the most effective battery end result we have seen from any flagship of the final 12 months. It misplaced simply 9% of its battery from a 90-minute video performed at full display brightness.
It is the one top-tier cellphone from the massive names that we have discovered to realistically final two days. You continue to will not get that form of stamina for those who’re a heavy consumer, however maybe Elon Musk can deal with that one as soon as he is reinvented public transport.
The cellphone has a 4000mAh battery, so it is no shock the Mate 10 Professional lasts so long as it does.
Any causes to be delay? It is one of many new breed of telephones to go away out a headphone jack, which we nonetheless wrestle to just accept. And whereas we’re now fairly at house with Huawei’s Emotion UI interface, these new to it could discover its quirks tough.
Learn our in-depth Huawei Mate 10 Pro review
Stunning second: BlackBerry Movement
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 10%
Battery: four,000mAh
Water resistance
Programmable key
A lot battery
Unreliable digicam
The BlackBerry Movement is a reasonably standard Android cellphone with a chunky 4000mAh battery that loses simply 10% of its cost after a enjoying 90 minute video. That is the sort of cellphone you’ll be able to hammer and nonetheless ensure it will have some cost left at mattress time.
Going from a cellphone with common battery life to it is a revelation.
Different neat components of the Movement embrace a customization perform button on the facet and a design impressed by traditional BlackBerry telephones. Nevertheless, we aren’t in love with completely each component of the cellphone, with uninspiring core (except for the battery) and a so-so digicam the principle complaints.
Nevertheless, if a cellphone on which you’ll rely is the principle concern, leap proper in.
Learn our in-depth BlackBerry Motion review
Finest iPhone battery: iPhone X
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 11%
Battery: 2,716mAh
Nice display
Premium, robust design
TrueDepth digicam is highly effective
Most costly flagship round
The cellphone that prices this a lot had higher be particular in each respect. And, fortunately, it’s.
Its battery is much better than the iPhone 8 Plus‘s, and virtually each Android, in response to our battery check. It misplaced simply 10% cost after enjoying a 90 minute video with the display brightness maxed.
And that is with simply 2716mAh to its title, capability decrease than that of all flagship Androids. A part of this comes right down to Apple’s well-known software program effectivity. Nevertheless, Samsung additionally deserves a number of the credit score right here too.
It makes the Tremendous AMOLED show panel of the iPhone X, and it is very straightforward on the juice. After all, for those who should make animoji movies all day lengthy, your iPhone is not going to final ceaselessly between expenses.
Learn our in-depth iPhone X review
Finest Samsung cellphone battery: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 11%
Battery: three,500mAh
Massive display, acceptable cellphone measurement
High notch digicam
Slick software program and efficiency
Flawed fingerprint sensor
You would possibly count on the top-end Galaxy Note 8 to last more than the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. However it does not.
This barely extra standard cellphone truly has a bigger battery, although. It is a 3500mAh unit, barely smaller than that of our previous favourite the Galaxy S7 Edge, however is a full 200mAh bigger than the Word eight’s.
You possibly can count on it to final a strong day-and-a-half with out considering an excessive amount of about when your cellphone will swap off.
It misplaced 11% in our 90 minute video benchmark check. Battery recharging from flat additionally takes simply 1 hour 11 minutes, utilizing Samsung’s Adaptive Quick Charger.
Learn our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus review
Finest finances cellphone battery: Moto G5 Plus
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 12%
Battery: three,000mAh
Doesn’t seem like a finances cellphone
Ingenious one button nav
Battery life (D’uh!)
Iffy digicam efficiency
The very best well-liked finances cellphone with nice battery life is the Moto G5 Plus. It even beats the dearer Moto G5S Plus model in response to our testing.
90 minutes of video at full brightness takes 12% off the 3000mAh battery’s cost stage, exhibiting you need not spend massive cash to get a cellphone that can (virtually) undoubtedly final by the night time. If something it proves there’s typically little hyperlink between how a lot you pay and the way lengthy your cellphone lasts.
That is additionally a superb cellphone for finances gaming. It has a big 5.5-inch display and a good, if ageing, Snapdragon 625 processor. The Moto G5 Plus was additionally among the many first Moto telephones to make use of metallic in its design, which means it is bought a good construct high quality too.
Elements of it are nonetheless plastic, however just a little contact of aluminium in your fingers makes it really feel as if you’re utilizing a high-quality cellphone.
In case you’re on a finances and desire a long-lasting cellphone you should purchase with out importing, this within the one to look out for.
Learn our in-depth Moto G5 Plus review
Finest reasonably priced flagship cellphone battery: OnePlus 5T
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 12%
Battery: three,300mAh
Flagship energy at reasonably priced value
Premium look with headphone jack
Face unlock and fingerprint reader
Show nonetheless ‘solely’ full HD
That is nonetheless a cellphone you’ll be able to depend on to final a full day and alter reasonably than two. However it’s a best choice for people who need higher-end specs.
Yearly OnePlus provides us a cellphone that gives killer worth. For some time, with the OnePlus 5, it seemed like that technique was on the wane. We bought some upgrades, however the next value than typical.
Nevertheless, that is flipped again now that different top-end telephones are dearer than ever. We could not have the costs of the unique OnePlus One, however the OnePlus 5T provides actual high-end specs at half the worth of a number of the different massive names.
A 90-minute video takes 12% off the 3300mAh battery, making this a cellphone you’ll be able to milk fairly aggressively with out it dying earlier than bedtime. OnePlus additionally provides among the best fast-charging choices going by its Sprint Cost system.
It is just a little completely different from the Qualcomm Fast Cost variants utilized by most different high-end Androids. The place they use larger voltage, Sprint Cost makes use of the next amp score, avoiding overheating whereas delivering very quick charging.
Learn our in-depth OnePlus 5T review
Finest enterprise cellphone battery: BlackBerry KeyOne
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 11%
Battery: three,505mAh
Bodily keyboard
Refined high-end design
Good, safe software program
Not nice at leisure
BlackBerry’s not useless? That is proper, BlackBerry has truly launched some fairly nifty mobiles previously 12 months, together with the long-lasting KeyOne.
This appears to be like very very like an previous BlackBerry reborn for right this moment, with a bodily keyboard beneath a squat display. Its 3505mAh battery lasted a strong 36 hours of real-world use for us, and it did extraordinarily effectively in our battery check. 90 minutes of video playback reduces the extent by simply 11%, on-par with the longest-lasting Androids.
After all, the KeyOne does get pleasure from a smaller show than different telephones of its measurement, so fewer pixels to energy. Name it dishonest for those who like, nevertheless it works.
The BlackBerry KeyOne prices rather a lot given it makes use of a mid-range (and ageing) Snapdragon 625 CPU, however a minimum of it provides one thing out of the norm. These not bothered in regards to the keyboard must also take into account the BlackBerry Motion, a conventional-design Android that does even higher.
Learn our in-depth BlackBerry KeyOne review
Better of the remaining cellphone battery: LG V30
TechSwitch battery check end result: misplaced 13%
Battery: three,300mAh
Streamlined design
Bursting with options
Beautiful OLED show
Low-light pictures might be higher
The LG V30 could be regarded as a half-year replace to the LG G6. It has a more recent processor and a barely bigger display, however as a result of it is a V-series cellphone reasonably than a G-series one, LG didn’t have to attempt to blow the doorways off the cellphone’s design with this mannequin.
That stated, it’s fairly pricey for an LG cellphone today, so you may have to need to all the facility hidden inside for those who select this mannequin.
Its pretty standard sounding three,300mAh battery does very effectively in our video run-down battery check. That is one thing we do with all our assessment telephones, making them play a 90-minute video at most display brightness to see how a lot the battery stage drops.
The LG V30 loses 13%, the place some telephones with mediocre stamina would possibly lose greater than 25%, making this a strong all-day cellular.
Learn our in-depth LG V30 review