Smartphones With The Best Battery Life For Every Budget

Aadhya Khatri


While battery life isn’t what usually make or break a purchase decision, a phone that can last longer between charges can help you get more done

While battery life isn’t exactly what usually make or break a purchase decision, a phone that can last longer between charges can definitely help you get more done. 

So if you are on the market for such a phone, here are our picks.

iPhones With The Best Battery Life

While iPhones aren’t known to feature the largest power cells, they still make it to the list of handsets with the best battery life.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

It goes without saying that with an iPhone, you get one of the best devices on the market with excellent cameras and unparalleled performance. 

iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 11 Pro Phone SE (2020) iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini
11:54 11:16 10:53 10:24 9:18 9:06 (5G) 8:25 (5G)  7:28

Samsung Galaxy Phones With The Best Battery Life

It’s true that Samsung can’t match Apple’s level of battery optimization but it makes up for the disadvantage by giving its handsets massive power cells. In fact, the tactic is so effective that unless you disable 5G on iPhone, a Samsung flagship can come out ahead of an iPhone in terms of battery life. 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Samsung Galaxy S21 Samsung Galaxy S20 Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Samsung Galaxy S20 FE Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G
11:58 11:25 10:31 10:26 10:10 9:53 9:30 9:38 8:58  8:16

What About Other Flagship Phones?

With LG and Google no longer part of the premium race, we have quite a few high-end options left beyond iPhones and Samsung’s smartphones.

LG V60 ThinQ 5G comes out ahead with 12 hours and 46 minutes but users have to deal with poor software and cameras, and the uncertain future of LG’s phone division.

Mid-Range Phones With The Best Battery Life

Asus ZenFone 6 - 15 hours and 1 minute

Asus ZenFone 6

Asus ZenFone 6 lasts for more than 15 hours, courtesy of the 5,000mAh battery. Apart from that, it makes an impression with a notch-free screen. Asus is able to pull this trick off because it implements a neat flipping mechanism to turn the rear cameras to the front for selfies.

Motorola Edge - 12 hours and 12 minutes

Motorola Edge

Motorola is associated with great battery life so it comes as no surprise that the Motorola Edge can last for more than 12 hours despite featuring a 90Hz screen.

As with most Motorola phones, the cameras are its downfall, but if you don’t care about photography very much, the Edge is a solid choice.

G8X ThinQ - 11 hours and 46 minutes

G8X ThinQ

G8X ThinQ pulls off nearly 12 hours of battery life but that isn’t the attention-grabbing feature of this phone. While technically, it’s a dual-screen handset, it doesn’t exactly work like Samsung foldable handsets. The G8X is made up of two screens rather than one that can fold up.

Please bear in mind that with two screens working simultaneously, the battery life will be reduced to just 4 hours and 56 minutes. 

OnePlus 8T - 10 hours and 49 minutes

OnePlus 8T

OnePlus 8T can well be a premium phone but its price places it in the mid-range segment.

The phone lasts for 10 hours and 49 minutes with one single charge. Even with the 120Hz refresh rate enabled, the phone still manages 9 hours and 58 minutes.

Other benefits you will get beyond a solid battery life is steady OS update and decent photo and video quality.

LG Velvet - 10 hours and 29 minutes

LG Velvet

LG Velvet is a gorgeous phone that can also last for just shy of 10 and a half hours. With support for Active Electrostatic pens, the phone can offer users the Note experience without paying through the nose for a Note phone.

Budget Phones With The Best Battery Life

Moto G Power (2020) - 16 hours and 10 minutes

Moto G Power (2020)

Moto G Power, as the name suggests, is an absolute battery life beast, lasting for more than 16 hours. At a very budget-friendly price, you will be hard-pressed to find a better option for both photography and performance. 

Moto G Power (2021) - 14 hours and 4 minutes

Moto G Power (2021)

While the 2021 Moto G Power still features the massive 5,000mAh battery but with a lower-grade processor and less RAM, it feels like this year’s model is a downgrade. Even with weaker specs, for some reason, the battery life suffers, standing at just 14 hours 4 minutes.

Moto G Stylus - 12 hours and 13 minutes

Moto G Stylus

Moto G Stylus can’t hold a candle to any Note phones from Samsung, but when it comes to battery life and prices, it comes out ahead.

OnePlus Nord N10 5G - 11 hours and 48 minutes

OnePlus Nord N10 5G

OnePlus Nord N10 5G is currently among the best budget handsets on the market and it also offers a long battery life of almost 12 hours.

Getting a 5G phone at this price point is a sweet deal. This combines with a 90Hz 6.5-inch display, and Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 processor, makes the Nord one of the best all-around phone.

>>> Photography War: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Huawei P40 Pro Plus

Next Story