If you had asked me a few years ago what I considered to be the weakness of modern smartphones compared to older phones, I'd have said the battery. When you look at phones from before modern smartphones, the batteries would last days compared to hours of smartphones.
However, we have seen some amazing progress when it comes to modern smartphone battery longevity. There are now smartphones that don't need to be charged throughout the day and can happily run without issue for more than 16 hours. And the figures to be the case throughout 2025, as the latest top-of-the-line silicon includes power management features among its top benefits.
So far we've tested four devices that run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. All of them have landed on our best phone battery life list, with two — the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro and the OnePlus 13 — holding down the top two spots.
And it's not just the Snapdragon 8 Elite behind the sudden rise in smartphone battery life. For a phone to even be considered for inclusion on our list of long-lasting devices, it needs to hold a charge for at least 15 hours while surfing the web. Not too long, 13 hours would have been good enough. (And mind you, any phone that lasts 13 hours on our test is still a long-lasting device.)
The test numbers we use in the above chart reflect the results we got when testing each phone at their default setting for a display's refresh rate. Often, that means a phone can adjust that rate during our test. We believe that using the default setting is the best way to get comparable results, but since we also test at different refresh rate settings to see what impact that can have on battery life, we'll note in the write-ups below when phones produced significantly different results after adjusting the refresh rate on their displays.
We've also adjusted the times of some recently released phones as we've had a chance to run additional battery tests on them. The numbers in our battery life rankings reflect averages calculated from multiple tests.
Best phone battery life at a glance (hours:minutes)
- Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro: 20:34
- OnePlus 13: 19:45
- OnePlus 13R: 18:49
- Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 18:48
- Moto G 2025: 18:32
- OnePlus 12R: 18:08
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 17:17
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: 17:14
- OnePlus 12: 17:05
- Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra: 17:01
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 16:45
- iPhone 16 Plus: 16:29
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: 15:58
- Samsung Galaxy S25: 15:43
- Moto G Stylus 5G (2024): 15:01
The best phone battery life in 2024
1. Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro (20:34)
Asus continues to set the battery life standard with its ROG phones. The latest entry, the ROG Phone 9 Pro pushes things out even further, with the phone posting an average time of 20 hours and 34 minutes on our battery test. That time came with the phone's display set to an adaptive refresh rate. Locking the screen at its highest refresh rate — 165Hz — did put a hit on battery life, cutting the ROG Phone's performance by nearly 6 hours. But even that 15-hour, 41-minute time would have put the ROG Phone 9 Pro in 10th place on our best phone battery life list.
Yes, the big battery inside the ROG Phone 9 Pro helps provide multi-day battery life. But the 5,800 mAh power pack has some help from the power-efficient Snapdragon 8 Elite chip running the show. This chipset figures to power a lot of top Android phones coming out in the next year, so the ROG Phone 9 Pro's battery performance is an exciting preview of what to expect even if you're not necessarily inclined to get a gaming phone.
On the charging front, support fot 65W means you can top off the ROG Phone 9 Pro's battery quickly. In our tests, we got a drained phone to a 74% charge after 30 minutes. Combine that charging speed with the epic battery life, and you'll never need to worry about a gaming session cut short.
Read our full Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review.
2. OnePlus 13 (19:45)
The first major flagship phone released in 2025 also delivers impressive battery life, as the OnePlus 13 approaches the 20-hour mark on our battery test. Certainly, the 6,000 mAh power pack plays a big role in that longevity, but like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, the OnePlus flagship reaps the benefits of the Snapdragon 8 Elite and its more efficient performance.
You'll also get blazing fast charging speeds — 80W in in the U.S. and 100W in other parts of the world. Using an 80W charger in our testing, we got a drained OnePlus 13 up to a 92% charge after 30 minutes. Wireless charging is fast, too, with the OnePlus 13 supporting 50W wireless speeds.
Read our full OnePlus 13 review.
3. OnePlus 13R (18:49)
Given the OnePlus 13's strong performance on our battery test, it's no surprise to find the OnePlus 13R, too. After all, the midrange phone from OnePlus has the same 6,000 mAh battery as its flagship sibling. And while the OnePlus 13R turns to an older chipset to help keep its costs down, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 isn't **that** old. In fact, it powers many of the devices already on our best phone battery life list, so the OnePlus 13R benefits from the excellent power management of Qualcomm's silicon.
Like the OnePlus 13, the OnePlus 13R charges quickly, too, with support for up to 80W wired charging speeds in the U.S. (There's no wireless charging support, another concession to the OnePlus 13R's lower price.) After 30 minutes of charging with the included 55W charger, our OnePlus 13R reached the 60% mark for battery capacity, which is in line with what OnePlus promises.
Read our full OnePlus 13R review.
4. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro (18:48)
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro has been surpassed by its successor, even if the older phone's 18 hour, 48 minute time on our test still impresses. If you can find the phone at a discount, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is still a good gaming option when you don't want battery life concerns interrupting your gameplay.
While the ROG Phone 9 Pro made a big lead ahead of the ROG Phone 8 Pro's time, this model improved on its successor by just 16 minutes on our test. Of course, the ROG Phone 8 Pro did that with a smaller battery than its predecessor, making its result look even more impressive.
Like the ROG Phone 9 Pro, you get a 65W charger with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and charging results were similar — 71% on a drained phone after 30 minutes of charging. By 50 minutes, the phone was completely charged. So you're never really out of the game with this long-lasting phone from Asus at your side.
Read our full Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro review.
5. Moto G 2025 (18:32)
Motorola continues to set the standard for low-cost phones that last a long time on a charge. The 2025 edition of the Moto G may cost just $199, but Motorola certainly didn't skimp on battery life, as the 5,000 mAh power pack helped this budget phone last for 18.5 hours on our test. That's nearly four hours better than last year's model, the Moto G (2024).
We reached that time with the Moto G's display set to default, which means its refresh rate varies between 60Hz and 120Hz. Locking the screen at 60Hz added a few extra minutes to the Moto G's time, but no matter how fast the refresh rate, you can count on a long-lasting phone. And the 30W wired charging speed can get the drained battery to more than 50% after 30 minutes of charging.
Read our full Moto G (2025) review.
6. OnePlus 12R (18:08)
The OnePlus 13R may be the longer-lasting midrange model for OnePlus these days, but last year's OnePlus 12R isn't that far off the pace set by its successor. And with the OnePlus 13R boasting a higher starting price, you wouldn't be off-the-mark by turning to the still-impressive OnePlus 12R if you want a long-lasting phone for less.
A chunky 5,500 mAh battery helps this phone last more than 18 hours on our battery test — and that was with its adaptive refresh rate turned on. Disable that feature, and you can squeeze even more battery life out of the 12R.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the OnePlus 12R may be an older chipset, especially with Snapdragon 8 Elite phones now emerging, but that's what allows OnePlus to offer the 12R at such a low price. With the OnePlus 13R now available, it may be possible to find the OnePlus 12R for even less than its initial $499 price..
Even with that lower price, the OnePlus 12R doesn't skimp on OnePlus' trademark fast-charging. With 80W wired charging speeds in the U.S., we got the phone to a 96% charge after 30 minutes. Don't expect wireless charging, though.
Read our full OnePlus 12R review.
7. iPhone 16 Pro Max (17:17)
Additional testing dropped the iPhone 16 Pro Max's average time from its high of 18:06 to 17:17, but don't be disappointed by that. This is still the longest-lasting phone Apple has ever offered.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max not only features a larger battery, but the A18 Pro silicon running the show exhibits excellent energy efficiency. The iPhone 16 Pro also runs on an A18 Pro chipset, and it just missed making our list even though it has a much smaller battery than the Pro Max.
Despite reports that 45W charging might be possible the iPhone 16 Pro Max is limited to 30W charging speeds, which helps it get to a respectable if not overwhelming 55% charge after 30 minutes.
Read our full iPhone 16 Pro Max Review.
8. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (17:14)
The Galaxy S25 Ultra had a high bar to clear, given the stellar time last year's Galaxy S24 Ultra produced on our battery test. Yet, the S25 Ultra was able to beat that result by more than 45 minutes, even though its battery hasn't changed from 5,000 mAh. Credit the power management features of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset for pushing Samsung's premium flagship to new heights of staying power.
Charging speeds haven't changed from previous models, but at least 45W wired charging can get the Galaxy S25 Ultra's drained battery up to 71% after half-an-hour. Samsung added Qi2 wireless charging support to this year's S25 series, but didn't include the necessary magnets on its new phones. You'll need to add a Qi2 case to reap the benefits of this new wireless charging standard.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review.
9. OnePlus 12 (17:05)
The OnePlus 12 gives way to the OnePlus 13, not only as the latest flagship phone from the phone maker but also in terms of battery life. It may finish 2.5 hours behind its successor on our battery test, but the OnePlus 12's time of 17-plus hours is nothing to readily dismiss — this is a long-lasting phone that makes the most of its 5,400 mAh battery and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Curiously, locking the display's refresh rate at 120Hz adds another half-hour or so to the test result, instead of the default adaptive setting.
Unlike the OnePlus 12R and 13R, the OnePlus 12 offers wireless charging, which makes its welcome return to OnePlus' flagships. Wired charging supports 80W speeds in the U.S., compared to 50W wireless speeds.
Read our full OnePlus 12 review.
10. Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra (17:01)
At this point, it would be a surprise if Asus didn't produce a long-lasting phone. The Zenfone 11 Ultra joins the last two ROG Phones in dominating our battery life rankings. In the case of the Zenfone 11 Ultra, the phone average just over 17 hours on our battery test with its 6.78-inch display set to an automatic refresh rate. In some test runs, the Zenfone got very close to the 18-hour mark, so count on all-day battery with this device.
Even better, the Zenfone 11 Ultra's appeal goes beyond endurance and gaming, as Asus has equipped the phone with an especially bright and colorful display. We appreciate how a 6-axis gimbal boosts the stability of the phone's 50MP main camera, even if we wish that the photo-processing capabilities were a little more refined. You can enjoy 65W wired charging, too, though you will need to provide your own charger to take full advantage of that feature.
Read our full Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra review.
11. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (16:45)
Meet the longest-lasting Samsung flagship phone we've ever tested — at least until the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered Galaxy S25 models arrive later this month. The Galaxy S24 Ultra finished 15 minutes shy of the 17-hour mark, beating out last year's flagship phone from Motorola by nearly an hour. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra finished 2.5 hours ahead of the best performing iPhone 15 model, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has since come along to take the S24 Ultra's long-lasting flagship crown.
Samsung didn't increase the battery size in the Galaxy S24 Ultra — it remains at 5,000 mAh. So we have to credit the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powering the phone for its excellent efficiency. It's also worth noting we recorded that time with the S24 Ultra's adaptive refresh rate turned on, so the Qualcomm chipset does a great job managing power.
Charging speeds remain at 45W, but we managed to get a 71% charge after 30 minutes using a 45W USB-C charger. Samsung doesn't include such a charger with its phone, so if you want top charging speeds, you'll need to pick up this accessory on your own.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review
12. iPhone 16 Plus (16:29)
The iPhone 15 Plus wowed us last year by offering 14 hours and 14 minutes of battery life — exceeding the performance of the iPhone 15 Pro Max in the process. While the iPhone 16 Plus finished behind the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it did gain a considerable boost to its longevity over its predecessor.
Specifically, the new model posts a 2 hour-plus gain in our battery test, which is pretty impressive for a phone that already held out a long time on a charge. Credit is likely split between the improved power efficiency of the A18 chipset inside the iPhone 16 Plus and the fact that Apple equipped the phone with a bigger battery. (Just how big, Apple hasn't said, but expect that information to come out, once people get a chance to teardown the phone.)
As for charging, you're looking at regaining 55% in 30 minutes, which matches the charging results we recorded with Apple's more expensive Pro models.
Read our full iPhone 16 Plus review.
13. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus (15:58)
The Galaxy S24 Plus lasts about an hour less than the slightly larger Galaxy S24 Ultra on a charge, though if you turn off the adaptive refresh rate on the Plus, you wind up with Ultra-like longevity. Even finishing just shy of 16 hours with the adaptive refresh rate turned on is an excellentresult for a phone with a 4,900 mAh battery and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. (At least in North America — S24 Plus models in the rest of the world use Exynos 2400 silicon.)
Charging speeds haven't changed from the Galaxy S23 Plus, as the S24 Plus charges at 45W wired. With a compatible charger, we got a drained Galaxy S24 Plus to a 72% charge in 30 minutes, similar to what we saw with the S24 Ultra.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus review.
14. SamsungGalaxy S25 (15:43)
Samsung's entry-level flagship doesn't have a lot of room inside for a big battery. Indeed, the Galaxy S25 uses the same 4,000 mAh power pack as its predecessor. Still, the Galaxy S25 was able to overcome this obstacle to dramatically improve on battery life year over year, as its 15 hour and 43 minute result on our test beat last year's Galaxy S24 by nearly 2.5 hours.
Credit the Snapdragon 8 Elite powering the phone for delivering strong performance without as much impact on the battery. And credit Samsung for using that silicon in all Galaxy S25 models, so that users around the world can get the same long-lasting device.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 review.
15. Moto G Stylus 5G 2024 (15:01)
Motorola's G series phones have a strong reputation for lasting a long-time on a charge. The best of the bunch from this year's batch of G series updates is the Moto G Stylus. It lasted a little more than 15 hours on our test, and that was with the 6.7-inch display's refresh rate alternating between 60Hz and 120Hz. Turn off that default feature, and you can push that average time to 15 hours and 55 minutes.
The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) gives you more than just a massive battery and fast 30W charging speeds. It comes with a built-in stylus that's useful for scribbling notes or sketching on the phone's display. The Moto G Stylus may lack some processing muscle and its cameras are passable at best, but for less than $400, you get a bright display, a stylish design and all the battery life you could ask for.
Read our full Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) review.
How we test for the best phone battery life
Every phone we review goes through extensive testing in addition to being put through everyday use. The test most relevant to determining the best phone battery life is our proprietary Tom's Guide Battery Life test. (You can get a full rundown of the testing we conduct in our guide to how Tom's Guide tests and reviews smartphones.)
In this test, we set the display of a phone to 150 nits, so that we can get consistent results. We then run a script on the phone that makes it surf the web via its default browser app until the phone runs out of power and we time the results. Phones with longest endurance land on the best phone battery life list, though we cycle out devices older than 18 months to keep our list of longest-lasting phones current.
Many smartphones — particularly premium models — now offer displays with faster refresh rate settings. Because a high refresh rate can drain the battery of a phone faster, we'll test phones multiple times, first at the phone's default settings and then at different refresh rates. The times in our best phone battery life rankings reflect tests run with the default settings in place, but we'll note when adjusting the settings produces a dramatically better result.
We run one other test on smartphone batteries, timing how long it takes for a drained phone to charge. We'll note the percentage charge after 15 and 30 minutes of charging a phone that's run out of power. We'll use the charger that comes with the phone for this test; in cases where a phone ships without a charger — increasingly coming among premium handsets — we'll use a charger that's capable of delivering the fastest charging speed supported by the phone as listed in the device specs.
Battery testing is one part of the tests we run to review phones. We also run benchmarks to evaluate a phone's performance, measure screen brightness and color reproduction to rate its display and take multiple pictures to evaluate cameras. All those help us assign ratings to devices in our smartphone reviews, though for the purposes of the best phone battery life list, our battery test is the only result affecting rankings.
