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 times. There are now smartphones that don't need to be charged throughout the day and can happily run without issue for over 16 hours. For instance, we recently tested our first phone powered by the latest silicon from Qualcomm, and it delivered the best result we've ever seen on our custom battery test.
For a phone to be considered on this list it needs to hold a charge for at least 14 hours while surfing the web. We've seen a lot of competition recently, and we're waiting to see what the Snapdragon 8 Elite brings to the table, but it'll take a lot to beat the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro. This gaming-focused phone averaged a time that pushed past the 20.5-hour mark, topping the previous battery life winner by nearly 2 hours.
However, if you don't want a gaming phone then we have other devices, including some of the best Android and best iPhones on the market. For instance, the iPhone 16 Pro Max makes a fantastic showing, as well as the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Surprisingly, there's even a foldable phone here in the form of the Motorola Razr Plus 2024.
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
- Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 18:48
- OnePlus 12R: 18:08
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 17:17
- 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
- Moto G Stylus 5G (2024): 15:01
- CMF Phone 1: 14:47
- Moto G 5G (2024): 14:36
- Nothing Phone 2a: 14:28
- iPhone 15 Plus: 14:14
- Motorola Razr Plus (2024): 14:10
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. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro (18:48)
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro gives up the top spot in our best phone battery life list to its successor, but its 18 hour, 48 minute time remains one of the best we've ever seen. And with the ROG Phone 9 Pro not expected to start shipping in the U.S. until 2025, this older gaming device remains the longest-lasting phone you can buy, at least for a little while longer.
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.
3. OnePlus 12R (18:08)
The midrange OnePlus 12R is the longest-lasting phone we've tested that's not built specifically for gaming, and it's also one of three phones in our current rankings to last longer than 18 hours on our battery test. If you need to squeeze even more battery life out of the phone, you can adjust its refresh rate, as that produced a result a few minutes shy of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro's record-setting pace.
A chunky 5,500 mAh battery helps this phone last throughout the day and then some on a single charge, but credit should also go to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which powers many of the other devices on our best phone battery life list.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 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, particularly in the U.S. You can buy a $499 model with 128GB of storage in the U.S., while the OnePlus 12R starts at $599 for 256GB of storage in other parts of the world.
Even with its 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.
4. 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.
5. OnePlus 12 (17:05)
The lower-cost OnePlus 12R may be the longer-lasting phone in the OnePlus 12 series, but don't sell the flagship phone short. The OnePlus 12 still lasted a little more than 17 hours on our battery test with the help of a 5,400 mAh battery and the power management features of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 silicon. 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, 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.
Just be aware that the OnePlus 12 is about to make way for the OnePlus 13, which is already announced in China. That phone will come to the rest of the world soon enough, and when it does, it will be running on the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
Read our full OnePlus 12 review.
6. 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.
7. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (16:45)
Meet the longest-lasting Samsung flagship phone we've ever tested. 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.
Like the OnePlus 12, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is due for an update in 2025, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra waiting in the wings to take its place once the calendar turns to a new year.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. CMF Phone 1 (14:47)
There's a lot about the CMF Phone 1 from Nothing that will take you by surprise, whether it's the low price or the handset's modular design that lets you attach different cases and accessories to its back. But high on the list of welcome surprises is just how long this phone can last on a charge.
In our testing, the CMF Phone 1 was able to scroll the web continuously for 14 hours and 47 minutes. It achieved that average with its display locked on the default High setting, which supports a 120Hz refresh rate. Go with the Standard setting that turns off the faster refresh rate, and you can squeeze more batter life out of the CMF Phone 1, as we managed to get results that topped 15 hours.
Nothing includes support for 33W wired charging, which helps a drained phone get up to 62% capacity after 30 minutes. All this comes in a phone that costs less than $300 — a very good bargain for a long-lasting device with more than a few tricks up its sleeve.
Read our full CMF Phone 1 review.
12. Moto G 5G 2024 (14:36)
One of the least expensive entries on our best phone battery life list, the Moto G 5G (2024) proves once again that Motorola's G series of budget phones can be counted on to last a while on a charge. In this case, the latest edition of the Moto G 5G lasted more than 14.5 hours — and that time was recorded with the phone's 6.6-inch display set to its automatic refresh rate that can scale up to 120Hz.
A fast-refreshing display and long battery life underscore the value of the Moto G 5G, which costs just $199. You'll make some trade-offs for that price — mostly in processor speed and photo quality — but longevity isn't something you need to worry about sacrificing.
Read our full Moto G 5G 2024 review.
13. Nothing Phone 2a (14:28)
With the arrival of the CMF Phone 1, the Nothing Phone 2a is no longer Nothing's least expensive option nor its longest-lasting device. And yet, the Nothing Phone 2a is still a battery champion, thanks to the tandem of a 5,000 mAh power pack and a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset that helped it turn in a time of 14 hours and 28 minutes on our battery testing. Turning of the default adaptive refresh rate, and going with the High setting improves the time to 15 hours.
Fast-charging is something you typically don't find on cheaper phones, and yet the Nothing Phone 2a can charge at 45W with a wired connection. For less than $350, that's an impressive set of power management features.
Read our full Nothing Phone 2a review.
14. iPhone 15 Plus (14:14)
The iPhone 16 phones may offer Apple's latest and greatest hardware, but don't overlook the iPhone 15 Plus from a year ago if you're in the market for an Apple phone but don't want to pay top dollar. The iPhone 15 Plus lasted longer than both the newer iPhone 16 Pro (just barely) and the iPhone 16 on our battery test, and it's available for the same $799 that Apple charges for the iPhone 16. Not bad if you want a bigger screen and don't mind missing out on Apple Intelligence features.
Charging speeds are less impressive, though you could say that about most iPhones. A half-hour of charging refilled the phones battery to just 39%.
Read our full iPhone 15 Plus review.
15. Motorola Razr Plus 2024 (14:10)
Foldable phones aren't supposed to last a long time on a charge, but try telling that to the Motorola Razr Plus (2024). Despite limited space for a battery and both an external and internal display to keep powered up, the latest foldable Razr averaged better than 14 hours on our battery test. When we were testing the phone, we ended the day with the battery indicator at around 30% most of the time, which means you don't have to worry about looking for a place to charge up.
When it is time to charge, you can take advantage of 40W TurboPower charging, though that disappointed in our test. The Razr Plus also supports wireless charging.
If you'd like to spend even less money on your foldable, the regular Motorola Razr (2024) costs $300 less and just missed breaking the 14-hour mark in our battery testing.
Read our full Motorola Razr Plus (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.
