Smartphones with long battery life
There are lots of things to consider when buying a new phone, and battery life is one of the most important.
Of course, it's great to have a good camera, a gorgeous touchscreen, a fast processor and more – but without any charge in your battery they're no use at all. So to help you choose the best smartphone, we've put together a list of the best performers when it comes to battery life.
A battery built to last all day
You can go further on a single charge with the Samsung Galaxy Note9, thanks to a powerful 4000 mAh battery that keeps up with you all day – and all night, too. And you can power up your Note9 quickly and conveniently without plugging it in - just put your phone down to start wireless charging. Plus, the Bluetooth-enabled S Pen lets you control your phone from a distance for 30 minutes – and only takes 40 seconds to recharge.
Long lasting, faster charging
Samsung’s flagship phone, the Galaxy Note8, is a strong performer for battery life. A brilliant choice for gaming fans – its stunning 6.3-inch screen and fast connection gives you smooth performance without draining the battery. Enjoy 16 hours of video playback, up to 22 hours talk time or up to 13 hours’ browsing on Wi-Fi. And fast and wireless charging will get you back up and running in no time.
A classic phone brought up-to-date
One of the most popular mobile phones for its long battery life, the original Nokia 3310, has had a modern-day refresh and is just as reliable as the vintage model. The new Nokia 3310 (2017) comes with a colour screen, 2-megapixel camera, and internet connectivity.
With up to 22 hours talk time and up to a month on standby, its perfect for festivals, weekends away or just as an affordable, reliable phone for mainly texts and calls.
Hints and tips to help you choose
What do HD, Full HD and Quad HD mean? And which has the best resolution?
Screen resolution depends on two things – the number of pixels in the display, and the size of the display.
The categories HD, Full HD, 2K and QUAD HD tell you the number of pixels, as follows.
- HD: 1280 x 720
- Full HD: 1920 x 1080
- 2K: 2560 x 1440
- Quad HD 4096 x 2160
If you see Full HD+ this simply means larger than Full HD.
But this only gives you half the picture. The larger the screen, the more the pixels are spread out. If you know both the number of pixels and the size of the screen, you can work out the resolution in PPI (pixels per inch).
For example, Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus has a 6.2-inch Quad HD display - which works out at 529 PPI. By contrast, iPhone X has a 5.8-inch display with 458 PPI. But since the human eye is pushed to tell the difference in resolution beyond around 300 PPI, other factors such as the ability to display a wide range of colours are at least as important – if not more.
For more on touchscreens, see our Best for touchscreens page
Is iOS more efficient for battery life than android?
Because Android and iOS devices don’t all come with the same capabilities, it’s difficult to say which phone type has the best battery life or which lasts longest. But it’s safe to say bigger battery doesn’t always mean a longer time between charges.
Some phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S8 or iPhone 7 can do more with less. If you want to know which phone is best for long battery life, check out the specs for talk time and audio playback, for example, and don’t just consider the battery size.
