Quick Picks: Phones with the Longest Battery Life
If you just want the answer, here it is. All hours below are web-browsing test results from Tom’s Guide, which uses one test for all phones (continuous 5G browsing at 150 nits until the phone shuts off).
- Longest battery life overall: OnePlus 15. It lasted 25 hours 13 minutes, which Tom’s Guide called enough for about two days.
- Best cheaper pick with flagship endurance: OnePlus 15R. 21 hours 54 minutes.
- Best iPhone for battery life: iPhone 18 Pro Max. 18 hours 27 minutes, the longest of any iPhone Tom’s Guide has tested.
- Best Samsung: Galaxy S26 Ultra. About 16 hours 40 minutes on Tom’s Guide’s current test.
- Best Google Pixel: Pixel 11 Pro XL. 14 hours 28 minutes on Tom’s Guide’s test, behind the others here.
- Best budget battery phone: Moto G (2026). 19 hours 10 minutes, longer than some phones that cost several times as much.
The OnePlus phones win by a wide margin because of their very large silicon-carbon batteries, explained below.
How Phone Battery Life Is Measured (and What Really Affects It)
Battery size (mAh) is only part of the story. Two phones with the same capacity can differ by hours because of the chip, the screen and the software. Android Authority found the OnePlus 15 lasts about 40% longer on average than the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which matches its roughly 40% larger cell. That shows capacity matters, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max have similar-sized batteries (about 5,000 mAh each) and still differ by roughly two hours in Tom’s Guide’s tests, so efficiency matters too.
Why silicon-carbon batteries matter. Tom’s Guide explains that OnePlus used an anode with 15% silicon, which packs more energy into the same space. That is how the OnePlus 15 fits 7,300 mAh into a normal-sized phone. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max also moved to a bigger battery this year.
Test methods differ. Tom’s Guide runs web browsing. PhoneArena runs separate browsing, video and gaming tests. GSMArena and PCMag use their own tests. Hours from different labs are not directly comparable, so compare phones only within the same lab’s table. Tom’s Guide also notes that some older results in its chart came from a previous version of its test.
Battery Life Comparison Table
All hours are from Tom’s Guide’s browsing test unless noted. Battery sizes come from the reviews cited in Sources.
| Phone | Battery | Tom’s Guide test | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnePlus 15 | 7,300 mAh | 25:13 | 80W wired, 50W wireless charging |
| OnePlus 15R | 7,400 mAh | 21:54 | 80W wired charging |
| Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro | about 5,800–6,900 mAh (sources differ) | 20:34 | Gaming phone |
| OnePlus 13 | not confirmed | 19:45 | Older OnePlus flagship |
| Moto G (2026) | not confirmed | 19:10 | 30W wired, no wireless charging |
| Moto G Play (2026) | not confirmed | about 18:45 | About $20 cheaper than the Moto G (2026) per a secondary source |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | about 5,400–5,570 mAh (sources differ) | 18:27 | Longest-lasting iPhone tested |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 5,088 mAh | 17:54 | Previous generation |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | 5,000 mAh | 16:40 | Tom’s Guide also logged 16:10 in its original review |
| iPhone 18 Pro | about 4,056 mAh | 16:17 | Smaller, still strong |
| Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) | 5,000 mAh | 16:20 | Best foldable tested |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | 5,115 mAh | 14:28 | Other labs measured longer, see below |
The iPhone 18 Pro battery figure comes from regulatory filings reported by iThinkDiff; other outlets report slightly different capacities for the Pro Max, so treat the mAh numbers as approximate.
Best iPhones for Battery Life
iPhone 18 Pro Max (best overall iPhone). In Tom’s Guide’s test it ran 18 hours 27 minutes, beating the iPhone 17 Pro Max by 33 minutes and ahead of the Galaxy S26 Ultra by 1 hour 47 minutes. In PhoneArena’s YouTube playback test, as reported by BGR, it lasted 12 hours 6 minutes against 9 hours 36 minutes for the S26 Ultra. It starts at $1,299 (MacRumors).
iPhone 18 Pro (best smaller iPhone). 16 hours 17 minutes, which is 56 minutes better than last year’s iPhone 17 Pro and only 23 minutes behind the much larger Galaxy S26 Ultra. It starts at $1,199 (MacRumors).
iPhone 17 Pro Max (best value on battery). At 17 hours 54 minutes it is only about half an hour behind the newest model, so it is worth a look if you can find it at a discount.
Apple’s iPhones still trail the best Android phones on raw hours (the OnePlus 15 beat the iPhone 18 Pro Max by more than six and a half hours), but they last longer than the Samsung and Google flagships in these tests.
Best Android Phones for Battery Life
OnePlus 15 (best overall). Tom’s Guide called it the first phone it had seen that can comfortably last two days. Its 7,300 mAh silicon-carbon battery and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip did the work, and it charges at 80W wired and 50W wireless. PhoneArena also ranked it first among phones it tested over the previous two years. The trade-off: it is not the best camera phone, and it may not be the best fit if you want the longest software support.
OnePlus 15R (best value flagship-level endurance). A 7,400 mAh battery and 21 hours 54 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test. PCMag measured it at 23 hours, about 10 hours longer than the regular Pixel 11 Pro, as reported by SlashGear.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Roughly 16 hours 40 minutes on Tom’s Guide’s current test. It has a 5,000 mAh battery and 60W charging, so it charges faster than it lasts. It lost to the iPhone 18 Pro Max in PhoneArena’s and Mrwhosetheboss’s video tests.
Google Pixel 11 Pro XL. Tom’s Guide measured 14 hours 28 minutes, but other labs were kinder: GSMArena logged 16 hours 45 minutes and PCMag 15 hours 47 minutes (via SlashGear). It is a decent all-day phone, not a battery champion. The smaller Pixel 11 Pro lasts about an hour less in those tests.
Foldables and gaming phones. The Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) is the longest-lasting foldable Tom’s Guide has tested at 16 hours 20 minutes. The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro managed 20 hours 34 minutes but is a gaming-focused phone.
Best Budget and Mid-Range Phones for Battery Life
You do not need to spend flagship money to get two days of normal use.
- Moto G (2026): 19 hours 10 minutes on Tom’s Guide’s test, better than the pricier Moto G Power (2026), despite the name. It has 30W wired charging and no wireless charging.
- Moto G Play (2026): about 18 hours 45 minutes, and around $20 cheaper than the Moto G (2026) according to a secondary roundup. GSMArena measured 17 hours 23 minutes, nearly two hours more than the Pixel 11 Pro (via SlashGear).
- OnePlus 15R: the mid-range choice if you want more speed and a huge battery.
- Google Pixel 10a: priced at $499.99 with improved battery and charging, according to TechRadar and Tom’s Guide, though we did not find a matching test hour figure to compare it with the Motos.
Prices change often and vary by carrier and store, so check the current price before you buy.
Tips to Make Your Phone Battery Last Longer
These are general tips, not test results from the sources above.
- Lower screen brightness or use adaptive brightness. The screen is usually the biggest drain.
- Use dark mode on OLED screens and a lower refresh rate if your phone lets you.
- Turn on battery saver when you are below about 20%.
- Check which apps use the most power in your battery settings and restrict background activity for the worst offenders.
- Avoid heat. Do not leave the phone in a hot car or charge it under a pillow.
- Use Wi-Fi when you can. Weak cellular signal makes the modem work harder.
- Use optimized or adaptive charging if your phone offers it, so it does not sit at 100% all night.
- Keep software updated. Updates often include battery fixes.
FAQ
Which phone has the longest battery life right now? The OnePlus 15. It ran 25 hours 13 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test, the best result among the phones in that chart.
What is the best iPhone for battery life? The iPhone 18 Pro Max, at 18 hours 27 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test.
Which Samsung phone has the best battery life? Among the models covered here, the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It lasts about 16 hours 40 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test but trails the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
What is the best cheap phone for battery life? The Moto G (2026) at 19 hours 10 minutes, with the Moto G Play (2026) close behind and a little cheaper.
What is a silicon-carbon battery? A battery whose anode includes silicon, which stores more energy in the same space. It lets phones like the OnePlus 15 carry 7,300 mAh without getting thicker.
Why do different websites give different battery hours? Each lab uses its own test (browsing, video, gaming or mixed), so only compare numbers from the same site.
How many hours of battery life is good? On Tom’s Guide’s browsing test, phones above about 17 to 18 hours are among the longest-lasting it has tested; anything near 25 hours is exceptional.
Sources
Note: for this article I read search-result excerpts of these pages rather than every page in full, and I did not run any tests myself. Battery numbers are each lab’s own results. Prices can change.
- Best phone battery life in 2026: The longest lasting smartphones, Tom’s Guide
- iPhone 18 Pro Max and 18 Pro battery life tested, Tom’s Guide
- Galaxy S26 Ultra battery life tested, Tom’s Guide
- OnePlus 15 battery life tested, Tom’s Guide
- What are silicon-carbon batteries?, Tom’s Guide
- Power surge: the 5 longest-lasting phones of 2025, Tom’s Guide
- iPhone 18 Pro Max lasted 18 hours 27 minutes, The Mac Observer
- iPhone 18 Pro Max battery life beats Samsung and Google, iThinkDiff
- iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26 Ultra video test, BGR
- 5 smartphones with better battery life than the Pixel 11 Pro, SlashGear
- OnePlus 15 battery comparison, Android Authority
- Best battery life phones in 2026, itechguides (secondary roundup)
Checked 8 November 2026.
About the Author
Aman Ullah Hridoy
Founder & Content Creator
I’m Aman Ullah Hridoy, the founder of Technolozia. I write about technology, software, gadgets and practical how-to guides to help readers understand tech and make smarter digital choices.
