Phones with best battery life this year
Which phone has the best battery life?
Here at PhoneArena we test battery life thoroughly with different tests that show the battery performance of a phone from three key aspects: battery life for simple tasks like browsing the web, battery life with video playback, and finally, battery performance with 3D gaming.
High-end phones with best battery life:
Budget phones with best battery life:
High-end phones with best battery life
*This ranking is for phones used at 60Hz refresh rate. Higher refresh rates affect battery life significantly.
#5 iPhone 11 Pro Max
Web Browsing test score: 12 hours 53 minutes
Video streaming test score: 8 hours 58 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 7 hours 30 minutes
#4 Galaxy S20+, S20
*Exynos models tested.
Web Browsing test score: 12 hours 40 minutes for S20+, 12 hours 12 minutes for S20
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 53 minutes for S20+, 10 hours 20 minutes for S20
3D Gaming test score: 8 hours 26 minutes for S20+, 7 hours 43 minutes for S20
The Galaxy S20 series might have launched at the worst possible time with the coronavirus pandemic that swept the world shortly after their launch, but Samsung has managed to cram in huge batteries in these phones and this is reflected in the battery rankings. In stark contrast with iPhones, the Galaxy S20 series are one of the longest lasting phones when it comes to video streaming, so if you are watching a lot of YouTube videos, they should definitely be on your radar.
Unfortunately, this excellent score comes with a very important disclaimer: the results you are seeing only apply if you are using the phones at 60Hz refresh rate. Opting for the smoother 120Hz option brings a big decline in battery life, so much so that the S20 series drop out of the top battery performer rankings.
#3 OnePlus 8
Web Browsing test score: 12 hours 15 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 37 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 10 hours 16 minutes
The OnePlus 8 is the first OnePlus phone that is available on Verizon Wireless, in addition to T-Mobile, marking the expansion of OnePlus to North America, and we are glad that it’s here because it scores very highly on our battery tests. With the Snapdragon 865 chip inside it, a more affordable price than the rest of the phones on this list and a quite big, 4300mAh battery, it has a balanced, long-lasting performance no matter if you use it lightly, watch videos, or play games.
#2 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
*Exynos models tested.
Web Browsing test score: 12 hours 23 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 30 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 9 hours 12 minutes
The Galaxy S20 Ultra is the phone with the biggest battery of mainstream flagships in 2020 at a 5,000mAh capacity size of the battery cell. And you can tell as it scores excellent all across and especially for streaming videos on the web where it outperforms almost every phone out there.
Unfortunately, this excellent score comes with a very important disclaimer: the results you are seeing only apply if you are using the phones at 60Hz refresh rate. Opting for the smoother 120Hz option brings a big decline in battery life, so much so that the S20 series drop out of the top battery performer rankings.
#1 Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Web Browsing test score: 14 hours 12 minutes
Video test streaming score: 11 hours 30 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 10 hours
The longest lasting flagship phone of 2020 according to our tests is the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro. Xiaomi has expanded its global presence in a huge way in the past few years, and while phones of the brand are still not sold in the United States, global customers can get a taste of truly amazing battery life with the Mi 10 Pro.
Part of the magic behind that is a big, 4,500mAh battery, part is the efficient Snapdragon 865 chip and last but not least you have the aggressive power management of the MIUI interface, and all of these come together for impressive battery performance.
Budget Phones with Best Battery Life
#2 Moto G8
Web Browsing test score: 13 hours 56 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 14 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 7 hours 4 minutes
In the realm of budget phones, the Moto G series rule the battery life game. While the Moto G8 Power Lite has a slightly better battery life than the regular G8, that Lite edition is really not recommended because of its stutter performance and multiple compromises, so we have listed the Moto G8 here.
#1 Moto G8 Power
Web Browsing test score: 15 hours 54 minutes
Video streaming test score: 8 hours 55 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 11 hours 34 minutes
And winner of our 2020 budget and overall battery life rankings is the Moto G8 Power. A phone with a 5,000mAh battery and the very power-efficient Snapdragon 665 chip inside. That combination allows the Moto G8 Power to rule when it comes to battery life.
How much can you get out of it? Well, depends on your usage, but if you stick with modest use, you can get up to 3 days on a single charge, while heavier users can still expect as much as 2 days between charges.