Big screens, superfast processors and powerful apps mean smartphone battery life has never been more important. After all, what good is that advanced camera if your handset is dead before a video game gets started? Or who wants their phone to die while watching a Nigerian short film on YouTube?
A review was made last by the Tom Guide Battery Test and the devices listed below lasted at least 8.5 hours. The review involved continuous web surfing over 4G LTE. Each phone’s display was set to 100 nits to normalise for brightness and the researchers made sure each handset was receiving at least three bars of service.
See for yourself which smartphone keeps going and going.
1. Huawei Ascend Mate 2 (14 : 43)
Huawei 6.1-inch Ascend Mate 2 4G LTE offers a vibrant, 6.1-inch display and nearly 15 hours of battery life. That’s thanks to the huge 4,050 mAh battery. Overall, the phone was found to be relatively speedy and responsive.
2. OnePlus One (13:16)
OnePlus One is one of the best Android phones anywhere. It rocks a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080-pixel display inside a sexy design with a 13-megapixel camera. The CyanogenMod interface is refreshingly slick. But it is the battery life – 13 hours and 13 minutes – that is the star of this show.
3. iPhone 6 Plus (10:00)
iPhone 6 Plus is Apple’s biggest phone, but also the longest-lasting, offering 10 hours of endurance. It beats the iPhone 6 by 2.5 hours in the test. Add in the zippy A8 processor, a fantastic camera with optical image stabilisation and a sexy design, you’ve got one of the best big screen phones, period.
4. Samsung Galaxy S5 (9:42)
The S5 may not be newest Galaxy smartphone, but if battery life is important to you, this is the Samsung to get. With 9 hours and 42 minutes of endurance, you’ll get through a full day and then some with regular use. Or you could put the phone into Ultra Power Savings Mode, which is a severely stripped-down version of the interface in gray-scale mode. It also restricts app usage, disables Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and deactivates mobile data when the screen is off. Plus, unlike the Galaxy S6, you can even replace the battery.
5. Motorola Droid Turbo (9:30)
The turbo in the Motorola Droid Turbo’s name refers to the turbocharge feature, which promises to deliver 8 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes. But you probably won’t need to bring the charger with you as this phone lasts an impressive 9 hours 30 minutes. With a 21-megapixel camera, a quad HD screen and a body tough enough to laugh in the face of a case, you have a seriously tempting flagship.
6. Alcatel One Touch Idol 3 (9: 16)
The 5.5-inch Alcatel One-Touch Idol 3 offers 9 hours 16 minutes of endurance, and it’s the first reversible smartphone, meaning you can flip it upside down and still use it without being confused by button placement. Plus this phone has an octa-core Snapdragon 615 CPU and 2GB of RAM for solid, multitasking ability.
7. ZTE Grand X Max+ (9:14)
ZTE Grand X Max+ goes for 9 hours 14 minutes of continuous web surfing. That beats the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6. When you add in the colour 6-inch display, you have a winner.
8. Motorola Moto G (9:00)
It’s not just the Moto G’s endurance that impresses: inside this water-resistant phone is a 13MP camera, Gorilla Glass 3 screen and a bevy of useful utilities, such as Moto Assistant and Google Now. Plus, you can customize the Moto G’s look through the Moto Maker website.
9. Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (8:57)
The curved, dual-edge display will have you lusting after this stunning smartphone. But 5.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’s 8 hours and 57 minutes of battery life is another good reason to choose this handset over Galaxy S6, which lasted about 30 minutes less. The S6 Edge is also the fastest phone yet, beating out the iPhone 6 and HTC One M9 in overall performance benchmarks. It also has a stellar camera, with an improved fingerprint reader and wireless charging. Just keep in mind that the battery isn’t replaceable.
10. Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (8:42)
Galaxy Note 4 is everything a good phablet should be. It offers a luscious quad HD screen, and it lasts 8 hours 42 minutes after a charge. You can get even more endurance if you engage Power Saving Mode, which turns the screen to gray-scale and allows data only while the screen is lit. The Note 4 also benefits from advanced multitasking features and a sharp camera. You will love the slick metal frame and pen input as well.
About the Writer: Osakwe Richard is an avid follower of tech news and developments around the globe and a Scrabble aficionado.
