Best phone battery life in 2024: The longest lasting smartphones

best phone battery life
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The new year is shaping up to be a big one for long-lasting handsets, as new releases keep crashing onto our best phone battery life list. All three new Samsung devices are featured, as are a pair of phones from OnePlus. And it's all headed up by the longest-lasting phone we've ever tested.

This influx of long-lasting phones is making it tougher than ever to land a spot in this best phone battery life guide. A phone would need to hold out for more than 13 hours on the battery test we run on each phone just to have a chance of breaking into the top 15 phones.

Still, some devices manage to go above and beyond that 12-hour mark. Take the ROG Phone 8 Pro, which currently heads our list. It's followed by the OnePlus 12R, an impressive midrange device that doesn't require you to pay up for outstanding battery life.

Best Phone Battery Life as of March 2024

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Our battery life rankings feature handsets available in a wide range of prices. The top two slots may be held by pricey gaming phones, but you'll find all sort of entries, some of which cost less than $300. You don't have to spend big bucks for a phone with big battery life.

In our custom battery test, we make phones surf the web continuously over 5G until they run out of juice. We set the phone's screen at 150 nits of brightness to ensure comparable results. And if the phone has a display with a fast refresh rate, we test multiple times with that feature enabled and disabled to get a sense of what kind of battery life you can expect.

The average phone lasts around 10 hours, so anything over that mark offers solid battery life. But to earn a place on the best phone battery life list, you need to go past 13 hours. Truly, we're talking about phones that offer the kind of endurance where you're less reliant on one of our best portable charger picks. 

The phones listed here were tested in the last 18 months, though four of the five longest-lasting devices have come since the start of this year. Asus, OnePlus and Samsung have the most phones on our list with three apiece. (All three new Galaxy S24 models landed on the list.) Apple and newcomer Nothing are close behind with a pair of their phones qualifying.

Here are all the top performers we've tested in the last year-and-a-half. 

Best phone battery life at a glance (hours:minutes)

  1. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 18:48
  2. OnePlus 12R: 18:42
  3. Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: 18:32
  4. OnePlus 12: 17:41
  5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 16:45
  6. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus: 16:32
  7. Motorola Edge Plus (2023): 15:47
  8. Nothing Phone 2a: 15:00
  9. Nothing Phone 2: 14:21
  10. iPhone 15 Plus: 14:14 (tie)
  11. RedMagic 8 Pro: 14:14 (tie)
  12. iPhone 15 Pro Max: 14:02
  13. Samsung Galaxy S24: 13:28
  14. OnePlus Nord N300: 13:13 (tie)
  15. Asus Zenfone 9: 13:13 (tie)

The best phone battery life in 2024

Asus ROG Phone 8.

(Image credit: Future)

1. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro (18:48)

Asus actually uses a smaller battery in the ROG Phone 8 Pro than it did in the previous version of its gaming phone. But don't worry about that — the ROG Phone 8 Pro still set a new standard on our battery test by finishing just shy of 19 hours.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro's time was 16 minutes better than the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate — not only the previous gaming phone from Asus but the last phone to set a new record on our battery test. Get an Asus gaming phone, and you'll never have to worry about running out of power mid-game.

A 65W charger that comes with the ROG Phone 8 Pro helped get a drained phone to a 71% charge 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. The phone goes on sale in February.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro review.

OnePlus 12R review

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2. OnePlus 12R (18:42)

The midrange OnePlus 12R is the longest-lasting phone we've tested that's not built specifically for gaming. 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, 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.

ROG Phone 7 review ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

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3. Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (18:32)

Last year's battery champ remains a long-lasting legend, as the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate held out for 18.5 hours on a charge. Credit goes to the device's 6,000 mAh battery as well as the energy efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that powers the phone. Speedy 65W charging helps you quickly top off that battery.

You'll probably want the more recent ROG Phone 8 Pro if you want a long-lasting device for gaming. But if you find this older model at a significant discount, the ROG Phone 7 Utimate is a good alternative.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review.

OnePlus 12 held in the hand.

(Image credit: Future)

4. OnePlus 12 (17:41)

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 more than 17.5 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. We got that time with the phone's adaptive display enabled, so you can take advantage of faster refresh rates without having to worry about that feature draining the battery.

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.

Read our full OnePlus 12 review.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on

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5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (16:45)

Meet the longest-lasting 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. The S24 Ultra's performance is 2.5 hours better than Apple's latest flagships, which are no slouches when it comes to lasting a long time on a charge.

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.

Read our Samsung Galaxy S24 hands-on.

Samsung galaxy s24 and galaxy s24 plus

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6. Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus (16:32)

The Galaxy S24 Plus can last nearly as long as the slightly larger Galaxy S24 Ultra on a charge, missing the Ultra's time on our battery test by just 13 minutes. That's an excellent result 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.

Motorola Edge Plus 2023 review

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7. Motorola Edge Plus 2023 (15:47)

We're never surprised when a Motorola phone does well on our battery test — you'll find a lot of the phone maker's devices on this best phone battery life list. Still, the Motorola Edge Plus 2023 raised a few eyebrows with its time of 15 hours and 47 minutes. We got that result with the phone's 6.7-inch display set to an automatic refresh rate, meaning that it can scale up to 120Hz as on-screen activity dictates.

But the Edge Plus supports an even higher refresh rate of 165Hz — appealing to gamers who long for immersive graphics. When we locked the phone's refresh rate at 165Hz, the Motorola Edge Plus still lasted more than 13 hours on our test, so it still would have ranked among the longest-lasting phones we've reviewed. The Motorola Edge Plus also sports 68W wired charging to top off its massive 5,100 mAh battery. We weren't blown away by the charging speed in practice, but that's one of the few disappointments we experienced when testing this excellent flagship phone.

Read our full Motorola Edge Plus (2023) review.

Nothing Phone 2a review.

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8. Nothing Phone 2a (15:00)

The less expensive of Nothing's latest phones benefits from a 5,000 mAh battery and a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset to turn in an impressive time on our battery test, lasting for exactly 15 hours. We achieved that result with the display refresh rate set to high so you don't have to worry about that feature draining battery life.

East-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 — provided you're able to get your hands on the Nothing Phone 2a, as U.S. availability is limited.

Read our full Nothing Phone 2a review.

Nothing Phone (2) held in the hand.

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9. Nothing Phone 2 (14:21)

The Nothing Phone 2 is much easier to get your hands on than the Nothing Phone 2a, and you're not losing much in terms of longevity. Equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset and a 4,385 mAh battery, the Nothing Phone 2 lasted 14 hours and 21 minutes on our battery test, topping devices powered by more recent Qualcomm silicon.

Like the Nothing Phone 2a, the Nothing Phone 2 offers 45W wired charging while also throwing 15W wireless charging into the mix. So it's easy to quickly top off the phone when you need a little extra battery life before heading out the door.

Read our full Nothing Phone 2 review.

Apple iPhone 15 Plus best phone battery life

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10. iPhone 15 Plus (14:14)

The iPhone 15 Plus doesn't just offer the best battery life of any of Apple's latest iPhones — it's the longest lasting iPhone we've ever tested, blowing past the 14-hour mark. (That said, it only beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max by 12 minutes, though we'll be discussing that model shortly.) While the iPhone 15 Plus reportedly has a bigger battery than its predecessor — Apple doesn't disclose battery sizes — it's likely the A16 Bionic that helped the current model user power more efficiently.

We wish the iPhone 15 Plus could charge faster, especially since Apple made the switch to USB-C and dropped the proprietary Lightning port. But charging speeds still top out at 20W. At least you can use the same cable on your iPhone that you would on your computer or your iPad now.

Read our full iPhone 15 Plus review.

RedMagic 8 Pro display

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11. RedMagic 8 Pro (14:14)

The RedMagic 8 Pro matches the iPhone 14 Plus' result on our battery test, making this long-lasting phone a great option for gamers who don't want their handset to fizzle out during marathon sessions. Yes, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset delivers the great graphic performance gamers demand, but don't overlook the battery life on this phone either.

With 65W wired charging speeds, it won't take long to top off the 6,000 mAh battery and get back to gaming. If you're looking for a more well-rounded phone with better camera performance, look elsewhere, but if you want to game from dusk til dawn, it's hard to beat the RedMagic 8 Pro.

Read our full RedMagic 8 Pro review.

iPhone 15 Pro Max shown in hand

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12. iPhone 15 Pro Max (14:02)

Like the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted for more than 14 hours on our battery test — a truly impressive time for one of Apple's flagship devices. We credit the A17 Pro chipset, which is built on a 3nm process. Because of that, the transistors are more densely packed than a 4nm chipset, which usually leads to more efficient power management.

ou can charge your iPhone 15 Pro Max with USB-C now that the Lightning port is a goner on all iPhone 15 models. That doesn't translate to a boost in charging speeds, though the iPhone 15 Pro Max does support USB 3 data transfer speeds of 10 Gbps when you use the right cable.

Read our full iPhone 15 Pro Max review.

Samsung galaxy s24 review

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13. Samsung Galaxy S24 (13:28)

What a difference the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset makes. Last year, Samsung's entry-level flagship turned in a better-than-average time of 10 hours and 27 minutes on our battery test. The Galaxy S24 improved upon that time by 3 hours. Yes, the S24's battery is slightly bigger at 4,000 mAh. But it's clearly the power management features of the Snapdragon silicon doing the heavy lifting here to eke out more battery life.

If you want to criticize the Galaxy S24's power management features, wired charging remains stuck at 25W. That will let you get to a 54% charge after 30 minutes, but that's not much better than what the iPhone 15 and its 20W charging speeds can do.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review.

OnePlus Nord N300 display

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14. OnePlus Nord N300 (13:13)

We have some issues with the OnePlus Nord N300, but battery life isn't one of them. This low-cost offering from OnePlus lasted 13 hours and 13 minutes on our battery test, tying the Asus Zenfone 9 and the Nubia RedMagic 6S Pro. The OnePlus Nord N300 managed to pull off this feat with its display refresh rate set to 90Hz, so you don't have to worry about a fast-refreshing display sapping the phone's battery life.

We also appreciate the 33W charging speeds that this $228 phone supports. Alas, battery life is about all this phone has going for it, as the cameras and performance underwhelmed in our testing, and OnePlus only promises one software update. The phone is an exclusive for T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile, so you'll only find it at those two carriers in the U.S.

If you don't want to spend big bucks on a long-lasting phone, the OnePlus Nord N300 may be an option, though we'd steer you to the slightly more expensive OnePlus Nord N30, which also landed on our best phone battery life rankings. 

Read our full OnePlus Nord N300 review.

Asus Zenfone 9 display

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15. Asus Zenfone 9 (13:13)

Just because the Asus Zenfone 9 is a compact device doesn't mean it can't pack a lot of battery life into its slender frame. The latest Asus flagship lasted more than 13 hours on our batter test with its adaptive refresh rate enabled. That would be impressive enough, but the Zenfone 9 did all that without turning to a beefy battery for help. The 4,300 mAh power pack certainly doesn't skimp on capacity, but compared to the 5,000 mAh cells you'll find on this best phone battery life list, it's clear Asus has worked hard to make sure the Zenfone 9 gets the most out of every charge.

On the charging front, the Zenfone 9 supports 30W speeds, and Asus includes a charger with its phone. That should allow you to top off the phone's battery fairly quickly — not that you'll need to charge this compact phone very often.

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 — once with the display set for the maximum refresh rate and once with it locked at 60Hz. We'll indicate which setting produced which battery life time in our review and in our best phone battery life rankings, though we favor phones that have a good result at highest refresh rates.

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.

Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.