Phones with the best battery life in 2023: these are the ones that won't leave you hanging
So you want a phone that you can trust to last you as long as you need it to? Battery life is one of the key pillars that make up a great phone and it has slowly but surely become better each year. But what are the phones that have the best battery life right now? Well, we put each phone that we review through several scenarios to answer that question.
Those are: battery life while doing simple tasks like browsing the web, battery life during video playback, and finally, battery endurance during 3D gaming. There are a number of factors that affect how long a phone's battery will last: software optimization, the power efficiency of the processor and the rest of the phone's components, battery size, temperature, and more.
We have a list for you with an overview of the phones that ranked highest in our battery tests, along with some key details about their battery life. We have divided this selection in two parts:
Pro tip:
Keep in mind that the way you use your phone can really affect its battery life. Some phones last longer if you only use them for consuming media but take a huge hit if you play games on them. Others are really good when it comes to web browsing, but fall short if you do anything else. So, make sure you check these metrics out before deciding on which one to get.
So without further ado, let's take a look at the phones with the best battery life in 2023!
Also read:
Top 5 flagship phones with the best battery life:
Top 5 budget phones with the best battery life:
Honorable mentions:
Asus Zenfone 10
Web Browsing test score: 27 hours 28 minutes
Video streaming test score: 14 hours 30 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 44 minutes
Video streaming test score: 14 hours 30 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 44 minutes
The Asus Zenfone 10 is an absolute beast when it comes to battery life, despite being one of the truly compact phones on the market! It comes with a 4,300 mAh battery inside, and performed outlandishly well during our web browsing test, where it scored more than 27 hours. It also handled video streaming very well, with a result of 15 hours of non-stop video consumption.
That being said, the story is quite different once we look at the Zenfone 10's battery life when gaming. That test seemed to drain the battery like crazy, so don't expect to game for long periods of time without a charger.
It is also important to mention that the Zenfone 10, being a very compact phone and all, comes with a very small display, so keep that in mind if you decide to purchase it.
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Web Browsing test score: 18 hours 52 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 23 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 10 hours 29 minutes
The iPhone 13 Pro Max might be nearing its 2-year anniversary, but truth be told it is still one of our top performers when it comes to overall battery life. In fact, it is battling for that number one spot. When Apple released the iPhone 13 series it quickly became obvious that we had a serious player on our hands in the battery department.
The battery capacity might be just 4,352mAh, which is less than some other flagships out there, but thanks to optimization and power efficiency the iPhone 13 Pro Max managed to reach the top. Of course, there are other factors at play, like the adaptive display refresh rate that can go from 120Hz all the way down to just 1Hz to save battery.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Web Browsing test score: 19 hours 5 minutes
Video streaming test score: 11 hours
3D Gaming test score: 8 hours 39 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 8 hours 39 minutes
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is an even match to its predecessor, with the difference in our testing being that it lasted a little more in the video streaming and web browsing test and 2 hours less in our 3D gaming one. Needless to say, Apple did not disappoint with its latest flagship either when it came to battery life.
The battery capacity is ever so slightly less at 4,323mAh and there is the new Apple A16 Bionic chip on board, which is probably the main culprit behind the lower battery life during gaming sessions.
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Web Browsing test score: 18 hours 57 minutes
Video streaming test score: 8 hours 54 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 7 hours 13 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 7 hours 13 minutes
The Galaxy S23 Ultra came in hot with a 5,000mAh battery this year, and the battery life definitely improved over the last generation of Samsung's high-end flagship. There were a lot of complaints by owners of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and it seems Samsung noticed paid attention to what its fans were saying.
Overall, on the Android side of the spectrum, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is arguably your best bet for the longest battery life, coming in very close to what the iPhone 14 Pro Max has packing in that department.
OnePlus 10T
Web Browsing test score: 15 hours 23 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 39 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 8 hours 1 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 8 hours 1 minutes
One of the main selling points for the OnePlus 10T at launch was its battery life and charging capabilities. Despite having a slightly smaller 4,800mAh battery, it lasted about an hour more during our gaming test and an hour and a half for the video streaming one compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, it fell short during the web browsing test, a few hours less.
The OnePlus 10 Pro also does very well when it comes to battery life, but since the 10T is newer and slightly better in some of the segments, we decided to include it instead.
Budget phones with the best battery life
Galaxy A34
Web Browsing test score: 16 hours 25 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 11 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 6 hours 50 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 11 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 6 hours 50 minutes
Samsung made some improvements when it came to battery life with the Galaxy A34. The phone comes with a 5,000mAh battery and is noticeably better even compared to its more expensive brother the Galaxy A54. One of the main reasons for that is the Mediatek Dimensity 1080 chipset, which is very good at sipping as little juice as possible.
Of course, the performance of the Galaxy A34 is not the best out there, but it is still good enough to have a smooth and satisfying user experience. Gaming-wise, there are some difficulties when playing more graphics-intensive titles, but as long as you keep the settings low you can still play games like League of Legends Wild Rift.
Pixel 6a
Web Browsing test score: 13 hours 51 minutes
Video streaming test score: 8 hours 51 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 6 hours 48 minutes
Video streaming test score: 8 hours 51 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 6 hours 48 minutes
Google is still selling the Pixel 6a, at a lower price at that! The company's most affordable phone comes with a 4,410mAh battery, which as quite a big battery for such a small phone. It will comfortably last most users a full day, and we even managed to stretch it to a day and a half with some moderation on our part.
When you factor in the new (and lower) $349 price tag, the still awesome camera, the good level of performance, and the Pixel 6a's battery life thrown on top, it becomes a very appealing option.
Pixel 7a
Web Browsing test score: 15 hours 27 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 7 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 20 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 7 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 20 minutes
The Pixel 7a is not that far behind its predecessor, with the only plays it really looses being our 3D gaming test (by a little more than 2 hours). It has a 4,385mAh battery capacity, which is plenty enough for a day of use. During our review the 7a still had between 30-40% of battery left after regular use. That being said, its weakness during gaming sessions definitely showed throughout our time with it.
At the end of the day, you kind of have to sacrifice some battery life with the Pixel 7a for a more powerful chipset.
Nothing Phone (1)
Web Browsing test score: 12 hours 28 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 11 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 3 hours 58 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 11 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 3 hours 58 minutes
Given that it was the new kid on the block, the Nothing Phone (1) actually did quite well in the battery life segment. Its battery has a capacity of 4,500mAh that lasted for a whole day of use, as long as you don't game that much. If you do dabble in mobile gaming, however, you better do it at a 60Hz display refresh rate, because the juice on this bad boy quickly goes down to zero.
iPhone SE (2022)
Web Browsing test score: 11 hours 53 minutes
Video streaming test score: 4 hours 28 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 28 minutes
Video streaming test score: 4 hours 28 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 28 minutes
The iPhone SE 3 is small. Like, tiny, so it is no surprise Apple has only managed to fit a 2,018mAh battery inside of it. It is definitely not your best option out of all on this list, but if you want to get a very compact phone that is also affordable, it is not too shabby. If you don't usually take a lot of videos and play mobile games, the latest iPhone SE should have enough battery to last your throughout the day.
Honorable mentions
Battery life has become a greater focus for phone manufacturers throughout the last half decade, and at this point most of the phones out there are plenty good on that front for most people. We already listed which phones we think are the best, but it would be a shame not to mention a couple more that deserve to be talked about.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
Web Browsing test score: 16 hours 35 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 50 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 5 hours 56 minutes
Video streaming test score: 10 hours 50 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 5 hours 56 minutes
The Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro comes with the largest battery out of all the phones listed here, at 6,000 mAh capacity. It kind of needs all that juice given its immense horsepower and the fact that it is a dedicated gaming phone. What's interesting is that it beats even the iPhone 13 Pro Max for video streaming.
Overall, it kind of matches the battery life of the OnePlus 10T, with a slightly higher score during our web browsing test. Where it falls short, however, is gaming. That's understandable though, as the phone is tuned to give maximum performance at the sacrifice of less power efficiency. That is why it has a dedicated gadget to cool it off and insane fast charging.
Pixel 7 Pro
Web Browsing test score: 14 hours 19 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 39 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 11 minutes
Video streaming test score: 9 hours 39 minutes
3D Gaming test score: 4 hours 11 minutes
It just wouldn't be fair not to mention Google's flagship Pixel 7 Pro. However, despite doing an overall good job it still falls a bit behind the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro Maxes, Galaxy S23 Ultras, and even the OnePlus 10Ts out there.
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 5,000mAh battery and it improves upon its predecessor in the video streaming and web browsing tests. Due to some overheating issues, however, the 3D gaming test drank up that energy juice very quickly.
Nevertheless, in our experience with the Pixel 7 Pro it lasted us a little more than a day, which definitely keeps in the "good battery life" area, just not quite the best.
How we test battery life on phones
Our independent battery life testing consists of three different segments, some of which last for days to figure out how much the phone's battery lasts in different conditions. So, to get a consistent and fare result, each phone undergoes the same web browsing, video streaming, and 3D gaming tests at a screen brightness of 200 nits, which we measure with a specialized light meter.
In our video streaming test we turn the volume to the maximum, run a specific playlist of videos, enlarge the image to fill up all of the display, and place the quality at 1080p (full HD). For our web browsing test, we run an automated script going over webpages and simulating scrolling behavior. Lastly, for our 3D gaming test we use the same game (which is a demanding modern title), with specifically tuned settings that remain unchanged for all phones.
Of course, there is nothing like the test of real-life usage, so we make sure to spend enough time with each phone to get a true feel for its battery life. Synthetic tests can sometimes go to extremes or put a phone in an unlikely scenario. On the other hand, regular usage might include some scenarios or conditions that cannot be replicated in a test.
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