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Manufacturers love to talk about how much battery life you can get out of their phone. They will tell you how big the battery is and spit out a bunch of numbers for talk time and other scenarios. The problem is these numbers rarely ever transition over to real life use. So, what Android phones actually get great battery life when put up to the test? We’ve selected five flagship devices that can be purchased right now. Each one has undergone battery stress tests. Which device wins?
LG G2
The LG G2 is a favorite around these parts, but you may not have thought about the battery life. The G2 outperformed many other Android phones in most battery stress tests. Talk time lasted a very nice 25 hours and 12 minutes. While continuously surfing the web the G2 lasted 11 hours and 22 minutes. In continuous video playback the G2 lasted a 11 hours and 51 minutes. LG should definitely be marketing the battery life of the G2 more.
Motorola Droid Maxx
This is the device everyone expects to see on this list. After all, Motorola designed this phone specifically to have a long-lasting battery. Surprisingly the Maxx did not perform as well as some of the other devices. Talk time for the Maxx was 21 hours and 18 minutes. The continuous surfing test last just 9 hours and 12 minutes. Continuous video playback yielded better results with 16 hours and 35 minutes. The Maxx is still a beast if you need more juice.
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
A big phone means more room for a big battery, and that is exactly what the Galaxy Note 3 has. For talking on the phone you will get 18 hours and 12 minutes. In the continuous web surfing test the Note 3 lasted a very impressive 9 hours and 12 minutes. During continuous video playback the Note 3 lasted another very impressive score of 13 hours and 32 minutes. If the gigantic size of the Note 3 doesn’t bother you this is a great option for a long-lasting device.
HTC One Max
Most people forget that HTC has a “Max” device of their own. In this case, however, the “Max” is in regard to the screen size. Still, a big body means a lot of space for battery. The talk time for the One Max was a respectable 22 hours and 13 minutes. While continuously browsing the web the M8 lasted for 11 hours and 20 minutes. Video playback yielded a result of 13 hours and 11 minutes. HTC has done a nice job here with battery life.
Sony Xperia Z1
The Xperia Z1 was very scattered in battery tests. The Z1 performed better than all the devices on this list in talk time with an insane 26 hours and 53 minutes. In web browsing and video playback, however, it lagged far behind. Web browsing lasted just 5 hours and 59 minutes while video playback was 6 hours and 12 minutes. If you do a lot of talking on your phone the Z1 is a nice choice.
For our money it seems the LG G2 has the most impressive results for a device that isn’t even marketed for superb battery life. It outperforms even the Droid Maxx. mAh’s may be an impressive number to show on a spec sheet, but that isn’t the whole story. Real life use can yield much different results. Are you happy with the battery life of your phone? Do you own one of these devices?
Data collected from GSMArena
My G2 has awesome battery life… Love it!!!
Do you get any heating problems with the G2? Mine gets really warm when gaming or 1080p videos. Temp is around 38 degrees celsius.
Xperia Z1 Compact and it’s not even close.
Best phone for me to show a major improvement out of all phones after rooting and ROM’n…especially for its capabilities..It would have to be the Original HTC Evo 4G from ’10. 4-6 hours of battery life even at its minimum usage was the most abysmal thing. But when rom’d on with version 2.3.7 from Cyanogenmod it gave battery values up to 3 times longer then what HTC’s coding could do. On Wifi the phones time got even more and I tested at 31 hours with minimal usage. HTC Built a solid device but could not capitalize on the incredible values the devs squeezed out of it. Worst has to be my Sprint Galaxy Nexus uuughh…no comment on that phones battery.
The reigning kings on battery life have to be the G Flex, Note series, and G2 and HTC Max. Gorillas of phones.
Yeah. Totally agree on the EVO 4G with CM7.
The battery life was actually fantastic with that ROM, considering what it was with the stock Sense ROM, which for my wife, wasn’t TERRIBLE, but it was noticeably lower than CM7. Ironically, with regards to a Galaxy Nexus (I have the GSM one), I was very happy with its battery life (especially on Android 4.3).
Test lg g flex
Of course it’s all the large phones lol
Moto x ?
G-Flex
Are the Web surfing numbers over wifi or cellular?
Is this testing done as they are out of the box? Are they on the same carrier? Are they configured for the same WiFi hotspots? Without knowing the conditions of the test, it’s hard to judge the conclusions.
Another thing to note is the difference between battery life and efficiency. Are larger batteries being used to cover up less efficient devices?
Yes, I was thinking something very similar. Battery life nowadays just seems like something that’s VERY subjective and not really anything that can be generalized too much.
So many users configure their devices in so many ways that affects batter life and you also have the “serious” Android users who root their devices and record some crazy good battery stats.
why isn’t the htc butterfly s in this list?
Funny, but didn’t the Note 2 outlast the Note3?
I had the note 2 I’m currently have the note 3, the battery life was definitely better on my note 2
The Nexus 5 has very respectable battery life considering the small battery.
My Nexus 4… Um yeah I’ll just stop there and look longingly at the numbers above…
Battery Guru from Snapdragon is the best app you’ll ever use. I had it on my N4, now N5 and it’s phenomenal
Got the G2 & FLEX. While I don’t get the life that most report on the G2,it’s still more than enough to get through a single day w/o resorting to conservative use tricks.
However,w/the G-FLEX,I can easily breeze through a day’s use & probably could get two days use w/little to no problem.
I believe it’s not only due to the increased battery size,but the material used in the battery construction also plays a part in the long life
720p helps a lot too…
I’ve been routinely getting around 36 hours out of a full charge with moderate usage on my Nexus 5 running stock KitKat, which I consider quite good compared to all my previous Android phones. By way of comparison, my Galaxy Nexus got about 22 hours with similar usage pattern, and the LG G2x before that lasted absolutely terrible 10 hours. My G1 and Nexus One lasted around 13 hours.
I’ve been very pleased with my Nexus 5, too. It EASILY lasts a full 24 hour day with heavy usage from me and over two to three days with moderate usage.
I was actually very pleased with my G’Nex’s battery life, as well. It would last me two or three days with a few hours of screen on time on HSPA+ (especially on Android 4.3). When you realize how these devices keep getting larger screens and more powerful CPUs, it’s amazing to see how their efficiency has also gone up (though, so have battery sizes). Gotta love progress.
I absolutely never achieve a 24h life out of my Nexus 5. It’s the main reason I re-sold it. Your usage has to be quite light.
I spend a day every once in a while out by the train tracks (I’m a railfan). I use my phone to help fill the void when there are no trains coming by, or if I’m monitoring a certain train’s movements. I can get 24hrs+ out of my battery with 3-4 hours of screen-on time easily, along with surfing on LTE and screen brightness above 50% since I’m usually outdoors.
On days I’m not trackside, I average about 1-2 hours of screen-on time and get 36-48 hours of life out of the battery before dropping below 10% remaining.
No, we actually know how to maintain our phones and not install apps that drain our battery crazily. I can easily get five hours of screen on time with the nexus 5. Also, I don’t want to be one of those idiots who walks into a restaurant and crosses the street while staring at his phone.
I may be “one of those idiots” (thanks for that), and I need a smartphone with a consequent battery life. The Nexus 5 is not. Just saying.
so you just happen to use your phone the exact perfect amount of time one should use their phone… and you only use your phone with the exact perfect amount and a very specific set of apps one should use on their phone?
No, sir. I don’t use my phone lightly (quite the opposite, actually), but it does come down to variations on app usage, network strength and type, background processes, and just your general usage patterns that can create a large void that we’re seeing here.
I get a lot of people calling me a liar about my battery life, but honestly I have no reason to lie about it on some random website. I know you didn’t call me a liar, but I’m just making a general statement. If you check XDA, you see plenty of threads where people get as good or better battery life than me. Then, if you check again, you’ll see just as many getting even worse battery life than you, (thus it comes down to the variations I mentioned above).
100% ok with that. Battery life numbers are meaningless compared to others’.
I only compare battery life achieved with MY usage (constant) on a given device to the battery life I get with another device (with the same user behavior : mine).
From full charge when I wake up (06:15), I kill :
– N4 at 17:00
– N5 at 20:00
– i4S at 20:00
– GS4 at 21:00
– i5S at 23:00
Nexus 5 = not good.
I really love my new HTC one m8. But I’m missing the battery life I had on the G2. I was never a fan of LG’s UI. Love the features, just hated the lookk. So I don’t have no regrets, but the battery on the G2 is way better.
LG G2’s battery was great out the box, then I got the 4.4.2 update and it’s crazy! I took it off the charger at 7:10 am, it’s 5:30pm and I’m at 67%!freaking amazing
TL;DR: phones with larger batteries have the better battery life.
Seems pretty obvious. They all have 3000+ MAh.
a few reviews stated that the m8 with its 2600 mah battery was pretty close to the G2’s… which makes things interesting.
It is. I’ve had it for 2 days and the battery life is VERY impressive. I’m getting about double the time from my m7, and even with really heavy use since 7am today (since its new and shiny i’ve been all over it lol) i’m at 41% right now with 4.5 hours screen on time. There is a XDA thread showing people getting 6-8 hours as well which of course I cannot find..
Some links
http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-m8/374529-htc-one-m8-battery-life.html
http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M8-battery-life-test-excellent-endurance_id54352
Yeah. HTC does some really awesome optimization on their part, both in the UI smoothness (it’s, by far, the smoothest third party skin, IMO) and battery life department.
I saw a video with someone who got 6 and a half hours of screen on time over about 18 hours of use (half 3G, half Wi-Fi), which is pretty darned good. HTC makes due with smaller batteries where Samsung would need to chuck in an extra large one using the same SoC (SGS5, for example).
I’ve been quite happy with my Nexus 5’s battery life. I regularly see 2+ days off the charger with 3-4 hours of screen on time, on LTE.
I know everyone would like a larger battery, but what is in there now is definitely MORE than adequate, IMO. Certainly very respectable for a 2300 MAh capacity.
I’m sorry but this list is so wrong. Who did this? The G flex has the best battery life of any android phone and its not even here.It should have been selected cause it really has outstanding battery life. Wow.
I agree 100%
My holster broke on my note 3 now, I have to carry it in my hand like a savage lol
The Z1 compact has better battery life than the Z1 apart from call tests.
Phandroid forgot the G Flex. It’s battery beats the G2s battery. I have both and the G Flex can go two days for me with real heavy usage!
The M8 has beaten my S3 by long run.. I haven’t had to plug up since before I got out the car to go to work ten hours ago.. I’m digging it.
Nexus 6 will have 3 day battery back up http://www.nexus6price.com
This might as well be titled “What android phones are freaking huge?”.
You should scale this by size of the phone.
That would have made it an unnecessarily complicated list. Two of the phones are 6 inch phones and three are 5 inch. I just want to know straight up, which has the best battery.
But I give you points for the humor. I laughed out loud at your comment about “which phones are freaking huge.”
Was the Moto X tested?
I have the G2 and my wife has the Droid Maxx. Both great phones. I am just speculating but I don’t think they put the GFlex on here because it’s a niche phone, but I’m just guessing.
Well we all know the sgs4 is already dead and gone