Despite every element of technology advancing since smartphones first reached world-altering levels of popularity in the early 2010s, we still tolerate bad battery life in our mobile phones. It’s even written into the architecture of public buildings and transport, with charging ports now readily available on buses, trains, and in almost every coffee shop, museum, or library.
Many people have taken to charging their phones using a portable charger, or if you’re out and about for the day you may have to stop for a coffee to use a charging port. But it’s 2020 now – although the 7-day battery life of the original mobiles we loved in the 1990s and 2000s is perhaps far behind us, it’s definitely time to expect more from our phones. With technology advancing all the time, why can’t we have a reliable battery life?
What should I look out for?
Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hours (mAh), the higher the mAh, the higher the capacity. But although a phone might seem to have a large battery, there are other factors to consider too – like the efficiency of the processor, as well as how much you will use your phone.
If your screen time reports show you use your phone for 6+ hours a day, your battery life is sure to take a hit. If your phone comes with a fast charging cable, you’re less likely to need a phone with a large battery capacity.
5 Best Phones for Battery Life 2020
iPhone 11 Pro
The latest iPhone is a fantastic all-rounder with some of the best features on the market at the moment. With a 12-megapixel front and back camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera on the front, it also has excellent audio quality with a huge A13 bionic processor and graphics.
The 3,046mAh battery means that users report it lasts all day with heavy usage, without the need for a charge. If you use it less, it could easily last 2 days. On top of this, it also comes with an 18W charger for faster charging
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Known as being the iPhone’s greatest competitor, the latest Galaxy phone outdoes the iPhone on a few specifications. It has a 16-megapixel wide angle back camera and 10 mega pixel front camera, and runs on a huge Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9820 processor depending on which country you live in.
With heavy usage, the phone’s 4,100 mAh battery will easily last all day, meaning that with lesser usage, it would easily reach a day and a half. The S10 also supports wireless charging and PowerShare, meaning that you can use the phone as a charging mat for your other devices.
Huawei P30 Pro
The Huawei P30 Pro is a great phone with a 40-megapixel rear camera, a 32-megapixel front camera and a sleek design. However people looking at buying a Huawei phone should consider that Google suspended Huawei’s future access to the Android Play Store.
Running on a fast Kirin 990 processor and with a 4,200 mAh battery life, it will last around a day and a half until its next charge with heavy use, or almost two full days with lighter use. The phone also comes with excellent power saving modes to ensure you can stretch it for as long as possible.
OnePlus 7T Pro
The OnePlus 7T Pro uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor whilst offering great value for money. It has a smooth, sleek display ideal for streaming video or gaming, and its camera does let the phone down.
The 4,085 mAh battery means that it will easily last the full day when actively used to play music, videos and other streaming. It also charges fast with the included charger – a twenty-minute charge will last throughout the day.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 benefits from a great front and rear camera, as well as an included stylus that helps with usability on the huge screen. The stylus itself also has a great battery life of around 10 hours.
Running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9825, the 3,500 mAh battery will last around 9 hours through a normal day of usage. With superfast charging, a 15-minute boost will see you through to the end of the day. The phone is also wireless charging enabled.