Phones with best battery life 2026 - buyer’s guide

The OnePlus 15 runs on the latest and greatest from Qualcomm, handling high loads very well. It has an excellent display, fast charging, chart-topping battery life, and a robust design that's easy to like. Don't forget the smooth and convenient software experience. It's an excellent all-rounder with some camera missteps.

With the new 15, OnePlus is seemingly changing its strategy. By removing the Hasselblad branding and downgrading the cameras from the OnePlus 13, the newer OnePlus is focusing more on the other aspects, leaving the Oppo Find X9 Pro as the absolute best cameraphone in the family. This way, the company is avoiding direct, homegrown competition with Oppo.

But even with the downgraded camera hardware, the OnePlus 15 offers more than a decent camera experience overall. It's not entirely flagship cameraphone-worthy and the ultrawide and selfie cameras leave more to be desired, but the phone easily compensates in other aspects.

The OnePlus 15 is a solid all-round flagship, the one with the best battery lifes, which is exactly the point of this category and it deserves the top spot.

The Realme P4 Power is all about battery life. It's a great solution for anyone who's constantly on the go. And in this respect, Realme has created a true champion.

The rest of the features, however, are somewhat unremarkable. There are no deal-breakers, but you can definitely find phones with better cameras, nicer builds, louder speakers and even more powerful chipsets. And even though Realme uses cheaper materials, the charging speed is adequate, and the display is solid.

Let's not kid ourselves, though. You came here for the battery tech and probably charging. It's going to be one of those rare instances where we'd gladly recommend the phone because of this one particular novelty. Users have been asking for huge batteries for years now, and we finally have them. It's not a gimmick, it's just a nice midrange phone with a huge battery that doesn't make it look like a brick.

The Poco X8 Pro Max is exactly the kind of phone that helped build Poco's reputation in the first place. It offers a well-rounded package with very few compromises and a handful of standout features, all while keeping the price firmly in the "flagship killer" territory.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the X8 Pro Max is its battery. The massive 8,500mAh unit delivers outstanding endurance in our tests, easily ranking among the longest-lasting phones we've ever reviewed. Combine that with 100W charging, and you end up with a device that is not only hard to drain but also quick to refill when you eventually do.

Performance is another strong point. The Dimensity 9500s might not be the absolute top-tier silicon in MediaTek's lineup, but it delivers excellent real-world performance and plenty of headroom for demanding games and heavy multitasking. HyperOS 3 runs smoothly on top of it.

The display is also easy to like. It's large, sharp, very bright and supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The symmetrical stereo speakers complement it nicely, making the phone well-suited for media consumption.

The camera system is headlined by a very capable 50MP main camera that produces lively photos with plenty of detail both during the day and at night. The ultrawide is less exciting, and the lack of a dedicated telephoto might disappoint some users, but the overall camera experience remains solid for the price class.

Ultimately, the Poco X8 Pro Max manages to deliver a lot of flagship-grade features without straying too far from Poco's value-focused roots. Between the excellent battery life, strong performance, capable cameras and bright AMOLED display, it's a very easy phone to recommend for anyone looking for maximum bang for their buck.

iQOO’s top-end offering is once again an excellent all-rounder with chart-topping battery life, striking a solid balance between price, hardware and features. That still holds true even with the massive price hike taken into account. Sure, we could justify the price increase given the hardware upgrades, but it is higher than expected. As a result, the iQOO 15 now has to go up against flagships from more established brands, and that will be a challenge..

It may not be the most impressive cameraphone, mainly due to its ultrawide and selfie shooters, and charging speed is not among the fastest, but it still comes remarkably close to far more expensive flagships. The display is bright and smooth, battery life is excellent, and it is one of the few Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones that make use of several handy gaming features.

So is it worth getting? Yes. Even at its launch price, the iQOO 15 is very easy to recommend. It is just a shame that its market availability remains limited to a select few countries.

The OnePlus 15R with its recent price cuts has begun to look like a proper flagship killer, packing plenty of top-notch features including impressive battery life.

The 15R offers a likable and durable design that can be universally praised. Then there is the bright HDR display with a smooth refresh rate. Our positive impressions were topped off with absolutely incredible battery life. Of course, we cannot but mention the powerful speakers, fast charging, and the more than adequate raw and sustained performance.

Cameras have become a pillar across modern smartphones, and the OnePlus 15R's main camera offers superb photo and video quality across the board, plus incredibly solid video stabilization. The selfies turned out pretty good, and that basic 8MP ultrawide shooter saves above-average daylight photos.

Some of the things we didn't particularly like are the limited use for the 165Hz refresh rate support and the lack of a proper telephoto camera - cheaper phones have better specs right now. And there is no wireless charging support, a feature that is quite popular in the US market.

But that's about it. The OnePlus 15R is a very good smartphone, ticking all the right boxes and delivering on every promise.

The Xiaomi 17 is a solid all-around flagship phone with no critical flaws in any aspect, despite its size and overall portability. It's the perfect choice for users looking to buy into the premium Android experience, without having to deal with today's humongous screens.

The ultrawide camera may not be the phone's strongest suit, and the zoom camera has a modest focal length, but it gets everything else right. The display is flawless, the battery life is chart-topping, charging is more than decently fast, and the simple and elegant build is easy to like. We just wish the telephoto camera had a longer optical zoom like most competitors and a nicer ultrawide camera that's as wide as its name suggests.

Overall, despite the couple of shortcomings, the Xiaomi 17 is one of the best compact flagships you can get right now, especially considering its exceptional battery life.

The vivo V70 FE ends up being a rather interesting entry in the V70 lineup. On paper, it looks like a trimmed-down version of the vanilla model, but in practice, it manages to carve out its own identity with a few standout traits of its own.

For starters, the V70 FE leans heavily into endurance and day-to-day usability. The massive 7,000 mAh battery is easily one of its strongest selling points, delivering excellent longevity that few competitors in the segment can match. Pair that with reasonably quick 90W charging and a well-optimized, fluid OriginOS 6 experience, and you get a device that feels reliable and easy to live with.

The display is another highlight. It's large, sharp, and feature-rich, with HDR10+ support and excellent peak brightness in auto mode. Add to that the surprisingly capable stereo speaker setup, and the V70 FE turns into a solid multimedia companion.

At the same time, there are some compromises that are hard to ignore. Performance is adequate but unremarkable for the price class, with the Dimensity 7360 Turbo trailing behind many direct competitors. The camera experience is also somewhat inconsistent - the 200MP main sensor can produce nice results, especially at night, but its unreliable behavior in daylight and weak zoom performance hold it back from being truly competitive.

Build-wise, while the IP68/IP69 rating is commendable, but the plastic construction does feel like a step down compared to some rivals offering more premium materials.

All things considered, the vivo V70 FE is a well-rounded device with a clear focus on battery life, display quality, and overall user experience rather than raw performance or camera prowess. If those priorities align with your needs, it's an easy phone to like. However, if you're after top-tier performance or a more versatile camera system, there are better options in this price range.

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is an excellent piece of tech, albeit pricier than other Ultras. It's not just a great cameraphone, it's a great all-rounder, too. It has an extra-long battery life, fast charging, a great display, although the full 144Hz is rarely utilized, and offers a nice, customizable software experience, which will get about five major upgrades in the future..

It's too early to say whether it's the best camera-centric phone in the first half of the year, but it's definitely up there with the best, and honestly, that should be enough. If you are looking for the best, this may as well be the one.

However, if video quality is on top of your priority list, that may not be the Find X9 Ultra's forte. Videos are soft-ish across the board, or at least they are not on an "ultra" level.

But among the big cameraphones, the gaps are so small that it will probably boil down to preferences regarding design, software, your favorite focal lengths and features more than anything else.

In the end, we cannot but recommend the Find X9 Ultra if you're in the market for a high-end cameraphone.

The Realme GT 8 Pro isn't exactly a new GT 7 Pro - it's looking like a slightly different kind of a proposition. This time around, Realme paid some special attention to the camera system - in addition to improving on the lineup's usual strong points. So yes, we have a super bright display that's even brighter than before, an extra large battery that's larger than last year, and, well, by definition, a better chipset.

But on top of that, we also get a high-end telephoto camera that's equally adept at closeups and distant subjects, and an ultrawide camera that doesn't look like it's coming from the previous decade (not that its lack of autofocus doesn't drag it down, but still). Realme chose a collaboration with Ricoh to spice things up and maybe that will draw in a customer or two, but we're not really seeing it as any sort of a real selling point.

Perhaps the most serious misstep of the GT 8 Pro is in its video stabilization, but it's not too bad? You could probably find a way to rationalize around that.

We're not sure how we feel about the whole camera bump accessorizing concept. It's unique, that's for sure. And the sampler set we received didn't strike us as particularly tacky or weird looking - maybe it's almost intriguing to be able to change things up a bit on what's by now become an extension of your hand.

Overall, the Realme GT 8 Pro feels like a proper flagship all-rounder ticking most of the right boxes. And if its feature set appeals to you, you will not regret buying this one.

If you are in the market for a gaming Android phone with the latest possible hardware and the best battery life, the RedMagic 11 Pro is a great choice. It has a nice display with very slim bezels; it's got the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with an advanced cooling system; a handful of neat gaming features, including the physical shoulder triggers; and also a massive battery with quick charging.

Sadly, the awkward translations, the unpolished state of the software at times, and the absence of properly good cameras keep us from giving the phone an excellent score. Even for a gaming phone, the camera experience is subpar.

On the other hand, RedMagic is asking less than €700 at launch for the entry-level version, and that's a price no one can match right now, especially with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on board.

We're never really sure what to make of the nubia Ultras. They make bold claims for camera greatness, but deliver only partially, and we wouldn't say we've been seeing a whole lot of groundbreaking improvements in that area.

That said, this time we're getting nicer-than-usual video and the tri-set of rear cameras has no major flaws (well, other than the regular nubia camera UI oddities), now that the ultrawide is back on the right track. We know not to expect a lot from the underdisplay selfie camera, sure, but that doesn't negate the fact that the Z80 Ultra is no good for selfies - do keep that in mind.

On the other hand the Z80 Ultra does bring some tangible non-camera-related improvements, like the brighter (if not quite HDR-friendly) display, excellent battery life, and the expected performance bump. Staples of the lineup include a lot of physical controls and gaming-oriented capabilities, making the Ultra an uncommon blend for a somewhat specific type of user.

Overall, the nubia Z80 Ultra is a capable package that brings plenty of value - just don't approach it expecting it to rival the true photo-enthusiast Ultras out there.

Despite the hefty price tag, which is even higher than last year, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is one of the best flagship cameraphones you can get right now, with the best battery life, too. Just like the rest of the flagship phones, the 17 Ultra has an excellent display, fast chipset, snappy charging.

However, the improved telephoto and selfie cameras, along with the exceptional main camera performance, make the device one of the best in its class. We also didn't feel the absence of the second 3x telephoto camera either, as the current 200MP telephoto shooter with continuous optical zoom and close-distance focusing covers all bases. The rotating camera ring on the 17 Ultra by Leica is a nice touch, but it's borderline gimmicky, and we had to turn it off to avoid accidental actuations.

All in all, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is one of the most capable flagship cameraphones with little to no drawbacks. The exceptionally hefty price tag is the only thing you'd have to deal with. And on whether the Leica edition is worth the extra cost, it depends on how useful the rotating ring, the additional security chip and the dual satellite communication are to you. The unique design is another aspect to consider and we really loved it, but don't base your decision around the new rotating camera ring - as things stand, it's sitting mostly in gimmicky territory right now.

But no matter whether it’s the regular or Leica Edition, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is one of the best cameraphones in year 2026 for sure, if not the best one.

The Magic8 Pro builds on the lineup's strong points, without making too big of a splash. It delivers outstanding battery life, a solid camera experience, so long as you're mostly focused on stills. Its video quality is a bit behind the curve though, and selfies have gotten worse compared to the previous generation - what's that about?

Camera aside, the phone's doing great on the fundamentals. Even if you're in the battery capacity-limited Euro region, the Magic8 Pro's endurance should keep you happy, and you won't be waiting for it to charge for too long either. The display is bright to excess, and comes with some of the most extensive eye care functionality we've seen. The speakers are also good enough to be a selling point themselves, for the right crowd.

In the end, we're almost a little bit disappointed by the Magic8 Pro even if we do recommend it. It fell short where we were hoping for greatness - it's a capable cameraphone alright, but it's bested by others of that breed. That said, if video comes second on your list of priorities, perhaps the Honor's stills performance and its… secondary virtues might just make it the right choice for you.

The Poco F8 Ultra has a really long list of positives. The display goes really bright and supports all sorts of HDR. Battery life is indeed great, and charging is plenty fast too. The speakers were a nice surprise - we thought it was going to be all marketing, but the Bose-branded setup is actually quite impressive. The denim-like back cover could be a selling point if you're tired of all phones looking the same and the addition of eSIM support on this model will make it a viable option for travelers.

Then there's the camera system, which is completely reworked for this generation. A higher-grade main camera means great stills and video, day and night. And it's good at 2x zoom too, so the new 5x telephoto's added reach won't have you missing the 2.5x zoom camera of the F7 Ultra. The ultrawide has its limitations, but it does have a sweet spot which may align with yours. Selfies, too, are pretty great, even if we typically shudder at the sight of a 32MP fixed-focus front-facing camera.

The Poco F8 Ultra makes a few small missteps - no one is perfect. In the game of budgeting and market segmentation, a couple of camera choices ended up being less than ideal, though even in failing to provide everything, the phone still manages to do quite well with what it's got. Yes, we'd take a selfie camera with autofocus and we'd also prefer a wider ultrawide, but selfies aren't bad as is, and the ultrawide has its virtues (well, not in video).

Similarly, the display may not go below 60Hz but with battery life as long as it is, how much better could things have been with more granular refresh rate control? Now, we'll admit that the long-term CPU load graph doesn't look good, but that too can easily be rationalized around.

The Poco F8 Ultra is well worth considering and one of the best all-rounders this season.

The Realme 16 Pro+ is a mid-range phone with a flagship-grade camera kit and long-lasting battery life, and that’s why it has made its way to our shortlist.

If Realme's goal was to offer one of the best camera experiences in this class, we can confidently say it achieved it. The outstanding battery life is another standout feature. The display may not be the best, but it's solid nonetheless, providing a good viewing experience outdoors. The loudspeakers leave more to be desired, though.

In case you are not into mobile photography that much, but value raw performance and charging speed highly, there are more sensible solutions at a much lower price.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max makes a controversial switch to aluminum, which helped keep the weight in check and perhaps maintains adequate sustained performance, but it also hurt the durability by making the iPhone more prone to scratches. Then there is the mix of glass and metal on the back, which combined with the new color options, make this iPhone one of the less likable in recent memory.

The display of the 17 Pro Max gained cool new anti-glare finish, but its cutout is still the same unsightly mess. It is a great screen, yes, but we have seen it a couple of times already.

We do appreciate the improved battery life and charging speeds, even if it requires the new charger with absurd name and its AVS charging protocol.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max brought some improvements for selfie and zoom photography and those will be universally appreciated. But the upgrade isn't as huge as the keynote had us believe and it's behind the curve in 2025. Yes, the images are very good to great, but the phone has the hardware, the processing power and the entire Apple hivemind, and it still lags behind the Chinese Ultra phones.

What the iPhone 17 Pro Max does amazing is videos - no matter the camera, the conditions, the chosen format - the iPhone 17 Pro Max will ace the scene. Once again Apple deserves praise for making a camera app that's suitable both for mainstream and pro users, something no one else in the industry can quite pull off.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max may be the most capable iPhone ever, but it's not looking like it will go down in history as the best loved one. Its mixed bag design, the lack of obvious improvements, and the unpolished state of iOS 26 right now, make up for a phone that millions will buy, but far fewer will be truly excited about. Yet, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has been sold out everywhere and potential buyers will have to wait a few weeks in order to get one. And the reason is quite simple – it’s the best iPhone ever and it has many improvements over bestsellers such as the iPhone 15 Pro Max or older.

The Honor Magic8 Lite is one of those updates that doesn't scream "new generation" through raw specs, but wins you over with how thoroughly it refines the formula. The star of the show is unquestionably durability - this is a mid-ranger that flirts with rugged-phone territory without looking or feeling like one. IP68/IP69K certification, resistance to high-pressure water jets, immersion up to 6m and drop protection rated to 2.5m are huge upgrades over previous Lite models and easily one of the main reasons to pick this phone over its rivals. Pair that with a large and bright 120Hz AMOLED with HDR10 support, excellent fingerprint reader and solid stereo speakers, outstanding battery life, and you get a genuinely pleasant everyday experience.

The fundamentals are all covered too. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 isn't a performance monster, but it's perfectly adequate for the class, runs cool, and - importantly - doesn't throttle, which is more than some faster competitors can claim. The big 7,500mAh battery delivers excellent real-world endurance, and 66W charging is plenty fast when you get the proper Honor charger and cable. MagicOS 9 on top of Android 15 is feature-rich with plenty of AI tricks and quality-of-life extras, and the phone's overall handling is nice, even if the frosted plastic back is slippery and annoyingly hard to keep clean.

Where the Magic8 Lite clearly shows its age is in the camera department. The main 108MP shooter still pulls off good photos with nice detail, pleasant colors and competent low-light output, and portraits are particularly likable. But the supporting cast is underwhelming in 2026 - the 5MP ultrawide is very soft with narrow dynamic range, the selfie camera is basic with fixed focus and few extras. Video capture tops out at 4K30 with unimpressive dynamic range and middling stabilization. In short, the camera setup leaves us wanting.

Then there's the matter of value. The Magic8 Lite walks into a fiercely competitive mid-range segment where you can find more powerful chipsets, more versatile camera systems or longer software support from other brands.

The Magic8 Lite is a genuinely tough, long-lasting, nice-to-use phone that does the basics well and never misbehaves.

The Infinix Note 60 Ultra is a peculiar, unique offer with an odd collaboration that actually works. Pininfarina and Infinix have achieved something we rarely see - a designer smartphone that is not over the top, with an excellent set of features, and a reasonable price tag.

The Note 60 Ultra excels in looks, delivers superb screen capabilities, battery life, charging speed, and has a solid and stable performance across the board. Its cameras turned out to be as good as promised, and there are tons of software perks you can use to enhance, spice up, or change your photos and videos entirely.

The Note 60 Ultra software, while completely customized, is not something to worry about - on the contrary. XOS is a good skin with plenty of features that don't get in the way of your daily routines.

We would have wished for a better ingress protection, a more advanced ultrawide and/or selfie camera, and a protective case that is not a challenge to snap out. It would have been nice to use the 144Hz refresh rate in more than a handful of apps, and HDR10 certification would have given the screen an A grade for sure.

But even as it is, the Infinix Note 60 Ultra is a phone worth recommending, even going through the troubles of importing it, if its premium design and package excite you, because everything else also remains just as solid - screen, battery life, charging, performance, camera quality and software.

The vivo X300 turned out to be an exemplary phone in pretty much every department - size, design and build, battery life, screen quality, camera experience, and OriginOS got a massive upgrade that made vivo's phones on par with all recent Androids. And that's just great!.

The vivo X300 impressed us with its smooth design and its super bright screen that has an impressively dynamic refresh rate. The battery life is a blast, too.

The X300 is part of the vivo's photography flagship series and it does not disappoint - all four cameras deliver superb photo and video quality during the day. While the low-light photos remain impressive, the videos are somewhat average and that's our only remark here.

We are glad that vivo has worked a lot on OriginOS and the underlying Android, and it has made some impressive improvements. The iOS and macOS integration were surprising, or were they given how much vivo has taken from iOS 26? Still, iOS inspired or not, we liked OriginOS very much.

There are few compact flagships out there, and fewer compact cameraphones. But vivo X300 is amazing in both categories and we think it will easily find many fans out there looking for either option.

The market, and this price segment in particular, is far from crowded with compact smartphones. Quite the opposite, really. That scarcity plays directly into the Reno15 Pro (mini)’s favor, allowing it to stand out easily.

First off, the phone comes with a familiar-looking but well-executed design, centered around a solid build and well-chosen color options. The display impresses as well - it is sharp and bright, with smooth motion and vivid colors, and it supports HDR10+ across all streaming apps we tried.

Despite its compact footprint, the Reno15 Pro (mini) houses a surprisingly large battery, delivering excellent endurance on a single charge. Add to that the decently fast wired charging and the impressive stereo speakers, and the overall package becomes well-rounded.

Then there is the camera setup, which proved to be one of the phone’s highlights. All four cameras, including the selfie unit, deliver consistently excellent photos throughout the day. Video quality follows the same trend, helped along by near-flawless stabilization that works reliably across the board.

Finally, the Reno15 Pro (mini) comes with a genuinely fast chipset, though sustained performance is clearly not its strong suit. Peak performance drops off quickly under prolonged CPU or GPU loads, which is quite typical for the compact devices we've reviewed. The good news is that such extreme scenarios are unlikely to be common in day-to-day use.

And that just about sums it up. The Reno15 Pro (mini) gets almost everything right - a relatively compact size, an excellent display, impressive battery life, standout camera quality, and competent speakers. If it were not for the underwhelming sustained performance, it would have been perfect, but even as it is, it deserves an outstanding recommendation.

The Motorola Razr 60 Ultra (or Razr Ultra in North America) is a thoroughly excellent small foldable that could very well be the best-performing specimen of its kind that we've seen to date. Its flaws are few, the most important being the aggressive CPU throttling. It robs the phone of some of the positives of having the best Android chipset currently available, and it's seemingly an inherent limitation of the model's thermal design.

Other than that, the Razr's showing is class-leading in most respects. Battery life is excellent across the board, and charging remains best-in-class, as last year. The displays can, actually, put out plenty of nits when the ambient light calls for it - also scoring higher than the rest in that test. The camera setup doesn't suffer too much from not having a telephoto, and its replacement with an ultrawide is actually beneficial in several ways. The Razr also remains the most functional small foldable if you'd prefer to keep it closed, thanks to a larger-than-most display and the software package to make use of it.

All things considered, as small-size foldables go, the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra is quite the enticing proposition.

The Honor Magic V5 is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling foldables we've tested this year. It combines an impressively thin and lightweight design with premium materials, a robust hinge, and class-leading IP58/IP59 ingress protection - a rare achievement in this segment. Both displays are large, sharp and feature-packed, with stylus support and Dolby Vision certification, while the nice stereo speakers round out the excellent multimedia experience.

Performance is flagship-grade thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, and Honor's generous memory and storage options leave little to be desired. Battery life is solid for a foldable, and the 5,820 mAh silicon-carbon cell paired with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging delivers consistently strong results. Software is also a high point, with MagicOS 9 on top of Android 15 running smoothly, meaningful AI features, great multitasking tools, and a seven-year update promise in key markets.

Cameras are another strength, with a versatile triple setup that covers wide, ultrawide, and 3x telephoto while delivering very good stills and video. Add in extras like an IR blaster and fast USB 3.1 transfer speeds, and the Magic V5 feels every bit the premium package.

Not everything is perfect - the crease is still noticeable and the eSIM support varies by region. Honor's software ecosystem isn't yet on Samsung's level either, and they are a bit behind in AI features as well. But these drawbacks do little to overshadow the fact that the Magic V5 is among the most well-rounded foldables available today.

Most importantly, Honor is now selling the Magic V5 in many markets, making it easy to buy in Europe and many other regions - something that wasn't always the case with its predecessors. At around €1,700, it goes head-to-head with the Galaxy Z Fold7 and other book-style foldables, and in many respects, it outshines them. If you're after a premium foldable in 2025, the Honor Magic V5 deserves to be at the top of your shortlist.