The Best Smartphones of 2025: Battery Life Innovations

This year, battery life emerged as a critical factor in the smartphone market. The incorporation of silicon-carbon (Si/C) batteries saw significant growth, with various manufacturers offering smartphones with capacities exceeding 7,000 mAh.

Our all-time battery life ranking for smartphones is now dominated by devices released this year. Apart from the iPhone 16 Plus, all other models were reviewed in 2025.

Several smartphones surpassed the 20-hour Active Use Score benchmark, with the OnePlus 15 leading the list at an impressive 23:07 hours. Its close relative, the Oppo Find X9 Pro, secured the second position, while the iQOO 15 claimed third place.

Notably, almost all the smartphones featured in this list are flagship models, a trend that differs from previous years. This shift can be attributed to the premium pricing of Si/C batteries, which have yet to become mainstream in budget and mid-range devices.

Although the Honor Magic8 Lite and iPhone 17 Pro Max did not make our all-time top 10, they share the 10th position in 2025.

If you are looking for specific recommendations, consider the Realme GT 8 Pro or iQOO 15 for excellent call times. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max also performed exceptionally well in our call tests.

For web browsing, the Find X9 Pro, iQOO 15, and Realme GT 7 delivered the highest runtimes.

When it comes to video playback, the iQOO 15 stands out as the champion, while the GT 8 Pro, Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, and Find X9 Pro also produced noteworthy results.

Honorable mentions go to the nubia Z80 Ultra, nubia RedMagic 11 Pro, and Poco F8 Ultra, which take the 7th, 8th, and 9th spots respectively, excelling across all usage categories.

Looking ahead to 2026, we anticipate even larger battery capacities becoming available, including in budget and mid-range smartphones. Exciting times are ahead!