Battery life is one of the most important things to consider when buying a new phone. But how will you know how each phone’s battery stacks up against another? Lucky for you, we’ve put the best phones currently on the market — specifically the OnePlus 6, LG G7, Galaxy S9 Plus, iPhone X, Google Pixel 2 XL, and Huawei P20 Pro — to the ultimate test.
Each phone was set to the same brightness, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and ran the same social media accounts. Instead of using the Nyan Cat video like we typically do when testing, however, we decided to introduce different variables to reflect how we actually use our phones.
| Phone | Display Technology | Battery Capacity |
| Huawei P20 Pro | AMOLED | 4,000 mAh |
| OnePlus 6 | Optic AMOLED | 3,300 mAh |
| Galaxy S9 Plus | Super AMOLED | 3,500 mAh |
| iPhone X | Super AMOLED | 2,716 mAh |
| Google Pixel 2 XL | P-OLED | 3,520 mAh |
| LG G7 | IPS LCD | 3,000 mAh |
We started by running a video game for 30 minutes, which left each phone with at least 91-percent battery life (the P20 Pro came in the lead with 94 percent). Next, we brought up the “Explore” section of Instagram for an hour, which features constant video. The iPhone X snagged the lead with 87 percent, while the LG G7 quickly dropped to 77 percent. Since we often use our phones for getting around and snapping video, we also ran Google Maps on each phone for 30 minutes and recorded a 30-minute, 1080p video. Each device was still above 50 percent after two and a half hours of testing, however, the LG G7 remained in last with 52 percent.
After streaming two hours of video on YouTube, Huawei reclaimed the lead with 56 percent and the LG G7 dropped to a mere 25-percent battery life. It took another hour of web browsing, an hour of viewing Facebook’s auto-play watch page, and an additional two hours of streaming on SoundCloud for the first phone to die. Six hours and 45 minutes in, the LG G7 was the first to fall. Once out, we decided to stick to YouTube for the remainder of our testing.
Battery test results
- 1st: Huawei P20 Pro
- 2nd: OnePlus 6
- 3rd: Galaxy S9 Plus
- 4th: iPhone X
- 5th: Google Pixel 2 XL
- 6th: LG G7
Next to go was the Pixel 2 XL, which lasted roughly nine hours and 5 minutes. This makes sense since all of the phones — except the iPhone X and P20 Pro — utilize the Snapdragon 845 processor, while the Pixel runs the 835, making the other phones 30-percent more efficient with power use.
Right on its tail was the iPhone X, which features the smallest battery and lasted nine hours and 30 minutes. The Galaxy S9 Plus died at about 10 hours in, followed by the OnePlus 6 roughly 40 minutes later.
The winner — unsurprisingly — was the Huawei P20 Pro, which lasted 11 hours. Sadly, this phone is not available for sale in the United States yet, but if you “know a guy,” maybe you’ll be lucky enough to get your hands on one. Of course, our tests are not the end all be all, and each of these phones has unique qualities that make them excellent choices.
David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr.com, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him over at Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.
