Top 5 smartphones with the best autonomy

With the RAZR 40 and the RAZR 40 Ultra, Motorola tries to popularize folding phones with aggressive pricing positioning. The Motorola Razr is back. And this time, he tackles two of the main defects in current folding phones: too small cover screens and too high prices. The company announced the RAZR 40 and the RAZR 40 Ultra. The latter has a large external screen which occupies almost all of the front of the device. It is sold at a price of € 1199.

Smartphones with the best autonomy in 2023

Update on 06/14/2023 – The autonomy of a smartphone is one of the criteria to be taken into account before going through the purchase box but not only trust the capacity of its battery. Apple, Asus, Honor, Motorola, find in this selection the 6 best phones that stand out in this field.

CNET France team

Posted on 08/11/2019 at 07:22

Update selection on June 14, 2023. The Asus Rog Phone 7 Ultimate has an extraordinary autonomy . It is therefore not surprising that he takes the place of a ROG Phone 6 Pro still as convincing but less recent. If your budget is more limited, opt for the Honor Magic 5 Lite for less than € 400. And if you are rather tempted by a compact smartphone, we recommend the Asus Zenfone 9. The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is also a small enduring phone that has the distinction of being folding. On the iOS side, the palm goes to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Still in the Apple catalog, the iPhone 13 is a good more accessible alternative.

This selection will be updated according to the new outings and the evolution of the price of current smartphones. To access our full test and know all the characteristics of each product, click on its sticker.

Autonomy is one of the most important features on a smartphone. Usually it is around a working day with moderate use. It is therefore necessary to recharge the battery for the next day or even before going out in the evening. But some models are more efficient than others. Apple, Asus, OnePlus, Realme, we take stock of the right students.

Our test protocol

The autonomy of each phone is tested in specific conditions: mixed use (social networks, audio and video streaming, video games, taking photos and videos) and automatic brightness. Some smartphones have particularities such as 5G support, a higher screen definition and a cooling rate greater than 60 Hz (adaptive or not). In these specific cases, we enrich our test with measurements taken according to these parameters.

1. Asus Rog Phone 7 Ultimate: The best autonomy, on Android

Asus’ smartphone gaming has a 6000 mAh battery which allows it to hold two days away from its charger after intensive use and with a refresh rate set on 165 Hz. We win a few hours by opting for automatic frequency updating. Note that it supports a wired load of 65W. On the other hand, he does not support the wireless load.

The Asus Rog Phone 7 Ultimate is designed for players who wish to take advantage of the Play Store’s video game catalog with the highest graphics parameters. The new snapdragon chip, controller options and the improved cooling system still refine this experience, while offering a very high refresh rate which also applies to tasks not linked to the game, such as applications and reading.

2. iPhone 14 pro max: the best autonomy, under iOS

The most premium smartphone in the apple returns with always colossal autonomy. The device can reach a day and a half. Apart from that, the iPhone 14 Pro Max has the most sophisticated apple equipment with a 6.7-inch OLED screen of a definition of 1290 x 2796 pixels, an A16 Bionic chip and a Grand-Angle Combo , ultra-angle and very attractive telephoto lens.

The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are also entitled to the usual incremental update, with an improved photo configuration, a more efficient processor, a always active screen, iOS 16 as well as new safety functions, including the detection of collisions and Satellite emergency SOS.

3. Asus Zenfone 9: the compact smartphone with the strongest autonomy

Autonomy is clearly not the strong point of small smartphones, but Zenfone 9 is a great exception. By leaving the 120 Hz display, we were able to use it for almost a day and a half. In addition, the device supports a wired load of 30W which allows it to refuel in 1h20.

Asus Zenfone 9 can give satisfaction to fans of compact smartphones since it takes almost everything that is best on the market. However, Asus’ new phone is without several features that most other telephones at this price have. The main of them is the lack of wireless recharge and only two years of Android updates.

4. Apple iPhone 13: The most enduring “accessible” iOS smartphone

The battery of the iPhone 13 will require a load after a day and a half of use if, like us, you are used to alternating between little delicious tasks (texts, emails, social networks, video streaming) and tasks energy -consuming (games, photos taking, making videos). It also offers many features, including an excellent large screen in a chassis of reasonable size, the U1 chip and wireless recharge.

The iPhone 13 is Apple’s most balanced formula as was the iPhone 12 last year. The new model monopolizes the advantages of its predecessor while displaying a little more serious autonomy. We can regret the impasse made on the 120 Hz refresh rate reserved for pro models but Apple offers us excellent image quality in 60 Hz. This year again, the iPhone is a must have for any consumer looking for a full -end smartphone.

5. Honor Magic 5 Lite: The most enduring Android smartphone “

The Honor Magic 5 Lite benefits from a beautiful 5100 mAh battery (compared to 4,800 mAh on the previous generation) which gives it more than a day and a half of autonomy in mixed use. Thanks to its 40W fast charging technology, the smartphone can be full in 1:30. Unfortunately, the charger is not included in the box.

The Magic 5 Lite progresses compared to the previous generation. The quality of manufacturer is excellent, its AMOLED screen is undoubtedly one of the best that can be found in this segment, autonomy is also convincing. We nevertheless regret the interface that lacks readability and the any photo part. In any case, this remains an effective smartphone, offered at a reasonable price.

6. Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: the folding smartphone with the most autonomy

The most expensive of Motorola folding smartphones surprises with its small 3800 mAh battery. While the valve competition is struggling to exceed the day, the Razr 40 ultra reached the day and a half for versatile use. The Turbopower 30W charger allows you to find 100% in less than an hour.

With the RAZR 40 and the RAZR 40 Ultra, Motorola tries to popularize folding phones with aggressive pricing positioning. The Motorola Razr is back. And this time, he tackles two of the main defects in current folding phones: too small cover screens and too high prices. The company announced the RAZR 40 and the RAZR 40 Ultra. The latter has a large external screen which occupies almost all of the front of the device. It is sold at a price of € 1199.

Key points to buy and improve the autonomy of your smartphone

Watching series on Netflix, chaining the games of Call of Duty Mobile, taking photos and videos or multiplying stories on Instagram, all this is very nice, but these resource -gourmet activities can quickly reduce the autonomy of your smartphone. If you are far from a catch, the only solution remains the external battery, but to get rid of these constraints, it is better to orient yourself towards a phone with good autonomy. We answered all the questions you can ask yourself on one of the main criteria to take into account before purchasing a new smartphone.

What capacity for the battery of its smartphone ?

The capacity of the battery of a smartphone is expressed in MAH (milliampères-hour). To make it very simple, the better this figure is better it is. Of course, the autonomy of a phone also depends on its equipment and the optimization of its software. A mobile with a small screen will be able to last the day very well with a low -capacity battery, but it will not be at all the case with a 6 -inch phablet. We advise you to buy a smartphone with a battery with a capacity greater than or equal to 4000 mAh to ensure more than a day of use.

What most impacts the autonomy of a smartphone ?

A large screen will logically consume more than a small screen and the processor will claim more energy if you request it regularly. Note that the autonomy of your phone will evolve according to your type of activity. Thus, part of 30 minutes on a 3D game will be more energy -consuming than a social networks of the same duration.

How to improve the autonomy of your smartphone ?

Quite simple gestures allow you to gain a few hours of autonomy. You can for example switch to the dark mode available on all smartphones from Android 10, limit the operation in the background of the applications that you do not use, lower the definition of the screen and deactivate certain features. Another simple and effective tip: activate energy saving mode when possible. If you opt for an Android smartphone, we recommend 4 applications to monitor and optimize your battery.

What to do when the battery of your smartphone is flat ?

To date, no smartphone has been marketed with unlimited autonomy. The most enduring of them can exceed two days of use, but at the end, they will have to be recharged. If you are used to getting around, you can get an external battery to avoid dry breakdowns at the end of a evening. Find in our selection the best external batteries of the moment.

One: Celso Bulgatti/Cnet

CNET France team published on 08/11/2019 at 07:22 | Updated on 08/09/2023

Top 5 smartphones with the best autonomy

All the smartphones we receive at the editorial staff pass a series of tests in our 01LAB. Two of them are devoted to autonomy. Precious data that allows us to offer you today an objective classification of the five smartphones with the best autonomy, depending on their price category.

Our smartphones accompany us everywhere and have become real Swiss knives. Versatile tools whose autonomy can be very uneven depending on the products and uses. To help you see more clearly, the 01LAB has developed a autonomy test protocol to which all the smartphones are submitted in our hands are submitted.

Versatile autonomy and video autonomy

The first test we carry out is a versatile autonomy test. The smartphone is loaded thoroughly, then performs a series of tasks, until its battery exhaust. Among these tasks, we find those that any product user may have to do: web navigation, audio and video streaming, photo consultation, search on a mapping application, etc.

The second test is more specific, this is streaming video reading (Wi-Fi). This is a widespread use in users of smartphones and whose results sometimes differ compared to the versatile autonomy test. Two elements that led us to create a separate classification for this type of autonomy.

In the tops 5 that will follow, you will always find more than five references. For what ? Because the five smartphones with the best versatile autonomy are not always the best five in video autonomy. So we added one or two references each time so that you can find all the information on the same table. Also note that you can sort the product display order by type of autonomy by clicking directly on “versatile autonomy” or “video autonomy”.

Top 5 phones with the best autonomy

Let’s start with the classification of smartphones with the best autonomy, all categories combined. At the top, we find the iPhone 14 Pro Max, freshly tested by us. Apple seems to have done a remarkable optimization work, proving once it is not necessary to have the largest battery on the market to offer the best autonomy. With more than 27 hours of versatile autonomy and almost 23 hours of video autonomy, the most expensive of Apple phones takes several hours in view to direct competitors.