Phones with the longest battery life
The Apple iPhone XR has an excellent big screen, fast performance and long battery life. Credit: CBS Interactive
The last thing you want is for your phone to run out of juice when you need it most. Usually, a phone lasts a full work day with moderate use. But if you use it more, you'll need to recharge it more. If a long-life battery tops your list of phone needs, check out these top-scorers, which lasted impressively long during CNET's lab tests for continuous video playback on airplane mode.
The following CNET staff contributed to this story: section editor Jessica Dolcourt, senior associate editor Lynn La, and senior editors Andrew Hoyle, Aloysius Low, Scott Stein and Laura K. Cucullu. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit cnet.com.
Apple iPhone XR
CNET rating (out of 5)
4.5 stars (outstanding)
BATTERY LIFE 19 hours, 53 minutes
THE GOOD It has an excellent big screen in a comfortable body, fast performance, Face ID, wireless charging and, of course, admirably long battery life.
THE BAD The single rear camera lacks optical zoom and has a limited portrait mode. Its LCD screen, while large, bright and vivid, is still a step below the iPhone XS' OLED in contrast.
THE COST $749.99
BOTTOM LINE It delivers most of the advantages of the iPhone XS but for hundreds less.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
CNET rating (out of 5)
4.5 stars (outstanding)
BATTERY LIFE 19 hours, 20 minutes
THE GOOD This is a big, beautiful phone with top-tier specs including a massive battery and internal storage that starts at 128GB. The new S Pen doubles as a wireless remote for taking long-distance selfies.
THE BAD It's expensive and offers few innovations over last year's Note 8. The fingerprint reader is uncomfortably close to the camera.
THE COST $615.99 (refurbished) to $999.99
BOTTOM LINE It’s a great but pricey phone.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
CNET rating (out of 5)
4.5 stars (outstanding)
BATTERY LIFE 18 hours
THE GOOD The Huawei Mate 20 Pro goes above and beyond with exciting new features and an eye-catching design, and its battery life will take on all comers.
THE BAD You can't use microSD cards to expand the storage. The main loudspeaker, hidden in the charging port, is muffled when you plug the phone in.
THE COST $989
BOTTOM LINE An impressive list of features puts it among the top phones of the year.
Vivo Nex
CNET rating (out of 5)
4 stars (excellent)
BATTERY LIFE 21 hours, 50 minutes
THE GOOD Using the full, no-notch screen is an unparalleled experience, and performance is as smooth as butter. The pop-up camera works well, too, and its battery might last longer than you do.
THE BAD Its copycat iPhone X gestures are unwieldy and hard to use.
THE COST $599
BOTTOM LINE The Vivo Nex's clever engineering and fantastic notch-free screen serve as a model for other phones. But good luck finding it outside of Asia, India and Russia.
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