Android smartphones with the best battery life

For many people, the battery life is the single most important consideration when buying a new phone. It's not easy to find a phone with a long-lasting battery, but all the devices on this list have proven their worth in the longevity stakes. Scroll on down to see our picks for the Android smartphones with the best battery life.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung's Galaxy S7 Edge is a powerhouse for specs. The battery is definitely a draw for this device coming in at a whopping 3,600 mAh. That's an increase of 1,000 mAh over its predecessor. Its also could be one of the biggest batteries we'll see out of a flagship device this year. 

The battery can be charged quickly with the new fast charging technology. In our tests, the device fully charged in about one and a half hours. Additionally, the big battery lasts longer with the power-saving modes standard with the device. You will be more limited in your usage of the device during this time. 

Samsung managed to save space in the device by using a new flexible battery technology that can use space normally left empty in the phone. Also, the screen of the S7 Edge is a bit bigger than its predecessor and that made it easier to get the extra 1,000 mAh into the device. 

Xiaomi Mi 5

Packing a significant 3,000 mAh battery, the Mi 5 looks great on paper, and outperforms the competition in its price range, thanks to the optimization of its hardware and complementary software. It easily lasts a day, and could stretch to two if you don't use it too heavily.

Its lifespan is furthered by the device's display and high-end processor. Additionally, it is one of an increasing number of devices to feature USB Type-C, so it gets juiced up at lightning speed.

The size of the Mi 5 body and its weight makes it so surprising that the battery is the same size as other flagship smartphones of 2016. Its weight is only 129 g and the body is 144.55 x 69.2 x 7.25 mm. Comparatively, the S7 with the same battery is 152 g and 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm.

OnePlus One

There are plenty of things to like about the OnePlus One – its rebellious Cyanogen OS (and now OxygenOS), its big screen, low asking price, and, of course, its powerful 3,100-mAh battery. With its Snapdragon 801 quad-core chipset, big display and 3GB RAM, there's a fair old bit to keep powered in the OnePlus One too.

The OnePlus One battery can handle more than 13 hours of heavy use, which, in our tests, included the constant on internet, regular phone calls and some video viewing. For a moderate user, this converts to about 1.5 days' use.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

The Galaxy Note 5 is one of the best phones money can buy, largely thanks to its fantastic camera, big and bright 5.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, and unique S-Pen stylus features.

All these impressive features run smoothly thanks to the Note 5's Exynos 7420 octa-core chipset, which is kept alive by a 3,000 mAh battery. This is slightly smaller than its predecessor's, the Note 4, but it still performs excellently.

If you're a moderate to heavy smartphone user, then you should find the Note 5 has around 30 percent battery remaining by the end of the day, and it should see you into the next day as well. 

Sony Xperia Z3

The Sony Xperia Z3 has a battery capacity of 3,000 mAh, curiously lower than that of the older Xperia Z2. The key, however, is in how Sony has optimized the Xperia Z3's hardware to enable better battery life. The Xperia Z3 is another smartphone in the two-day battery life camp, often capable of hitting this benchmark with juice left in the tank.

Unfortunately, Sony's Omnibalance design means that its battery is not removable. Nonetheless, it's still one of the best performing batteries for the specs it houses, with 3 GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 801 processor, and 5.2-inch full-HD screen.  

Huawei Ascend Mate 7

The Huawei Ascend Mate 7 has one of the largest batteries on the market, at a huge 4,100 mAh. The giant battery is necessary, though, to power this Chinese phablet's mammoth 6-inch Full HD screen and octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 925 processor. 

Despite the big specs, the device will last for about two days with normal use if it is helped along by its one of its power-saving modes.

Can you think of any other phones with a great battery? Let us know in the comments.