Revamping Battery Evaluation: Celebrating 12 Years of Industry-Leading Battery Tests

A Tribute to a Legacy of Battery Life Benchmarking

The landscape of smartphones has undergone a radical transformation, prompting us to bid adieu to our enduring battery test established 12 years ago. To better align with the contemporary mobile era, we've debuted the brand new Active Use Score, aiming to deliver more pertinent results in today's fast-paced market.

An impressive 1,058 handsets have been put through the paces, from the Nokia N9 to the mighty Realme GT5 boasting a 240W charge capability — a stark contrast to the mere 5W needed by its Nokia counterpart at the inception of our testing. Yet, the focus here isn't solely on the rapid evolution of charging speeds.

12 years of evolution in battery and charging tech

When the original test began, mobile consumption was vastly different — 4G was cutting-edge, HD video was a novelty, and mobile gaming was just beginning to find its foothold. Our test, which included a daily hour each of voice calls, web browsing, and video playback, would now take an unprecedented over a decade to complete for all 1,058 phones consecutively.

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The Heavyweights of Endurance

Before transitioning to our new methodologies, let us acknowledge the champions of yesteryear. The Ulefone Power Armor 13, with its colossal 13,200mAh battery, topped our charts with an almost unfathomable 300-hour Endurance Rating. Hot on its heels was the Doogee S88 Pro with a robust 202-hour rating powered by a 10,000mAh battery.

In individual tests too, the Ulefone reigned supreme with over 100 hours of talk time, leaving others like the Blackview BV8000 trailing behind at 66 hours. Similarly, in web browsing, the Ulefone led with nearly 40 hours, just nudging past the S88 Pro at 35 hours.

Despite its size, the Sony Xperia 10 V stole the show in video playback, outlasting the Ulefone by an hour with its 5,000mAh battery.

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The Underdogs That Lagged Behind

Amongst the triumphs, there are those devices that didn't quite make the grade. For instance, the HTC Titan II endured a scant 23-hour rating, barely covering a day, while the Nokia Lumia 710 fared marginally better at 27 hours. Conversely, early Android devices didn't dazzle either, with the likes of Sony Xperia P and LG Nitro HD nestled at the bottom.

However, the median phone would boast an 86-hour Endurance Rating with a reasonable balance between talk time, web browsing, and video playback capabilities.

Reviewing the Data Landscape

This histogram showcases the gamut of performance, with the majority of mobiles bunching between 30 and 130 hours and outliers such as the Ulefone Power Armor 13 making an indelible mark.

For those curious about the entirety of our original Endurance Rating assessments, the comprehensive results remain accessible on our dedicated results page. A parallel page for the new battery test protocols also awaits your perusal, where some celebrated veterans continue to make appearances.