Smartphones, Laptops and Tablets With Longest Battery Life

Consumer Electronics

Published: November 2, 2016 9:35 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 1:37 am

Because most of us have little knowledge of electrochemistry, the only thing we know about batteries in our mobile devices is that they either last a long or a short time between charges. And for most of us, longer battery life is preferred.

Battery technology has improved significantly from the early days of mobile devices. Those of us of a certain age recall battery-pack mobile phones with a heavy black box about the size of coffee-table book that lasted from two to four hours between charges. Today’s batteries are capable of maintaining a charge for 24 hours or more.

But not all batteries are created equal. U.K. website Which? tested several common battery-driven devices to find out which provide the longest battery life. Here’s a rundown of what the researchers discovered.

The best mobile phone for battery life is the HTC 10 from HTC. The battery lasts an almost unbelievable 31 hours of continuous talk time on a device with a 5.2-inch display and a 12 megapixel camera. The HTC 10 has a list price of around $650, but it may be available for less.

Among laptops, the best battery life was available on the Toshiba Satellite Click 10. This laptop’s battery life extended to 11 hours of video watching and about 12 hours of continuous web surfing over a Wi-Fi connection. The Click 10 is available at around $350.

While the battery problems with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 are well known, the Korean company’s Galaxy Tab A 9.7 came out on top among tablets. Testing showed that users can expect about 16 hours of continuous use from a single charge. The Galaxy Tab A 9.7 sells for around $200.

Sony’s wireless MDR-ZX330BT headphones last more than 44 hours on a single charge. The headphones are priced at around $110, but Best Buy is selling them for $68.

The fifth tested devices were Bluetooth wireless speakers. The best in this category were the Megabooms from Ultimate Ears, with a battery life of nearly 38 hours on a single charge. These speakers sell for around $200.

For additional details, see the Which? website.

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