The Elusive Quest for the Perfect Battery Life
Battery life is a sacred cow for smartphone users, and with good reason. With our devices constantly updated, emailing, social media-ing, and snapping photos, every ounce of power counts. While the big three – Apple, Google, and Samsung – duke it out in the cutthroat world of mobile technology, one thing is clear: battery life is an eternal battleground. But which side holds the coveted title of longest battery life?
To get to the bottom of this, we pitted the iPhone 16, Google’s Pixel 9 series, and Samsung’s Galaxy S24 range against each other in a series of grueling tests. From camera capture to 4K video playback, web browsing, and Zoom calls, we pushed each device to its limits, measuring its performance, and assessing the results.
The iPhone 16, with its smaller 3,560mAh battery, surprisingly holds its own against its Android rivals. Its compact size and efficient 3nm Apple A18 processor make it a frugal power sipper, outperforming the Galaxy S24 in camera capture time and right in the mix with 4K video playback and Zoom call results. However, its smaller battery means it falls short in our web browsing and 4K video recording tests.
The Pixel 9, with its mammoth 4,700mAh battery, proves to be the dark horse, consistently outperforming the iPhone 16 in all categories, save for camera capture time. Its larger battery and efficient processor make it the clear winner in terms of overall battery life.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 rears its head, boasting the largest battery of them all – a 5,000mAh titan that devours the competition in our video playback and web browsing tests. However, its high-powered Exynos processor guzzles power, resulting in mediocre camera performance and 4K video playback.
In the end, the iPhone 16 series is a tale of two halves. The regular model is solid, lasting a full day on moderate to light use, while the iPhone 16 Pro lags behind, struggling to eke out even six hours of screen-on time. The Pixel 9 Pro and Galaxy S24 Ultra emerge as clear winners, with their impressive batteries and optimized processors ensuring a day and a half, or even two days of uninterrupted use.
When it comes to the eternal conundrum, “to Android or iPhone?” the answer seems simple: if you want a powerhouse phone with a battery that can keep up, the compact Google Pixel 9 Pro sets the bar. For those eyeing a larger screen and longer battery life, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the obvious choice. And if you’re tied to the Apple ecosystem, the regular iPhone 16 is a safe, if not particularly exciting, bet.
But beware, iPhone loyalists, for the Pro model’s underwhelming battery performance may be a red flag for those seeking a phone that’ll keep up with the demands of today’s connected world.
