Best Long-lasting Batteries for Smartphones: How to Choose the Best One?

If you are tired of running your smartphone out of juice periodically and get annoyed, you are searching for the best long-lasting batteries for smartphones. Smartphone batteries make your device’s performance high and running capability smooth. Using these batteries, you do not need to plug your phone again and again to recharge the battery. A vast number of smartphone batteries are available in the market, but how to choose the right one is challenging. To select the best long-lasting batteries for smartphones, you need to read the pros and cons of different batteries, customer reviews, battery capacity, battery material, and durability. 

Before finalising a battery for your smartphone, a user should consider the factors that directly affect the battery life. So here we will explore everything you need to know about the best long-lasting batteries for smartphones to help you make an informed and wise decision regarding purchasing based on your needs, requirements, and budget.

What Factors Affect Battery life?

Battery life is the amount of time a smartphone can run before it needs to be recharged. 

Multiple factors directly affect battery life. These factors affect the smartphone’s power consumption as well as battery power consumption. Let’s explore some of these factors:

Battery size

The battery size is usually represented in milliamp-hours (mAh). mAh indicates the amount of electrical charge that a battery can hold, and the more considerable amount of mAh means the larger battery size that directly equals more significant battery life. There is also a correlation between battery life and design because battery size also affects the weight and thickness of the phone.

Display

A smartphone’s display is usually considered the most potent element because all the features of the display, like its size, brightness, resolution, refresh rate, etc., directly affect power consumption.

• Larger displays have more surface area and require more power to light up. 
• Higher resolutions have more pixels and require more processing power to render them. 
• Higher brightness levels make the screen more visible but also drain more power. 
• Higher refresh rates make the screen smoother but also increase the power consumption. 
• Different display technologies, such as LCD and OLED, have different advantages and disadvantages regarding power efficiency.

Connections

Connections also have impacts on the battery life. A smartphone communicates with other devices using connections such as wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, and networks including 2G, 3G, 4G,5G, etc. the level of power consumption, signal strength, the rate of data transfer and frequency directly affects the power consumption level of a connection.

• Using cellular data will consume more power than wifi, but on the other hand, wifi also consumes more power than Bluetooth. 
• GPS doesn’t require much power when it’s inactive, but it consumes more power in active form because it needs constant satellite communication. 
• NFC consumes very little power from all the connections because it only performs its task when two devices are very close. 

Chipset

It’s the central processor of the smartphone, as it is responsible for multiple tasks. The CPU (central processing unit), GPU (graphics processing unit), and RAM (random access memory), etc., are essential components of the chipset, and its power consumption is directly affected by its performance, architecture, as well as the fabrication process. 

• Higher-performance chipsets can handle more complex tasks faster but also consume more power. 
• Different architectures have different levels of efficiency and optimisation for different tasks. 
• The fabrication process determines how tiny and dense the transistors on the chipset are, which affects how much power they leak or dissipate.

Camera

The camera is another smartphone component that consumes much power through features like resolution, aperture, zoom, autofocus, flash, etc. 

• Higher-resolution cameras capture more details but require more processing power and storage space. 
• Larger apertures allow more light to enter but also reduce the depth of field. 
• Zooming in or out requires moving the lens elements or cropping the image. 
• Autofocus requires adjusting the lens position or using phase or contrast detection algorithms. 
• Flash requires emitting a burst of light from an LED or xenon bulb.

Comparison Of Some Of The Best Long-Lasting Batteries For Smartphones 

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) and lithium-polymer (Li-poly) are two major smartphone battery types. Each has its specifications. The main element between both battery types is lithium, but they are different in their performance, structure, and characteristics. 

Li-ion batteries

It’s the most commonly used type in smartphones with high energy density, low self-discharge rate, no memory effect, and wide availability and affordability. 

• High density means Li-ion can store high energy in a provided volume or weight. 
• A low self-discharger rate means they have a more extended charge retention capacity in an inactive form.
• Having no memory effect means they also have a high capacity and performance at low charging. It’s optional to charge them thoroughly to get high performance. 
• Having wide availability and affordability means they are produced as a mass production and easily can be used in multiple devices.

Aside from these advantages, Li-ion batteries have disadvantages, such as high-temperature sensitivity. It reduces their performance, capacity, and lifespan. Similarly, they are degraded over time. It doesn’t matter whether they are in use, but they lose their capacity and performance over time. Another drawback is their sensitivity to overcharging or discharging. They can catch fire or explode in such conditions. Also, due to their rigid shape and size, they need more flexibility and adaptability, and ultimately, they are limited in designs. 

Li-poly batteries

Li-poly batteries are newer long-lasting batteries for smartphones compared to Li-ion. They are more advanced and have the edge over li-ion batteries in multiple ways, such as:

• Having a higher capacity than Li-ion batteries, they can store more energy in a given volume or weight. 
• Having a better performance than Li-ion batteries, which means they can deliver more power and handle more complex tasks. 
• They have a longer lifespan than Li-ion batteries, so they can withstand more charge cycles and retain their capacity and performance for longer. 
• They have more flexibility and adaptability than Li-ion batteries, as they have a soft and thin shape that allows them to fit into different devices or designs.

We know there is nothing without its drawbacks, so Li-poly batteries also have drawbacks. 

• Having a higher self-discharge rate than Li-ion batteries, they lose their charge faster when unused. 
• Having a variable performance than Li-ion batteries, they can fluctuate in their power output and efficiency depending on the temperature, usage, or device. 
• They are more expensive than Li-ion batteries, which are less common and more challenging to manufacture and transport. 
• They are less compatible than Li-ion batteries, which may require specific devices or chargers supporting their technology or voltage.

FAQs

Final Analysis

Nowadays, lithium-ion, and lithium-polymer batteries are the most common and advanced types of long-lasting batteries for smartphones. They have their features, specifications, pros, and also some cons. Besides brands, materials, and battery type, a smartphone’s battery life depends upon several factors. This article lets you decide on the best long-lasting batteries for smartphones. 

Suppose you are looking for a battery with a high capacity, consistent and stable performance, a longer lifespan, and a lower price. In that case, you should go for a lithium-ion battery. However, you are looking for a battery with a higher capacity, better performance, a longer lifespan, and more flexibility and adaptability. In that case, you should go for a lithium-polymer battery. Of course, you should also consider the compatibility and availability of the battery type for your device and charger.