4 Android phones with better battery life than the Galaxy S26 Ultra

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Samsung Galaxy devices generally have excellent battery life, with each new version offering a little more, especially in high-end models like the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, with 60 watts of wired charging and 25 watts of wireless charging to give it a nice power boost when levels are low. This provides around 16 hours of battery life on average, or slightly more, with the screen allowing constant, seamless browsing on 5G networks. Believe it or not, that’s not the best battery life available on a modern phone. There are several competing devices that last longer, offering much better usage times, for a variety of reasons.

A bigger battery in competing devices is the obvious reason for longer usage times, but that’s not necessarily the only advantage other phones offer. Sometimes more efficient power usage, better power delivery to components like the display, and better multitasking or software support also add a little extra time.

It depends on the phone, the manufacturer and the individual specifications they offer. To give a simple example, the iPhone 16 Plus has a 4,674 mAh battery, smaller than the S26 Ultra, and yet it lasts longer on average – around 16 and a half hours. The iPhone 16 models have benefited from a more powerful battery, but even though those batteries are bigger than those of previous generations, improvements are also being achieved thanks to solid revisions to battery management in iOS. When it comes to Android devices, in particular, here are some alternative phones with better battery life than the Galaxy S26 Ultra, if that’s what you’re looking for.

The best average battery life on the market currently goes to the OnePlus 15, building on the brand’s exceptional performance compared to previous models. OnePlus has always been known for offering durable devices.

Running OxygenOS 16, OnePlus’ Android platform, the phone averages around 25 hours of battery life thanks to a combination of benefits. For starters, the OnePlus 15’s battery is 7,300 mAh, much larger than that of the S26 Ultra. It still manages to be thin and light thanks to Silicone Nanostack technology, a silicon-carbon battery technology that increases energy density to increase capacities. So not only is it bigger, but it also uses energy in a unique way.

The OnePlus 15 also has 80-watt SUPERVOOC wired charging, which significantly speeds up charging times: it can fully charge in about an hour, usually less. OnePlus 15 costs $900 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage model or $1,000 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage model, both cheaper than the Galaxy S26 Ultra with no additional discounts or deals. The OnePlus 15R also boasts similar battery life, averaging around 21.5 hours.

The ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro is impressive for more than one reason. It delivers incredible battery life, which is the goal here, but manages to do so while offering high-performance gaming features like a 165Hz display, advanced, modular cooling, and a unique rear display.

Of course, enabling some of these powerful features will reduce battery life quite a bit. However, this lower battery life is still around 15 hours, with more than 20 hours when you reduce power consumption. The 65-watt charging stand will have you back in the action in no time.

Inside, the ROG Phone 9 Pro has a 5,800mAh battery. It’s bigger than the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so you already have a head start. The phone runs Android, as expected, but one of the coolest features is a modular variety of accessories. An AeroActive Cooler (X Pro), for example, attaches to the back of the phone to cool it during intense gaming. You can remove it easily when you don’t need it. Additionally, unique cooling technology is built into the ROG Chill Case, an optional case for the phone. The price is quite steep though, starting around $1,500 and going up to $1,600 for the model with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Many retailers are also currently out of stock.

Motorola has done a very good job of optimizing the battery life of the Moto G series over the years. So it’s no surprise to see one of the newer models appear on this list. With an average of over 19 hours, it’s a solid budget option if you don’t want all the features of the Ultra and Pro level devices.

The 30-watt charging capabilities will charge the battery faster than most devices, giving a nice boost of around 20% with just half an hour of charging. The 120Hz screen is beautiful and easy on the eyes, and it’s not something you normally see included with budget handhelds.

Inside, there’s a 5,200 mAh battery, larger than the one in the S26 Ultra, which you probably now know only by the numbers. Plus, you can find it remarkably cheap. The 4GB RAM and 128GB storage model is available for $200 unlocked with no discounts or offers. Compared to the prices of almost every other device mentioned here, this represents a considerable saving for a durable and reliable option.

If you’re willing to suffer a slight downgrade – whether that’s true or not is debatable – the previous Galaxy S25 Ultra offers decent battery life, averaging around 16-17 hours. You may recognize that this is equivalent to or about an hour longer than the S26 Ultra’s 16 hours. Much of this can be attributed to the strong power management and optimization support of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the processor inside the device. The 5,000 mAh hourly battery is the same size.

The biggest difference between the new S26 Ultra model and the S25 is the new privacy feature that even iPhone users are envious of. That’s not the only reason to upgrade, however. There are a ton of cool new features in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra that everyone should try, which means if you have the resources, going for the latest model is a no-brainer.

But for the sake of reducing FOMO and speaking purely about battery life, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. You should know that the Galaxy S25 Plus also benefits from solid battery life, around 16 hours. Prices for the S25 Ultra start at $1,300 with no discounts or exchanges, compared to $1,120 for the S25 Plus.

For the sake of variety, we decided not to include multiple devices from the same brand, such as OnePlus. Instead of hogging the list with a bunch of OnePlus models, you have more options with better battery life to consider. That said, there are several additional devices with better battery life that may or may not be on your radar. These include the OnePlus 13 with around 19 hours of battery life, the Moto G Play 2026 with around 18 hours of battery life, and the OnePlus 13R with 18 hours of battery life. Both the Moto G 2025 and Moto G Power 2026 offer battery life of 18 hours or more.

Ultimately, and combined with the other phones mentioned above, you should be able to find a device that fits your needs across a wide range of budgets, from affordable to expensive. Not everyone wants to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for the latest or greatest smartphone, and that makes perfect sense.

If this rings true for you, you might want to consider affordable smartphones that are ridiculously overpowered or, if you want something more capable, cheap Android phones that exceed their price ranges. With the latter in particular, you can save money while still getting a premium phone.