iPhone batteries are very sensitive to wear and barely meet the new European standards. Samsung smartphones are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Many other brands also score rather poorly.
With the introduction of the new energy label for smartphones, the European Union has also created a new database where all label data is collected. This includes how many full charge cycles a battery can survive before capacity drops below 80 percent. It’s notable that Samsung builds better batteries while Apple builds the worst.
Champion vs. Red Lantern
The EU has recently required manufacturers to install batteries that can handle at least 800 cycles while maintaining at least 80 percent capacity. Important detail: this is a minimum threshold. Samsung easily exceeds this for its S-series devices. We see that the batteries are rated for 2,000 charge cycles. This applies to the entire Samsung Galaxy S25 and S24 series.
At the other end of the spectrum, we find major competitor Apple. All high-end iPhones score particularly poorly on battery durability. The entire iPhone 16 family, including the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, comes with a battery that only survives 1,000 cycles. The iPhone 15 performs equally poorly.
The Importance of Cycles
A charge cycle is a complete charge for the battery. Letting your device drain almost completely and then fully charging it counts as one cycle. Letting the battery drop to half twice and charging it back up equals two half cycles (or one complete one). How many cycles your device endures depends on your usage patterns.
In practice, you can count on roughly 0.7 cycles per day, as we conclude from our own reviews and tests. With 1,000 cycles, you’ll be set for about four years; 2,000 cycles would last twice as long. This aligns with what Oppo claims for the Reno 13 Pro. It has a battery that lasts noticeably longer per cycle than the iPhone’s and will therefore take longer to complete a full cycle. Oppo communicates 1,200 cycles for this device, which according to the manufacturer is enough for five years of use before capacity drops below 80 percent.
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Samsung promises seven years of security updates for the Galaxy S25 series. Based on the number of charge cycles, the built-in battery is designed to support the device throughout that period. Even in the seventh year, a user should not notice a major dip in endurance. This is not true for an iPhone, where users will notice a loss in capacity by the fourth year.
Not all Cycles are Created Equal
Cycles are a good indication, but they don’t tell the whole story. The battery capacity is also an important factor, as are hardware and software efficiency. The less you need to charge a device, the longer it takes for the battery to complete a full cycle.
Other factors also play a role. For example, lithium-ion batteries wear out fastest when they’re very full or very empty. A charge above 80 percent or below 20 percent accelerates aging.
Someone who fully charges their device overnight and leaves it at 100 percent for hours, only to recharge when the battery reaches one percent, ages their battery faster. A user who recharges before capacity falls below 20 percent and unplugs the device immediately after charging, perhaps even before it’s completely full, will enjoy a battery in top condition for longer.
Many Laggards, some Exceptions
Nevertheless, the cycle figure is a handy objective measure that gives a good indication of lifespan. It also facilitates comparisons between manufacturers. Until the introduction of this database, it was very difficult to estimate how a device’s battery would perform after several years. An official figure helps and might encourage manufacturers to do better.
There are still several smartphone manufacturers that install poor batteries. Among others, Google, Motorola, and Xiaomi are limited to 1,000 cycles for all devices currently in the database. This includes the flagship Xiaomi 15 Ultra.
It’s notable that the Fairphone 6 also belongs in this category, although the battery of that device does hold more charge so you need to recharge it less often. That makes a modest difference in effective lifespan. The OnePlus 13 also limits at 1,000 cycles, but again with a significantly stronger battery.
Several other manufacturers do much better, and not just in the high-end segment. The Oppo A5, for example, has a recommended price of just 199 euros, but its battery is good for 1,600 charge cycles. The Samsung Galaxy A56, which sits in the mid-range segment with a recommended price of 415 euros including VAT, achieves the same 2,000 cycles as its bigger brothers.
Brake on Sustainability
Based on the European database, Samsung emerges as the sustainability champion when it comes to batteries. Oppo also performs above average. Many other manufacturers can present less spectacular figures. All devices just barely meet the European minimum threshold. The models that stop at 1,000 cycles aren’t really designed to provide decent autonomy throughout the device’s entire lifespan.
Europe requires every manufacturer to support their phones with at least five years of security updates, counting from the last moment the phone was sold through official channels. In practice, this means a support duration of six or sometimes even seven years. For an iPhone, the battery will encourage users to replace their device before that deadline passes.