I ran a battery test between the best Samsung, Google, and OnePlus phones - here's the surprise winner

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Total battery capacity is only one factor influencing actual device longevity.
• Lab tests demonstrate how different hardware components impact power consumption rates.
• Efficient processors and screen settings are crucial for maximizing battery performance.

Battery size is not always a straightforward comparison. The highest number of milliampere hours (mAh) doesn't always translate to the longest battery life. Indeed, "battery life" itself is somewhat subjective. A phone streaming a video saved to local memory will last longer than a phone exporting a 30-minute 4K video, and yet another phone streaming Spotify to a car on a road trip (with the screen off) will last longer than both.

As you might have gleaned from that, the main things that will chew up your battery the fastest are the screen and the processor. The waters get ...