With newer phones adopting the latest battery tech, we’re beginning to see phones with bigger, longer-lasting batteries. Some of these phones also come with very fast charging speeds, making it very convenient for consumers who are always on the go. And while these two specs are not mutually exclusive, we wanted to know which you would prefer on your smartphone if you had to choose.
Our latest poll had over 1,000 responses, and 88% of responses were in favor of longer battery life, making it clearer what consumers are looking for in a smartphone.
What you had to say
One commenter, IDont Know, explains that that faster charging is less important to them due to their charging habits, which makes having longer battery life more important:
“The way I use my phone I care about having longer battery life.
I put my phone on the charger at night when I go to bed so how fast it charges does not matter as much.
I want a phone that can last as long as possible without charging so I dont have to worry about where I am at and if I will have ability to charge the phone.“
Many responses seem to agree with this take, including a reader on Twitter who prefers longer battery life.
If a battery only lasts 4 hours you will need to charge it up many times. If a battery lasts a day you can slow charge it overnight.February 1, 2026
Another reader, Jasmine Jox, explains that due to the nature of chargers, you probably don’t need anything over 45W, which is where Samsung’s current flagship phones, like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, top out:
“Ultra fast charging speeds are great, under 50%, after that it slows to 80% and then really slows to 100%, by design and by physics. 45w is plenty, the batteries just need to be larger and the efficiency needs to improve.“
On the other side, Tyler Sywyk on Facebook seems to prefer faster charging, explaining that it may not be as bad for your battery as many people make it out to be:
“It’s been proven that yes it does degrade the battery over time to fast charge but it is so minimal and over a year year period. Most people get a new phone every 2- 3 years it’s not worth the wait to charge it slow unless it’s overnight. I have my phone set to charge sloow over over night fast otherwise. 3 years old and still works fine great battery life.“
Of course, plenty of comments point out that many of the best Android phones let you have the best of both worlds, which I’m very well aware of and was even pointed out in the original poll. The point was simply to see where priorities lie, should we have to choose.
That said, phones from companies like Samsung and Google still appear to fall behind on both battery life and charging specs, making us wonder if and when they’ll ever catch up to companies like OnePlus and other Chinese OEMs.
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