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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 muddied a bit further when you consider things like an AMOLED panel versus an LED screen. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of factors to negotiate.
Also: I changed 7 settings on my Samsung phone for significantly improved battery life
So when OnePlus launched the OnePlus 15R with a 7,400mAh battery and noted that it's the largest battery in a phone you can buy in the US, we took notice. Then we said, "Prove it." We decided to put that battery size to the test in two different ways. First, we conducted a local 4K video streaming test, and then we performed a battery rundown test using PC Mark. Both sets of results were surprising in different ways. Here's what happened.
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