Compact flagships are back — and better than ever. Smartphone makers have finally addressed the biggest challenge with compact phones: battery life. Thanks to high-density silicon-carbon (Si/C) batteries, compact flagships can now pack over 6,000mAh of capacity, something previously unheard of. The OnePlus 13T (coming to India soon as the OnePlus 13s) packs a massive 6,260mAh battery and was recently tested against some ‘Pro’, ‘Ultra’, and ‘Max’ branded flagships — namely the Xiaomi 15 Pro, Galaxy S25 Ultra, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and OnePlus 13.
- OnePlus 13T: 6260mAh
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4685mAh
- Galaxy S25 Ultra: 5000mAh
- Xiaomi 15 Pro: 6100mAh
- Pixel 9 Pro XL: 5060mAh
- OnePlus 13: 6000mAh
OnePlus 13T outperforms the rest in battery life
Four of the six devices in the test are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The iPhone and Pixel run on the A18 Pro and Tensor G4, respectively. While different chipsets usually mean different power efficiency (or power draw), and display sizes and resolutions vary across these devices, the test still gives a good idea of how they compare in real-world endurance.
The Pixel showed the lowest battery percentage and the highest temperature throughout, and unsurprisingly, it was the first to die.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra followed next, shutting down just 14 minutes before the OnePlus 13. We’ve seen Apple devices with their A-series chips and well-optimized OS often outperform Android phones with much larger batteries. Interestingly, the S25 Ultra managed something similar here. Despite Samsung reusing most components and design from its previous Ultra flagship, it’s clear the brand spent time optimizing the OS — and it paid off.
[affiliate_genie_cta]The Xiaomi 15 Pro lasted another 19 minutes beyond the S25 Ultra, but still died 6 minutes before the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Finally, the compact OnePlus 13T kept going for another 32 minutes — a seriously impressive feat.
Let’s hope Chinese smartphone makers continue optimizing their systems — we might be on the verge of another big leap in battery life.
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