Battery life is one of the highest priorities for smartphone shoppers, outranking performance and AI tech in order of importance for many users. It makes sense: smartphones that run out of battery life quickly ruin user experience like few other things can. When you’re out living life, it’s a huge hassle to constantly need to plug your phone in to charge, or get hit with a low battery notification as soon as you take an important call.
The leading smartphone brands know this and focus on manufacturing phones with fast charging capabilities. Samsung were among the first smartphone brands to incorporate Qi wireless charging into their devices. Apple’s MagSafe phone charging technology is a magnetic version of Qi, built into iPhones starting with the iPhone 12. Wireless charging is designed to enable faster, more efficient phone charging so you can boost your battery quickly and get on with your day.
One of the risks of buying a smartphone second-hand is the possibility of a compromised battery life. Even with careful use, all phone batteries degrade over time. Batteries are designed for a limited number of charge and discharge cycles, and ‘battery health’ refers to both a battery’s performance and how many cycles it has left.
Refurbished phones are devices that professionals have tested, repaired and restored to new-like conditions, apart from some superficial wear and tear. They allow you to save money when smartphone shopping without compromising on quality. While it’s important to find a refurbished phone that comes with a warranty, it’s also important to find a phone with a long battery life.
As a leading supplier of refurbished devices in Australia, here’s the OzMobiles guide to finding phones with fast charging.
What to Look For in a Phone Battery
Because user behaviour is so varied, it’s hard to accurately assess just how long a smartphone’s battery will last. Habits such as using location services or leaving apps running in the background consume more battery power, while constantly charging to 100% and discharging to 0% wears out the battery faster. When it comes to battery life, here’s what to look out for when smartphone shopping:
Milliampere-hour capacity
Battery capacity measured in mAh is a more reliable indicator of battery life than claims of usage times, which can differ between reviews and depend heavily on user habits. The higher the mAh, the longer you can expect the battery to last between charges. A higher mAh rating is one of the defining factors that separates Plus models from standard iPhones.
Compare like with like
Smartphones with larger screens and faster processors require more battery power than smaller or slower devices. Make sure you compare smartphones within the same class of device: iPhones with iPhones, Androids with Androids, etc.
80% battery life
While used smartphones can come with battery lives of various lengths, there’s a standard in the refurbished device industry that a smartphone has at least 80% of its original battery capacity. 80% is the peak performance threshold. If your refurbished mobile measures up, it means the device’s battery should last as long as the battery in a new smartphone, or close to it.
Smartphone brand
Some smartphone manufacturers excel at building battery capacity and managing power needs more effectively than others. If you’re looking at two smartphones with identical battery capacities, screen sizes, etc., prioritising a brand that focuses on battery life will get you better results. The latest refurbished smartphones are also more likely to have lengthy battery lives than older models.
Refurbished Phones with Fast Charging
When it comes to charging your handset, the faster the better. Here are some of the best phones with fast charging available on the refurbished market:
iPhone
All iPhones from the iPhone 12 onward are compatible with the MagSafe phone charger, Apple’s game-changing magnetic charging system. Introduced in order to provide a faster alternative to traditional wireless charging, the MagSafe charges at up to 15W and brings a device to 50% battery power in just 30 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy
Samsung’s industry-leading Galaxy smartphones have supported fast charging for a long time now, but Super Fast Charging is coming to an increasingly large number of models. Super Fast Charging can restore your Samsung smartphone to full capacity in just over an hour. While the 2019 Galaxy S10 5G was the first Samsung smartphone to offer Super Fast Charging, the technology is now widely available across the Note, Galaxy S, Z Fold, and Z Flip series, as well as some Galaxy A models.
Oppo
Android brand OPPO’s VOOC Flash Charge is a fast-charging technology that delivers high levels of current at low voltage, speeding up the charging process without the risk of overheating. To reap the benefits, you need an OPPO-certified SuperVOOC fast charger and a compatible OPPO phone. Luckily, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an OPPO phone released in the last few years that doesn’t support Flash Charge, and many of those phones are now available refurbished.
Refurbished Phones with the Best Battery
New or refurbished, these models won’t let you down when it comes to battery life:
iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max
Extra battery life is one of the main reasons to upgrade to an iPhone Plus or Pro Max instead of sticking with the standard model. The iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max are both designed for power users. Depending on your usage, the iPhone 16 Pro Max packs about 18 hours of battery power, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a 4,674mAh battery, which is much bigger than the 3,561mAh battery in the iPhone 16.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Released in February 2025, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 5,000 mAh battery. Combined with its elite Snapdragon 8 chip, this larger battery provides up to a full day of power on a single charge, depending on your usage habits.
Google Pixel 9 Pro
Those who love Google’s Pixel Android range will be more than satisfied with the battery life of the Google Pixel 9 Pro, which lasts for up to 13.5 hours (a whole five hours longer than its predecessor).
Battery Life Guarantee When You Buy From OzMobiles
For refurbished phones with fast charging capabilities, look no further than the OzMobiles range. OzMobiles makes sure every refurbished device we sell has a battery capacity of at least 80%, giving you a peak performance battery experience.
Whether you prefer iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Oppo, Google Pixel or another brand entirely, OzMobiles can provide you with a refurbished phone with a long battery life.
Buy refurbished iPhones that have been sourced in Australia and come with 12-month warranties, including recent models like the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Check out our selection of iPhone accessories to protect your iPhone and improve your experience, including power adapters, lightning cables, tempered glass protection, headphones/airpods and more.
OzMobiles is dedicated to providing you with a good deal without having to buy brand new, so we put all of our devices through a 72-point testing process to make sure they comply with Australian standards.
If you need help finding the right refurbished model or have any questions, contact the OzMobiles team.
