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In a society where energy costs are rising, brownouts and blackouts are more common and the urge to stay connected is ever-greater, knowing how to manage your mobile phone’s battery as effectively as possible is increasingly important.

This isn’t only to keep costs down – it’s also about staying in communication with emails and social networking services as well as text messaging and phone calls.

Smartphones almost exclusively employ Lithium-Ion (aka Li-ion) batteries as these offer an affordable, high capacity solution for the various functions, services and connections that smartphone users expect from operating systems.

Battery charge decreases on a day-to-day basis through constant use – but what factors affect the life of a Li-ion battery?

The age of the battery is most important, as this can affect that maximum charge. A 2010 study demonstrated that from a starting capacity of 88-94%, battery life after 250 charges reduced to 73-84%.

Internal resistance and self-discharge is largely redundant in modern batteries, and while age is something that cannot be easily managed (batteries can sit on shelves in their smartphones for months before purchase) all of this means that managing your battery life is something that you will need to monitor closely.

A full battery discharge from time to time was the best way to maintain long life for the power cell however, that this is not the case. Instead, avoiding full discharge and charging regularly is apparently the best way to keep the battery working longer.

However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t fully discharge your battery every couple of months. Doing so enables the device hardware to recalibrate capacity, thereby ensuring that the correct charge is displayed on your smartphone.

Interestingly, temperature will affect your battery life; even occasional use in hot conditions will drain the battery faster…

There are various ways provided by mobile phone operating system developers that you can employ to lengthen the time between charges.

Sadly this means a trade-off with functionality.

The most obvious thing to do is make sure your screen is set to switch off after a certain amount of time unused – perhaps after 30 seconds or a minute. You can also disable the phone’s vibrate mode and any vibrate/haptic feedback designed to help you determine when software buttons have been pressed.

After this, it’s time to turn your attention to connectivity. Bluetooth will drain your battery, so if this isn’t in use, disable it. Similarly, Wi-Fi will severely deplete battery life, especially if you have a few rogue apps or games maintaining a connection with a remote server.

Mobile Internet such as EDGE, 3G, 4G and beyond will also lead to faster depletion of battery life. If you’re not using these connections for anything (i.e. your phone is sitting idle) then disable them.

Finally, take a look at the apps you have installed, and determine whether or not they require localization services. These are typically provided by GPS, one of the biggest drains on your phone’s battery. If you’re not using GPS, switch it off!

Pretty much all mobile platforms have battery management apps available for them. These are available either as third party apps that can be installed from the corresponding app store or provided as a native option.

Sadly, these apps don’t really do anything magical. Typically they will restrict data transfer on mobile Internet services, or at best all but disable non telephony connectivity in order to maintain battery life for as long as possible. After all, smartphones are basically for making phone calls, so as long as this fundamental function is available with a low battery, there isn’t an overwhelming need to recharge.

As crazy as the idea of placing an expensive piece of hardware in a coolbox might sound, it is actually possible to get more battery life from a smartphone by placing it somewhere cold for a while.

While a freezer is unsuitable – it is likely to cause the casing of the battery to crack – the principle of keeping a Lithium-Ion battery cool will increase the amount of power that it delivers to your phone. Li-ion rechargeable batteries generate heat when in use, something that is mitigated by internal resistance (this is also why charger voltages are so low; a high voltage would result in a faster charge but also a higher temperature – above 30 degrees Celsius/86 degrees Fahrenheit – reducing the life of the battery). This causes the battery to discharge more quickly while simultaneously providing energy for the normal functioning of the device.

Using the phone in a cooler environment or storing the battery itself in a cool place when not in use can extend the charge and the life of the cell.

Keeping your smartphone battery charge going for as long as possible isn’t just environmentally sound, it is financially sound too. While recharging from a modern car battery might not cost as much as recharging your smartphone from the mains electricity every day, understanding what services and functions impact battery power the most and taking steps to minimise these is the best way of increasing the life of the current charge.

As for your battery itself, regular top-up charges, with occasional recalibration discharges will increase battery life, as will storage in a cool place away from heat.

1. Samsung Galaxy S2

The Galaxy brand has restored our faith in Samsung's ability to make great phones, and with Google's Android OS and some impressive touchscreen technology, the S2 continues that trend.
Housed within a supremely slender form, the 4.27-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen is an ideal surrounding for viewing your 8-megapixel snaps.
Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and packing a 1.2Ghz dual-core Exynos processor ensures there is plenty of zip for your web browsing and with eye-popping colours it's perfect for watching a plethora of video formats on the go.



2. Apple iPhone 4S

It wasn't the dramatically re-designed iPhone 5 we had hoped for, but the iPhone 4S still features one of the slickest smartphone displays money can buy.
An 8-megapixel camera and 1080p HD video recording aside, a new A5 dual-core processor means even the most graphically demanding iPhone games run more fluidly and lag-free on the gorgeous 3.5-inch Retina display. Like the iPhone 4 the 800:1 contrast ratio and 960x640 resolution makes the 4S a suitable partner for all your multimedia viewing needs.

3. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Despite the Xperia Play hogging the media limelight, the Arc has captured our imaginations from the latest range of Sony Ericsson handsets much in part to the gorgeous 4.2-inch touchscreen display.
With a curved-body design making it one of the most comfortable to grip in your hand, the new Reality Display which uses LED backlighting along with the Mobile Bravia Engine, should serve your video playback, browsing and deliver a slick response to touch.

4. Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Arriving as the world's first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone, the newest Nexus family member follows in the impressive touchscreen footsteps of its close Galaxy compatriots.
Powered by the same 1.2GHz dual-core processor nestled inside the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Galaxy Nexus hosts a vibrant 4.6-inch Super AMOLED HD screen that'll do full justice to your 720p videos, internet browsing and the raft of camera features which includes the excellent single motion panorama mode.

5. Motorola Razr

The iconic Razr brand returns (minus the clamshell design), delivering us one of the most premium Android smartphones on the market.
Running on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, the Razr packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a stunningly vibrant 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display which puts it in good company with the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the iPhone 4S in terms of crisp visuals and great clarity.

6. Samsung Galaxy S

Setting the benchmark for immensely bright displays, the Galaxy S houses a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that does not disappoint. Its 480x800 WVGA resolution is someway behind the iPhone 4 (640x960), but you can still expect vivid colours, true blacks and outstanding contrast ratio.
It's no longer at the top of the pile when it comes to awesome picture quality, having been usurped by its Galaxy S2 brother, but this is still one of the best touchscreen phones to show off in the pub if you want to bedazzle your mates with awe-inspiring picture quality.

7. BlackBerry Bold 9900

Staying true to the design which made the 9000 so popular, the Bold 9900 adds the new BlackBerry OS 7 giving the handset a serious multimedia makeover.
The big selling point for the Bold 9900 is it packs a 2.8-inch screen with VGA resolution which delivers crystal clear clarity and matches the iPhone 4 for sharpness, making it ideal for web browsing and media viewing (albeit not great for movie marathons).
OS 7 also sees the addition of a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, the ability to record 720 HD and a distinctly new look interface, all which is housed in a premium chassis that makes this one of the best BlackBerry phones on the market.

8. HTC Sensation XE

As the first HTC handset to get a Beats Audio makeover, the Sensation XE hosts a sleek unibody design married with stunning screen technology.
Sporting the same 4.3-inch HD screen as the original Sensation, the Android Gingerbread smartphone delivers vivid and brightness that is well matched with HTC's impressive Sense 3.0 and an 8-megapixel camera with dual flash making it one of the best high end smartphone snappers on the market.

9. LG Optimus 3D

While Nintendo brought glasses-free 3D to gaming, LG was the first to bring the display technology to smartphones in the shape of the Optimus 3D.
Sporting a hulking 4.3-inch Super LCD display, the Android 2.2-powered handset delivers a surprisingly bright and vivid picture for your web browsing and movie watching, while parallax technology helps gives games and video the 3D effect without the need for the pesky glasses - although the battery life suffers when chugging through 3D content.
A dual-core processor gives the Optimus 3D suitable grunt in the power department, while dual 5-megapixel cameras mean you can shoot 3D 720p video, take 3D stills and convert 2D movies into 3D to complete the eye-popping experience.

10. LG Optimus Black

Stealing the esteemed honour of world's slimmest smartphone from the Apple iPhone 4, there's much more to the Optimus Black than its slender form factor.
Measuring in at just 9.2mm thickness, the Android 2.2 handset hosts a 4-inch 800x400 resolution NOVA display, giving it one of the clearest LCD screens on the market and making it ideal for video and internet browsing.
Smartshare means you can share content to a PC or a TV wirelessly, while there's a 5-megapixel camera with single LED flash in tow.
Thanks to the NOVA display you'll also get a longer battery life to boot, which is something all phone users can appreciate - and its performance in bright sunlight makes it an unheralded big hitter in the 'best touchscreen on a smartphone' category.