Big phones were able to come onto the scene and take hold of the market for a variety of reasons, but perhaps none more so than the inherent potential of battery capacity. Yes, the big displays are nice and let us get a lot done, especially with software tweaks that take advantage of those big screens, but the battery is where a lot of the love comes from. Because a bigger phone means a bigger battery, and that means we can keep using that phone of ours longer.

But it's still not perfect.

Because while we have bigger phones and bigger batteries, we've still got plenty of draw off that battery life on a daily basis. It feels like the average size of a phone's battery is around 3000mAh at this point, with some outliers in either direction. Which, not even that long ago, a 3000mAh battery felt like a golden egg. Something to cherish and praise.

But it's 2019 and there are still some phones out there that don't do too well when it comes to battery life. We know that some phones are better than others. And companies know that some of their phones offer better battery life than even their flagships -- all thanks to the features and specs that make a flagship a flagship.

Let's go ahead and toss Apple under the bus in this case. The iPhone XS Max has a 3174mAh battery under its hood, and the iPhone XR has a 2942mAh battery inside of its colorful case. The iPhone XS Max has an OLED display with more real estate than the iPhone XR's LCD "Liquid Retina" display. But Apple isn't shy about the fact that the iPhone XR has the longest lasting battery of any iPhone to date, including its newest flagships.

And based on my time with all three smartphones, Apple is absolutely correct in this statement. The iPhone XR's battery life is ridiculously good on a consistent basis. And while I won't say I got bad battery life out of the iPhone XS Max, there is definitely a noticeable difference between the two.

So, just like with cameras in smartphones, it goes beyond the numbers. Just because a battery is bigger doesn't mean it's better. Which leads me to asking: Do you use a battery case? Whether your phone is brand new or getting older, have you come to terms with the fact that you need extra juice on a regular basis?

There are a lot of different battery cases out there, and many of them are pretty great. I've considered going that route once or twice in the past, but honestly I don't find myself using my phone all that much, which is probably why I don't really worry about battery life. But a battery case has always felt like a quick and easy fix to any potential problems down the road, especially for a phone that's older and may not hold a charge as well as it did in the past.

Do you use a battery case? Or how about an external battery pack? Or do you have a phone that easily lasts through a busy work day? And if so, which phone are you using? Let me know!