Abstract: Lithium-ion battery (LIB) has received considerable attention in recent years, mainly because LIB has higher energy density, power and efficiency compared with other rechargeable batteries. The cathode material plays an important role in determining the LIB performance (e.g, capacity, thermal stability, and potential) and is the main part of LIB system. This paper presents a systematic classification of LIB cathode materials, including mono-, binary-, and ternary-based lithium metal oxide and lithium iron phosphate cathode materials, and the advantages and disadvantages of these cathode materials are systematically reviewed. The physical properties of commercialized cathode materials are compared and evaluated for potential commercialization. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each cathode materials are summarized, and the challenges and prospects of cathode materials for the future application are discussed.