Mobile phone battery life - conundrum

[JR8]

I have a new Samsung I9300. It spends 98% of it's time with the screen display off, it's battery life is 48 hours.

I have a c.10 year old Nokia 6230*, I charged it at the same time as the Samsung, and two days later it is still showing 7/7 'bars' of charge, i.e. a full or near full charge. I did replace it's original battery with a new one c.5 years ago.


I am surprised that I have to charge to new Samsung for 4 hours, every other day, it is not convenient at all. Is technology going backwards in this regard?


*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_6230

[taxico]

welcome to the world of smart phones. check to see if your bluetooth and wifi have both been turned off.

if you don't surf the internet on your phone, you can try using only 2G. you can bet all these functions are hidden deep in the settings screen.

otherwise, junk it and just use the older phone like me, and charge it once every 2 weeks (i bought a fresh battery at lucky plaza).

[durain]

mobile technology has moved on a lot but battery technology is still the same. manufacturer also got to decide whether to put a small battery on their nice slim mobile or a big fat one.

on my blackberry, i set it only for 2G and it can last for about 5 days. on my google nexus, i had to turn off 3G and wireless and only turn them on when i need them to get probably about 2 days if i am lucky.



p/s i had the nokia 6310 and battery life was amazing too!

[JR8]

Interesting comments above and thank you.

I found that wifi was activated, which was curious since I don't recall doing that. So I have turned it off.

Just one remaining thing, re: 3G... er, what is it? I've heard of it, but is it the same as having wi-fi? The phone's user guide makes no useful reference to it.

Sorry, I am not a 'numbers-man', and far-far-so very far away from being at all techie!

[Strong Eagle]

Interesting comments above and thank you.

I found that wifi was activated, which was curious since I don't recall doing that. So I have turned it off.

Just one remaining thing, re: 3G... er, what is it? I've heard of it, but is it the same as having wi-fi? The phone's user guide makes no useful reference to it.

Sorry, I am not a 'numbers-man', and far-far-so very far away from being at all techie!

3G is the way data is transmitted through the phone network, whereas wifi is transmitted via wireless routers connected to a traditional IP network.

FWIW - using 3G actually consumes more power than wifi. So, if you are using data, and within range of wifi, you should have it on, if you are traveling and relying on the phone network for data, then you can turn it off.

Other things you can do (I have an S2). Reduce screen brightness. Uninstall as many of the stupid apps that came with it as you can.

[x9200]

This is from the Zamzung spec:

Battery
Talk time*: up to 21 hrs (2G), 11 hrs (3G)
Standby time*: up to 900 hrs (2G), 790 hrs (3G)

Ultimately it can also be the very basic thing JR8 suggested - different sensitivity of the receivers/gain of antennas. While the Nokia may have it better and still performs at this particular location, the Samsung not that much and this is typically the most impactful factor for the battery life.

[taxico]

...re: 3G... er, what is it? I've heard of it, but is it the same as having wi-fi?

3G gives you internet almost anywhere with a phone signal (in singapore). wifi gives you internet only in a place with a wifi signal.

if you don't use the internet "on the go" (check emails, surf the web, etc, in your car or at the bus stop), i think it's okay to switch from 3G to 2G.

if your phone feels warm in your pocket, something's up... (don't be dirty!)

[JR8]

This is from the Zamzung spec:

Battery
Talk time*: up to 21 hrs (2G), 11 hrs (3G)
Standby time*: up to 900 hrs (2G), 790 hrs (3G)

Ultimately it can also be the very basic thing JR8 suggested - different sensitivity of the receivers/gain of antennas. While the Nokia may have it better and still performs at this particular location, the Samsung not that much and this is typically the most impactful factor for the battery life.

790hrs eh? Bit different from the 48hrs I'm getting. An added irony is I can see the mobile phone masts I'm possibly connecting to, about 250m away.

[nutnut]

I also have the S3 (I9300) and find the battery pretty por, it rarely lasts me all day. However, I use it for a 3G hotspot do a lot of data as well as my kis playing games on it and all kinds.

You can get yourself a spare battery if you require.

[ScoobyDoes]

790hrs eh? Bit different from the 48hrs I'm getting. An added irony is I can see the mobile phone masts I'm possibly connecting to, about 250m away.

Another problem may be your phone is constantly seeking 2G/3G reception given that 3G, even after all this time, in SG is pretty cr@p and I constantly switch out of 3G to a lower level while tripping around. For this reason the telcos were fined paltry amounts last year for poor service. If it had been a huge fine, it would only have ended up on our bills and in our contracts but what SHOULD have happened was an insistance to give each customer a few days free service instead, just as M1 are doing as a result of their outage last week.

On a so called smartphone where you only need a phone, turn off everything..... 3G, WiFi, BlueTooth, GPS, email/data sync. By limiting connections, you should be getting 4-5days battery life. Getting a month, from Samdung's reference it pretty impossible but a week is within grasp, just don't make a call within the last 10% cause it would only last a couple of minutes.

[the lynx]

I installed Juice Defender app, which I find really helpful. It cuts off all internet connection when the phone is inactive for, say 5 minutes (you can customise that).

For example, my HTC, which can't last even quarter of a day, can now last the entire day until night when I plug it to charger before turning it off and hitting the bed, thanks to this app.

I have no financial gain from this, and I'm no techie either.

[ScoobyDoes]

For example, my HTC, which can't last even quarter of a day, can now last the entire day until night when I plug it to charger before turning it off and hitting the bed, thanks to this app.

Please tell me your an extensive user otherwise that is shocking.

[zzm9980]

For example, my HTC, which can't last even quarter of a day, can now last the entire day until night when I plug it to charger before turning it off and hitting the bed, thanks to this app.

Please tell me your an extensive user otherwise that is shocking.

Not shocking at all. The biggest drain on any 3G device is actually related to your signal strength. If you're in a shitty reception area and your phone is constantly hunting for towers, your battery will drain in hours. Some nights, I'll wake up and have only lost 10% over night. Other nights, I'll have lost 50-70% and see three or four "Welcome to Telkomsel" SMS messages.

For JR's case, his battery usage sounds normal. Install the app Lynx suggested. If you just want to test without installing an app, put your phone into airplane mode. You won't get calls, but it will disable the radios and eliminate tower-hunting as a battery drain to assist trouble shooting. Also, since it is Android, you might have an app going crazy in the background. Pretty hard to tell though unless you're semi technical and want to look at your running processes. (Settings / Applications). iPhones don't have this problem as badly since Steve Jobs made the choice to take your choice away on the ability to run background apps. (For better or worse )

[nakatago]

For example, my HTC, which can't last even quarter of a day, can now last the entire day until night when I plug it to charger before turning it off and hitting the bed, thanks to this app.

Please tell me your an extensive user otherwise that is shocking.

Not shocking at all. The biggest drain on any 3G device is actually related to your signal strength. If you're in a shitty reception area and your phone is constantly hunting for towers, your battery will drain in hours. Some nights, I'll wake up and have only lost 10% over night. Other nights, I'll have lost 50-70% and see three or four "Welcome to Telkomsel" SMS messages.

For JR's case, his battery usage sounds normal. Install the app Lynx suggested. If you just want to test without installing an app, put your phone into airplane mode. You won't get calls, but it will disable the radios and eliminate tower-hunting as a battery drain to assist trouble shooting. Also, since it is Android, you might have an app going crazy in the background. Pretty hard to tell though unless you're semi technical and want to look at your running processes. (Settings / Applications). iPhones don't have this problem as badly since Steve Jobs made the choice to take your choice away on the ability to run background apps. (For better or worse )

Still waiting for the day where advancements on batteries are commercialized. I remember attending a talk about special polymers. The casing IS the battery!

[the lynx]

For example, my HTC, which can't last even quarter of a day, can now last the entire day until night when I plug it to charger before turning it off and hitting the bed, thanks to this app.

Please tell me your an extensive user otherwise that is shocking.

Extensive enough. But zzm is right. Over here, my signal is just barely scratching satisfactory level. And it got that bad when I start using more GPS recently.