Database Users

Is your 4G a battery killer?

I tested the following:
Turning 4G on in a full bar area and letting it stand idle for one hour.
I lost about 20% battery in one single hour.
The phone had the screen off, wifi off and all apps but the essential ones off.
On 3G i lost about 5%/hour.
4G is supposed to be an "always-on" service with such a battery drainage?
I was sure it was supposed to be a power efficient service, like WiFi or at least like 3G.
Note the phone also gets a little hot after one hour if being idle with 4G on.
I wonder if other people are seeing the same results?

clubtech said:
4G is supposed to be an "always-on" service with such a battery drainage? I was sure it was supposed to be a power efficient service, like WiFi or at least like 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummmm...
Wow...
ummmm...
4g = bad for battery

OK...Thanks!
I really wanted someone else to test this and report back.
Maybe it is just my unit or the ROM that i am using?

clubtech said:
OK...Thanks!
I really wanted someone else to test this and report back.
Maybe it is just my unit or the ROM that i am using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LoL sorry brotha' I was just messing around
You gotta admit though, you set yourself up for that one
In all seriousness, 4g is an absolute battery killer! ESPECIALLY if your in an area where you don't get good 4g signal.
If your in a good area and surrounded by 4g then the phone doesn't really have to work at all to keep the signal BUT if your in an area where there's not much 4g signal, like most of America, then it will destroy your battery life (and make your phone hot) because your phone keeps searching for it over and over which chews up the battery. I would ALWAYS keep 4g off unless your downloading something until the 4g becomes more expanded across America. Also download the app battery indicator and make sure you keep track of your battery temperature with it in the status bar. I never let my battery get above 99*F since that will cause permanent damage. In your first post you were talking about losing 20% in an hour while on 4g which would alot of sense since the phone (on 3g) is only slated to get 4-5 hours of talk time, with 4g on always searching for signal the 20% loss seems about right.
Sorry again for messing with you earlier

np.
I am with full 4g bar when testing, so it is not a signal issue.

Yeah, it's a huge battery drainer. I forgot I turned it on in town, took a nap and had 85% battery left, fell asleep and took a 2 hour nap, woke up and it was dead dead mofo dead.
So yeah, it's a battery killer.

Good thing you can barely use the main advertising feature of this phone.

roybotnik said:
Good thing you can barely use the main advertising feature of this phone.
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Click to collapse
LOL A+
stupid10char

Theory as to why there is such a difference in some people's battery life times

I live in Idaho. Sprint advertises that they have 'mammoth coverage' around here, but they're wrong. They don't. Well, they have coverage (except for my house and office) and the 3G/4G speeds are usually complete **** unless you're within sight of a tower.
Data from the towers out in Caldwell haven't worked for over 2 months and Sprint claims that they're working just fine and have recently been updated - apparently they updated to dial-up. I really wonder how they're even selling phones over there right now.
Idaho = Battery life is usually 5 to 10 hours with normal usage.
2 weekends ago I was in Omaha and used my evo a little bit less than normal, but I could get through the whole day and still have 50%+ battery life left. The 3G speeds were also 2x better, as well as service in general.
I think it depends on where you're located and if sprint has maintained/updated their towers. I also think that most of the towers in Nampa/Caldwell (20 mi. out of Boise) are older nextel towers, which are probably complete ****/half working.
Just my theory.

Sounds plausible, but I have no idea scientifically speaking. I could guess but I don't think it would be productive.
My honest suggestion? Post this over at the dslreports.com forums; there were some really knowledgeable people lurking there.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I agree. In addition to rogue apps/processes, it seems that weak network is #2 on my list of things to check when my batt life is draining too much.

This isn't really a theory, it is fact. If you have bad coverage you can basically watch your battery drain. I could drain mine dead overnight by leaving my phone unplugged and in the basement.. I had 1 bar of roaming service. I now hqve an airave and battery life drains much less overnight.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

teamgreen02 said:
This isn't really a theory, it is fact. If you have bad coverage you can basically watch your battery drain. I could drain mine dead overnight by leaving my phone unplugged and in the basement.. I had 1 bar of roaming service. I now hqve an airave and battery life drains much less overnight.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive had my batter die in 3 hours because of no service. I watched my battery go from 70% to 30% in 1 hour because of no signal. Since I'm not running CM6 the roam control app has been well worth the couple of bucks. No more missed calls and far less battery drain when im in low signal areas.

Poor 3G low signal is the biggest battery problem for Android!
Android (not the Evo but the entire OS) has a very poor system for dealing with Low Signal for 3G and it does NOT automatically switch over to 2G when it's supposed to which CAN and DOES result in greatly increased battery life.
Other phone OS's do this or are supposed to do this but for some reason Google has just not implemented a good system for dealing with this COMMON issue.
I use a program called JuiceDefender (Paid version is best but the free version will prove to you how useful it is) and it is literally the best app I run on my Evo. Overnight I went from my phone dying by 4pm when working at a location with low signal to having it last multiple days in some cases depending on my usage.
Do yourselves a favor, Get this application and if you have your phone rooted you get many extra features out of the full version. Can't speak highly enough of this application.
Tim

teamgreen02 said:
This isn't really a theory, it is fact. If you have bad coverage you can basically watch your battery drain. I could drain mine dead overnight by leaving my phone unplugged and in the basement.. I had 1 bar of roaming service. I now hqve an airave and battery life drains much less overnight.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with that and know that when you have 0/1/2 bars it really drains your battery life, however, I get the same battery life if I'm at home all day using it (0/1/2 bars), or if I'm at college and have 5 bars all day and I'm not using it quite as much.
I have fresh 3.3 with the htc kernel 53 fps (and all the latest radios/pri/prl/ect.) and have seen much improved battery life, but it's still the exact same.
I also have an airave at the office (which is out in Caldwell where the data doesn't even work) for the other two people on my plan, and while they have seen slightly less battery drain since we got the airave (for free), it's not a mind-blowing difference, other than the data actually works. They're also running the 2.1 stock, but rooted with unrevoked.
I guess I'm wondering if staying connected to a tower with older tech/Nextel uses more power than if it's connected to a sprint tower.

Hrshycro said:
I think it depends on where you're located and if sprint has maintained/updated their towers. I also think that most of the towers in Nampa/Caldwell (20 mi. out of Boise) are older nextel towers, which are probably complete ****/half working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no way your Evo is working off of any Nextel towers. Those are IDEN and your Evo is CDMA...not happening. It's been known for years now that if you have poor/no signal, your battery will drain rapidly as the device will constantly search for a better signal.

anthony67 said:
There's no way your Evo is working off of any Nextel towers. Those are IDEN and your Evo is CDMA...not happening. It's been known for years now that if you have poor/no signal, your battery will drain rapidly as the device will constantly search for a better signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know - How do people get Sprint Phones to work on Boost mobile then? Boost is using nextel towers, or that's what I've read several times.
I agree with that and know that when you have 0/1/2 bars it really drains your battery life, however, I get the same battery life if I'm at home all day using it (0/1/2 bars), or if I'm at college and have 5 bars all day and I'm not using it quite as much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hrshycro said:
Boost is using nextel towers, or that's what I've read several times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're half right. Boost does use nextel towers--For iDen phones. They do use the Sprint network for CDMA phones. Basically boost carries both CDMA and iDen phones.
As for how people get Sprint phones to work with Boost(CDMA)... Hm... Let's just say they do something shady and possibly illegal...They clone ESNs.

Airplane Mode Standby = 1200 hours.

I lost 10% in 5 days or 120 hours on airplane mode and 99% idle.
1200 hours = 50 days.
Just a fun fact.

I already posted something like that, but no one would believe me. They were all like pics or it didn't happen.

But who puts there G2 in airplane mode for 5 days? Of course if your not using the phone the battery would last longer anyways. Disabling the radio would only add to that but guess I'm not seeing the point of having a cell phone then.
Now 5 days battery life with the phone being used now that I'm interested in.
Sent from my CM7 powered G2

This statement would be true if the battery charge drops in a linear manner but it is not the case.

greenstuffs said:
This statement would be true if the battery charge drops in a linear manner but it is not the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the battery calibration is good, it should be more or less linear. The differences are, of course, irrelevant... since it'll be a whole bunch of days either way.

userfriendlyme said:
But who puts there G2 in airplane mode for 5 days? Of course if your not using the phone the battery would last longer anyways. Disabling the radio would only add to that but guess I'm not seeing the point of having a cell phone then.
Now 5 days battery life with the phone being used now that I'm interested in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... if you're going somewhere that you know you don't have signal... no point in keeping the radios on.
Or if you're "away" and don't want to be disturbed, but want to have the phone in case of emergency.
There are lots of reasons to shut the radio off.

Hah 5 days that's crazy

Why not just power off the phone?

Hot_Hands said:
Why not just power off the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you have it on for whatever you need to do that doesn't require a radio. No one enjoys booting their phone on and off like that.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

userfriendlyme said:
But who puts there G2 in airplane mode for 5 days?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you travel and you dont want to pay fees? This is what I done for me.

Why is my battery time rubbish?

Looking at others screenshots, I am only having half what the crowd having.
This is not the case for the n4 only. I am talking about every single Android I had in the past.
Is something wrong with me or what I see in the screenshots is 10% brightness, all the services off and staring at a black screen for 8 hours?

People's usage varies. Some people listen to a lot of music. Some use navigation frequently. Some have Google Now running, while others don't.
That said, I use automatic brightness, get on XDA a LOT, make a few calls and texts, and talk to people on gtalk. I usually see around 4h screen on time. Could I get more? Yes. But I don't care enough.

calyxim said:
Looking at others screenshots, I am only having half what the crowd having.
This is not the case for the n4 only. I am talking about every single Android I had in the past.
Is something wrong with me or what I see in the screenshots is 10% brightness, all the services off and staring at a black screen for 8 hours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good signal reception in your area is key to battery life.

estallings15 said:
People's usage varies. Some people listen to a lot of music. Some use navigation frequently. Some have Google Now running, while others don't.
That said, I use automatic brightness, get on XDA a LOT, make a few calls and texts, and talk to people on gtalk. I usually see around 4h screen on time. Could I get more? Yes. But I don't care enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used my phone heavily and the screen was on for the most part used Google wallet and did a lot of stuff on my phone and it still have some juice left.. Coming from a GS 2 this battery life is more than enough for me
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

From 100%.. Quarter brightness level.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Because u own a nexus device with no replaceable battery and and and underpower battery. Google posing that they are giving u cheap phone. They took from u all the real things that we need and gave us what makes little difference.
Less storage so u will be using their cloud.
Not replaceable battery so after a year or less you instead of replacing battery by sending phone to service centre, buy their motorola X.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app

qazibasit said:
Because u own a nexus device with no replaceable battery and and and underpower battery. Google posing that they are giving u cheap phone. They took from u all the real things that we need and gave us what makes little difference.
Less storage so u will be using their cloud.
Not replaceable battery so after a year or less you instead of replacing battery by sending phone to service centre, buy their motorola X.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So little text, so many conspiracies..

Vangelis13 said:
Good signal reception in your area is key to battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, by far. Took the words from my mouth.

spooke said:
From 100%.. Quarter brightness level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That, I can understand.
6 hours guys, I honestly have no idea how they manage that. When I turn on the screen, consumption jumps up to 600mah straight away. 2100/600= 3 hours + some minutes.
Btw I can literally see the cell tower from where I live. Reception is no issue at all.

calyxim said:
That, I can understand.
6 hours guys, I honestly have no idea how they manage that. When I turn on the screen, consumption jumps up to 600mah straight away. 2100/600= 3 hours + some minutes.
Btw I can literally see the cell tower from where I live. Reception is no issue at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
List all the apps you have installed. Is Facebook one of them? Remove it.
Install betterbatterystats, check if some app(s) keeps your phone awake.

Way better if I don't use it much lol..
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

calyxim said:
That, I can understand.
6 hours guys, I honestly have no idea how they manage that. When I turn on the screen, consumption jumps up to 600mah straight away. 2100/600= 3 hours + some minutes.
Btw I can literally see the cell tower from where I live. Reception is no issue at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seeing the cell tower means nothing if your phone isn't actually connecting to that cell tower.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Vangelis13 said:
Good signal reception in your area is key to battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what he says. single most important factor. in my city it can last for 2 days, i have always 4 bars on hspa. when i visit my parents the reception goes down to zero or one bar. the phone is empty in a few hours just by sitting there.

What you need is faux kernel and under volt a little ... I'm on 3 hours heavy use atm at 52%
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Mine sucks some what.
@1.8 GHz
But most of the time running on demand gov so in deep sleep
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

If you're using the stock Email client(not Gmail), that might have something to do with it.
I found out, by using Elixir 2, that the Email client was pretty much constantly using around 20-30% CPU, even though it wasn't showing up in the battery stats. Once I stopped using the Email client(removed all accounts) my battery life improved a lot.

Update Patched Standby Drain

Loving this update even more. Yesterday installed update and usually my phone would drain 3-5% each hour not in use but today. My phone was stuck at 98% when I came back from 2 1/2hr meeting, I was amazed.
Also noticed the startup sound is now muted when in silent. It wasn't a big deal before but nice change.
Camera appears to be a little more snappier as well .
Verizon did really good with this update. Droid Turbo is really turning into perfect phone imo. Now we await Lollipop.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Battery does seem a bit better for me.
I'm at 43% right now with 11h35m on battery and 2h40m screen on time.

JayfromBK86 said:
Loving this update even more. Yesterday installed update and usually my phone would drain 3-5% each hour not in use but today. My phone was stuck at 98% when I came back from 2 1/2hr meeting, I was amazed.
Also noticed the startup sound is now muted when in silent. It wasn't a big deal before but nice change.
Camera appears to be a little more snappier as well .
Verizon did really good with this update. Droid Turbo is really turning into perfect phone imo. Now we await Lollipop.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny...I have the opposite problem. Also, mine randomly reboots now. It didn't do this before.

jbhorner said:
Funny...I have the opposite problem. Also, mine randomly reboots now. It didn't do this before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory reset and update. Maybe it will fix your problem

jbhorner said:
Funny...I have the opposite problem. Also, mine randomly reboots now. It didn't do this before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also try booting into Safe Mode, and then re-adding your accounts. I did that and it fixed my battery drain problem it seems.
Sent from my Droid Turbo.

Made it all day on 20% and that was listening to about three hours of podcasts and very light usage.

My 3g/4g randomly stops and I can't send texts or calls... I even factory reset it ...still does it my phone was a beast before now not so much...

joshua_helm said:
My 3g/4g randomly stops and I can't send texts or calls... I even factory reset it ...still does it my phone was a beast before now not so much...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
CDMA is a fallback if you lose LTE. Sounds like tower trouble in your area.

I had full 4G here before update...after I get this! If I turn off WiFi..I basically can't use my phone! BTW I just did a factory reset and cleared cache..

It sounds like you are having tower issues in your area.

i noticed before the patch when i took my phone off charger it would drop to 99% battery right away, now it actually takes a bit before it drops.
this seemed to be a legit patch for little bug fixes.

The battery seems a little better for me too.

thread cleaned

JayfromBK86 said:
Loving this update even more. Yesterday installed update and usually my phone would drain 3-5% each hour not in use but today. My phone was stuck at 98% when I came back from 2 1/2hr meeting, I was amazed.
Also noticed the startup sound is now muted when in silent. It wasn't a big deal before but nice change.
Camera appears to be a little more snappier as well .
Verizon did really good with this update. Droid Turbo is really turning into perfect phone imo. Now we await Lollipop.
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed this as well..good stuff indeed!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app

I just got the Droid Turbo this Monday and left the store after it was updated. Attached is a picture of my battery usage. It doesn't seem right to me. Can someone also explain how to read it with regards to "time on" etc? Many thanks for the help!

sddroid88 said:
I just got the Droid Turbo this Monday and left the store after it was updated. Attached is a picture of my battery usage. It doesn't seem right to me. Can someone also explain how to read it with regards to "time on" etc? Many thanks for the help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what doesnt seem right? that looks normal if u want to look at your screen on time tap on the screen line and it will give u how long the screen was on in between charges.

So 1 hr and 20 min left on battery seems right with a 20% usage for cell standby?

sddroid88 said:
So 1 hr and 20 min left on battery seems right with a 20% usage for cell standby?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery drain isn't linear and drain slows as you get further into the battery.
Were you expecting it to stay at 100% for 15 hours or something?

Maybe I am not understanding what the screen is telling me 100%. I took it to mean that there is only approx 1 hr and 20 min left on the battery? Is that not correct?
With regards to the cell standby and other things using the battery, my assumption was that 20% battery usage by the cell standby was rather high. In searching online, I have seen people post that it should be around 11%. Is this not accurate?
Thank you for the help!

it means you've been off the charger for 1hr and 20 minutes and used 5% battery. As to standby time it's hard for me to say as I haven't updated and heard it's gotten better.