4g vs 3g

[oOMavrikOo]

I normally just run 4g all day and connect to wifi whenever possible. I usually have am outlet to plug in for juice during the day, but it's getting pretty annoying. I'm on the regular Razr and was wondering if anyone just uses 3g during the day and whether they notice a real difference in battery life and download speeds.

 

[carracerz14]

A difference in download speeds? Uhh yeah lmao 4g is way faster than 3g you'll be lucky to get more than 1mb download on 3g.

Battery will be better in 3g also but what's the point if having a 4g phone if you only use 3g? If you're connected to wifi it doesn't matter because that uses less battery than both just make sure you turn it off when you are not connected.

 

[emmzone22]

I have the Razr. When I'm not using Wi-Fi, I use 3G, because the battery life is a lot better. Also, I don't notice a big enough difference in speeds between 3G and 4G to justify using 4G. The better battery life, in my opinion, justifies using 3G only.

 

[carracerz14]

So a difference between 20+ mbps download and less than 1 mbps download isn't a big difference to you?? That's unless you live in the middle of no where and don't get a good 4g connection

 

[loonee2n]

I'm missing something. Where on the RAZR can you manually switch between 3g and 4g? My phone just uses 4g when it's in a 4g area and 3g when it's not in a 4g area. I didn't know you could switch, but I have the Maxx, so I would rather run 4g when I can.

 

[emmzone22]

I have full strength of 4G and 3G. I watch movies, stream music, use it for navigation, social networking, web browsing, etc. perfectly fine with 3G all while doubling my battery life. To use 3G only, go the phone dialer and enter the following: *#*#4636#*#*. A window will open with several options to choose from. I don't remember which option it is, but one of those will give you the option to choose 3G only.

 

[B360155]

There's also an app on the Play Store named "LTE OnOff - HTC Thunderbolt" that works with the RAZR/RAZR MAXX that allows you to toggle between 3G and 4G LTE.

 

[loonee2n]

Thanks for the info, but I'm not having battery problems using 4g on my Maxx. I can't justify using only 3g when 4g is one of the main reasons I upgraded my phone.

 

[B360155]

Thanks for the info, but I'm not having battery problems using 4g on my Maxx. I can't justify using only 3g when 4g is one of the main reasons I upgraded my phone.

I'm with you. I'm not having battery issues either and leave mine on 4G LTE most of the time as well. I just didn't like the fact that they took that option away from us on ICS while we had it on GB and read about this app in a forum awhile back. It can come in handy if you're in a fringe 4G LTE location so your phone isn't hunting back and forth between 4G and 3G.

 

[xTye]

I'm with you. I'm not having battery issues either and leave mine on 4G LTE most of the time as well. I just didn't like the fact that they took that option away from us on ICS while we had it on GB and read about this app in a forum awhile back. It can come in handy if you're in a fringe 4G LTE location so your phone isn't hunting back and forth between 4G and 3G.

You have a MAXX I assume?

Anyone who has an original RAZR and says a charge lasts them all day with 4G is on lying through their teeth.

I let mine SIT all day with 4G. It died before the day was over...before it was 4PM PST (started this at around 10AM PST).

 

[carracerz14]

You have a MAXX I assume?

Anyone who has an original RAZR and says a charge lasts them all day with 4G is on lying through their teeth.

I let mine SIT all day with 4G. It died before the day was over...before it was 4PM PST (started this at around 10AM PST).

I find it hard to believe that you let your phone sit for an entire 6 hour day and it died without you even using it at all. Even a galaxy nexus would last long than that if you didn't use it.

 

[emmzone22]

I find it hard to believe that you let your phone sit for an entire 6 hour day and it died without you even using it at all. Even a galaxy nexus would last long than that if you didn't use it.

I believe it, because my Razr would do the same thing. I know people in different in different cities that have the same problem, so they use 3G only also.

 

[Thom]

Do you have a Task Killer app installed?

... Thom

 

[B360155]

You have a MAXX I assume?

Anyone who has an original RAZR and says a charge lasts them all day with 4G is on lying through their teeth.

I let mine SIT all day with 4G. It died before the day was over...before it was 4PM PST (started this at around 10AM PST).

Yes, I have a Razr Maxx but if your phone dies after only 6 hours and isn't being used during that time, something is definitely wrong. You might want to install an app called GSam Battery Monitor. Attached are a couple of screenshots I took a few minutes ago. The first shot shows that my battery on average lasts 32 hours (1 day 8 hours). Today has been a light use day as when I took the screenshot, my phone had been on for 11:35:58 and I had only consumed 21% of my battery capacity. Based on today's light use, the app estimates I could get another 42:09, so a total of over 53 1/2 hours. That's valid too as I can go 2 full days with light use on a single charge. The second screenshot drills into app usage and provides greater detail on what apps are eating battery. I've been on wifi at home and 4G LTE for about 3 hours when I was out shopping today. Try GSam and you might be able to decipher what's eating your battery so quickly. The Maxx battery is bigger, but you should be getting a lot more than 6 hours with the original Razr. Good luck!

 

[Adauth]

If not on wi-fi I leave it on 3g unless I am actively downloading or surfing the web. Not to worried about the battery as I have spare chargers and a 10,000 mah portable charger.

 

[loonee2n]

I'm starting to believe it's true. Unplugged my Maxx Fri night before I went to bed with wi-fi on. Checked it in the morning and it was still 97%. Took it off of wi-fi and by Sat night it was down to 51% with occasional light use. Looks like 4g is a battery killer. Still, not enough of a worry for me to switch to 3g only.

 

[gripweed]

I'll use 4g with full bars in the middle of the city and its slower than 3G with 2 bars. It's very annoying.

 

[gerry142]

I get around 30 mbits where I live with 4g

 

[carracerz14]

I'll use 4g with full bars in the middle of the city and its slower than 3G with 2 bars. It's very annoying.

Might be a lot if people using lte, especially if it's in the middle of a city. Any connection is gong to be slower when a lot of people are accessing it simultaneously.

 

[greenghost2212]

I find it hard to believe that you let your phone sit for an entire 6 hour day and it died without you even using it at all. Even a galaxy nexus would last long than that if you didn't use it.

I'm with u if I wanted to just use 3g get a 3g only device and I can personally say my phone can sit on 4g all day without use. And anybody who says its not a difference between 3g and 4g is a flat out lie. 4g improves everything about the phone speed not just web browsing.

 

[oOMavrikOo]

I'm with u if I wanted to just use 3g get a 3g only device and I can personally say my phone can sit on 4g all day without use. And anybody who says its not a difference between 3g and 4g is a flat out lie. 4g improves everything about the phone speed not just web browsing.

It doesn't improve the battery...

 

[Kelmar]

FWIW, 4G destroyed the battery on my Razr (not Maxx) even when not in use. Then again, I live on the outskirts of a LTE area and would constantly drop signal.

3G, however, was always consistent and I could leave it on all day. For my needs, it worked fine. When I REALLY needed that extra speed though I would turn it back on.


I think of it like a car. I may rarely use ALL of the HP and Torque that the car has... but I'm glad I have the option to use it when I need it.

I find it hard to believe that you let your phone sit for an entire 6 hour day and it died without you even using it at all. Even a galaxy nexus would last long than that if you didn't use it.

Mine would die during a 8-10 hour day just sitting there.

 

[B360155]

Another option those that are having battery issues might want to consider is whether you really need to have data and background sync turned on all day long. This is one of the main areas of battery use. If your phone is idle much of the day and you don't need to receive emails immediately as they are sent, you can turn off your data and you'll still be able to make and receive phone calls and text messages since they use the phone radios. If you turn data and background sync off, a phone uses hardly any battery at all. Then you can just turn data back on when you need to use it.

There are several methods of doing this:
1) You can go into your phone's settings and manually turn off data and background sync.
2) You can try a number of battery saving apps like Juice Defender, Easy Battery Saver and others that automatically turn off data and background sync after periods of phone inactivity.
3) You can use toggles to turn them on or off as needed. I have a Widgetsoid switcher bar that I can access through my notification bar pull down with toggles for data and background sync, along with several other functions.

Provided you're not using your phone non-stop, I can guarantee you this will extend your battery life significantly so you'll easily make it through a day without having to recharge.

 

[Adauth]

If I leave my Razr on 3g and just leave it sit it will last over 18 hours. If you battery is dying after only 8 hours with no use you got a lemon battery.

 

[Podivin]

...
Anyone who has an original RAZR and says a charge lasts them all day with 4G is on lying through their teeth...

I greatly dislike being called a liar, how about you find some other way to disagree with people, aside from calling them names.
Just because it doesn't work for you doesn't mean that it doesn't work for other people.
Given the great disparity between apps installed, widgets used, update frequenices, and signal strength in a given area, it's reasonable to assume there will be great differences in battery life.

On my OG Razr I can leave the phone on 4G all day and still have a charge at the end of the day - generally about 30% or so ('all day' for me is 6am to 9pm). My typical day is light usage, maybe 20 minutes of phone calls, 30 minutes of a podcast and an hour or so playing solitaire or something of the sort. I'm in a reasonably good, but not top signal, 4G area. Does 4G use more battery for me than WiFi or 3G only, absolutely. But it gets me through a day and that's my main concern.
If I know I'm going to go to weak 4G signal area for any length of time I'll switch over to 3G (or airplane mode). Having it hunt for a 4G signal, connect and disconnect, will kill the battery well before the day is over.