Emailing HTC regarding Inadequate Battery

[drPheta]

I emailed the following to HTC here:
HTC Mobile Phones - Customer Service - E-mail Support

I just purchased a Verizon HTC Droid Incredible, and I'm appalled by the fact that the battery in this phone is rated at a paltry 1300mAH. This phone is a resource hog when it comes to features, and I purchased it with the intent of CONVENIENTLY utilizing these incorporated features to the fullest. I use the GPS in the car AND while walking in new cities and places. I use WiFi constantly in several WiFi hotspots. I talk on the phone a lot, and I send many texts, emails, messages. I play games, use applications, browse the internet... I use the phone the way it allows me to do so freely; that is until the battery runs out.

So, please explain to me. Why create a full featured phone, but put in a weak battery that barely makes it past 6 hours? Yes, literally 6 hours. I take it off the charger at 7:00 am, head out the door, run through my daily tasks, and by 1pm I'm told I have less than 14% battery life left and need to plug in a charger. Now, if I turn off WiFi, GPS, turn down the screen brightness, etc. I can get to about 4-5 pm before the battery dies. So, don’t go suggesting I deactivate certain features of the phone. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO DO THAT? This is a smartphone, named INCREDIBLE! It's supposed to allow me to COMFORTABLY, CONVENIENTLY, and CONFIDENTLY stroll through my daily (DAILY, at least 8 working hours plus leisure) tasks and errands. WiFi hotspots are abundant, GPS is an integral part of SEVERAL apps beyond navigation, I need a bright screen in broad daylight, I drive using a Bluetooth headset, and I need and like to be constantly connected. With the demanding hardware this phone comes with, you’ve handicapped the Incredible with a pathetic battery. Seidio has developed a 1750mAH battery that fits into the same space as your 1300mAH one. Why short change us? I understand battery technology is not the same across the board, and you may claim third party companies do not live up to your standards, etc. However, third parties also exceed OEM hardware in many cases. Seidio is one of those companies, and I’ve used them with great success in the past for my Blackberries and Windows Mobile devices.

I hate to sound rude, but I’m very frustrated at the battery life of this phone. I waited a long for an Android phone to come to Verizon and meet my expectations. I could have purchased the Motorola Droid. However, the specs of the Incredible wowed me, at least on paper, and I took the bait. So, please explain to me why the majority of Incredible owners are reporting such poor battery life. It’s sad to say the iPhone lasts longer than my Incredible. I, along with most other Incredible owners, hope there’s a fix for this coming in the near future.
--

Thanks for submitting - your reference number is 808799

Hope enough people do this so that they fix this problem correctly and quickly

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5/22/2010
UPDATE:

I have drafted and emailed this formal letter to upper management. Hopefully there are no typos, it finds them well, and we get something fixed soon.
(contacts found below in post #39, thanks FierceDeityLink1)

To whom it may concern:

I hope this letter brings light to a major flaw in one of your newest products. I have recently purchased a HTC Incredible smart phone, and I am very happy with how the phone performs tasks with exceptional ease and speed. However, I am disappointed in the atrocious battery life of the device. With the advancement of technology, inclusion of complex radios and hardware, and the amount of power necessary to process immense amounts of data I understand today’s smart phones will consume batteries quickly. What I don’t understand is why a 1300mAH battery has been given to the HTC Incredible while its older, less power hungry HTC counterparts have 1500mAH batteries. I am not suggesting the 15% increase in capacity to be a significant improvement over the current battery, but I am curious as to why HTC and Verizon did not anticipate the dramatic battery drain while still stocking it with a smaller power pack.

As it stands today, my phone lasts anywhere between 6-12 hours per day (depending on my usage.) To circumvent this issue, I have been charging my phone throughout the day, turned down screen brightness, minimized my usage of GPS and WiFi, cut down on internet usage, and essentially handicapped the phone in order to achieve roughly 12 hours of uptime. Still, requiring users to charge their phones throughout the day is unacceptable, because we should not be expected to carry, or have access to, a charging station at all times. Granted, real world usage times vary from what is stated on spec sheets, but 12 hours of multiuse-uptime is a far cry from some combination of a claimed 5 hours talk time and 6 days of standby. Furthermore, I assure you that my phone is on standby for the majority of those 12 hours I’m squeezing out of it. Simply put, there is something wrong with the battery, the hardware, or (hopefully) the software.

I have waited for a long time for Verizon to offer an Android phone of this caliber, and on paper the Incredible fulfilled all of my requirements. Unfortunately, the device has one major flaw that keeps it from living up to its name. I am aware that new devices naturally need to have kinks ironed out, and that is why I am writing you. I certainly appreciate your time in reading this letter, and I look forward to some sort of resolution to the HTC Incredible’s battery life.

Regards,

My name

 

[michaelkahl]

This partly comes down to what VZW request as well. If Verizon wanted a 1500mAh battery it would be there. Instead they saved a few bucks and went with the 1300mAh. The Sprint Hero and Evo 4 sport a 1500mAh battery.

 

[drPheta]

Then, I will also email the same to Verizon. They both should be aware of this issue, but I think it's important to make some noise about it to ensure it's brought to their attention. It's sad to say we have a great phone, but can't use it for more than half a day, on average.

 

[xkingofgodzx]

Finally, someone who is literate and intelligent emailing the big companies. I'm sick of seeign people who just rant using slang or just plain bad English. Thank you for doing this the right way. Hopefully they will respond to you because your addressing the issue and not just bashing the companies. Good job.

 

[itype2slo]

Larry Page and Eric Schmidt commented on Android battery life today and reference certain apps as being the culprit... Google's Larry Page says there's 'something wrong' if your Android phone's battery doesn't last all day -- Engadget

 

[jprow507]

Finally, someone who is literate and intelligent emailing the big companies. I'm sick of seeign people who just rant using slang or just plain bad English. Thank you for doing this the right way. Hopefully they will respond to you because your addressing the issue and not just bashing the companies. Good job.

I agree. This is the way you get things accomplished by phrasing everything in an intelligent and logical manner that HTC can't possible dismiss.

 

[ckochinsky125]

Then, I will also email the same to Verizon. They both should be aware of this issue, but I think it's important to make some noise about it to ensure it's brought to their attention. It's sad to say we have a great phone, but can't use it for more than half a day, on average.

I can see your complaint but in all honesty what is the difference if you have to pay a little more for a battery that comes with the phone or go out and buy one on your own? I mean there are plenty of options out there and yes you wouldnt have to go look around but it would still amount to the same(or almost the same cost) whether you buy it on your own or it comes with the phone.

 

[INTREPID-NY]

This is a good battery that does not require a new cover. It won't double your battery life, but I've noticed the claimed 25% improvement:
http://www.seidioonline.com/product-p/basi17hhrv.htm

 

[Crow]

Stop whining learn how to read, and buy an extended battery for it. HTC CLEARLY stated the battery life of the phone being 5.2 hours in the specs.

Next time you buy a phone learn how to read the specs and stop whining. I think your email was foolish and shows that you dont know how to read specs.

I would MUCH rather have my 1300mha battery than a bulky extended version.

 

[Crashumbc]

blah blah blah

 

[nightfishing]

If you're not happy, return it and buy something else. Not sure what whining on a web forum will get you.

I am up to 14hrs after only a few days with the Seido (better than it was on my S1 for the first ~6 mos.) Would expect that to keep improving moving forward.

There is always a price to be paid for being an early adopter.

 

[ionizer]

so sick of people who complain about people complaining

this is a forum
the purpose is to discuss
sometimes it's to comment positively
sometimes it's to comment negatively

everything doesn't have to be "zomg i am so happy, i love everything"

props for taking the time to write an intelligent letter...let us know what they say

 

[drPheta]

Sorry to get some of your panties in a bunch. 5.2 hours is talk time, and standby time is supposed to be days. Learn to understand what each part of the spec sheet means. This email is meant to let HTC know that having us buy a phone, use it, and expect us to buy accessories to get the phone to work the way it was meant to be without compromising the features is ridiculous.

Talk: 5.2 hours max. (312 minutes)
Standby: 144 hours max. (6 days)

Seriously, if you guys cannot see what's wrong with the Incredible having a 1300mAH battery, then so be it. This entire post was an attempt to get HTC and VZW on board with the fact that we can't get anywhere near 5.2 hours of TALK TIME. That equals time talking on the phone. We get 6-8 hours, maybe 14-15 hours of talk, standby, web, gps, bluetooth, wifi, live wallpaper, and whatever else we do on our phones.

 

[jasonb1985]

i know if i try i could get 6 days of standby time out of mine. if i let my phone sit idle it does drop about 1% or so an hour. this is at my house with a pretty weak signal, somewhere in the -90 to -100 range.

battery life will obviously depend on how you use it. if you need a bigger battery to get you through the day, then get one. i'm sure the 2150 will be a huge difference.

 

[Zaggs]

This partly comes down to what VZW request as well. If Verizon wanted a 1500mAh battery it would be there. Instead they saved a few bucks and went with the 1300mAh. The Sprint Hero and Evo 4 sport a 1500mAh battery.

Except isn't the EVO's battery also larger then the 1300 in the Incredible and hence would not fit in the Incredible's frame?

 

[jasonb1985]

since the TP2, Hero, and whatever else also uses the RHOD160 1500Mah battery as it's standard battery fits the Incredible, i wonder why they couldn't just throw that in. instead of making a different fancy looking red battery.

the 1300 works ok for me, but why couldn't they have used the 1500 instead. it fits just fine in the stock case.

 

[tats_06]

Stop whining learn how to read, and buy an extended battery for it. HTC CLEARLY stated the battery life of the phone being 5.2 hours in the specs.

Next time you buy a phone learn how to read the specs and stop whining. I think your email was foolish and shows that you dont know how to read specs.

I would MUCH rather have my 1300mha battery than a bulky extended version.

Ummm it says TALK TIME...so I see someone else needs to read

 

[zanza]

seems silly that you should but the phone, then buy the battery to run it, then buy the SD card for memory. Its almost like $199* price, where the

*=must buy battery memory card separately. Turn off 3G and GPS/Bluetooth for better battery operation.

What I am saying is, they should have made standard 1700mAH minimum for this phone, and it will and already has bitten them in the ass because of it.

 

[drPheta]

I'm glad there are people who can see the point of this post. It isn't a complaint that I can't get more time out of the phone. I love it, everything about it, except for the atrocious battery life. Fact of the matter is, this phone (as it shipped) shouldn't have been equipped with a 1300mAH battery. The fact that most of us NEED a 1750mAH aftermarket battery that fits perfectly in the OEM place to get 14 hours of use should indicate that HTC and VZW dropped the ball in the cost cutting analysis.

Again, this post is to inform you guys of what I did, and that I hope many follow suit IN HOPES OF SOMETHING TO BE ACCOMPLISHED in a professional and respectful way. A complaint like mine isn't intended to bash. It's intended to bring light to a subject that handicaps the average user (if not most), and it's sad that many of you accept the need to buy an aftermarket battery to get through one (1) measly day on your phone with normal use. With similar specs, the Nexus1 is able to get more out of its battery. So, if you're going to blame added features/software, then those added features should have been accounted for by the manufacturer and its distributer... and the battery should have been altered, or what have you.

 

[andydrew]

I also agree that Verizon/HTC should have provided at minimum the 1500mAh battery. And for the record, the stock battery is not red, it just has a red 'cover' on it - it's black underneath. Who cares about a red battery that is under the battery cover, really. I wonder if a design decision won out over a functional decision.

I don't think Verizon/HTC are going to do anything for you. It is what it is.

Just buy the HTC Model: RHOD160 - 1500mAh battery. You can get this battery for around $15 from reputable vendors on eBay. The part number of the battery is: 35H00123-00M. See the other threads on this. HTC is specifying this battery on their site as an 'extended' battery for the Incredible. It fits, it works, and it is specified by the manufacturer as compatible. If that is not good enough, hold out another couple of months for the real extended battery that is going to make your phone thicker and requires a new back.

If you don't trust the vendors on eBay, you can order directly from HTC. But that is going to cost you $49.99. They have in red or black. Part number on red is: 35H00123-22M. Black is: 35H00123-XXM. http://shop.htcpedia.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=825

It's going to be quicker to spend the $15 and fix the problem then wait for Verizon/HTC to do nothing for you. I have the 1500mAh battery and it makes a difference in run-time and is well worth $15 or so.

BTW, I would be really skeptical that the aftermarket 1750mAh batteries are properly rated at 1750mAh. There are several posts that document this and some testing that was done by someone who claims that the rating is a fraud. Do you really think that HTC would not offer a 1750mAh battery for their millions of smart phones, with the same size battery slot, if it was possible to have that capacity in the same space? The 1500mAh hour battery is slightly thicker than the 1300mAh battery. Basic physics suggest that that 1750mAh battery needs to be even thicker - assuming no advance in battery technology.

Every battery manufacturer in the world is trying to figure out how to get more capacity in a smaller space.

 

[drPheta]

Thanks for the tip on the HTC 1500mAH battery. I already ordered the 1750 Seidio a few days ago, so I'll see how that works out. Ultimately I'll grab the 2150 when it goes on sale, I think.



Well, I got the following response from VZW

Good morning Mr. ___,

Thank you for contacting Verizon Wireless through our website. My name is Gary, and I understand you are inquiring about the battery usage on your Droid Incredible. I know how important it is to have the longest battery life available. I will be happy to review your account and provide more information about how I can assist with your inquiry. I also want to thank you for your business with Verizon Wireless.

Mr. ___, I apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced as a result of needing to recharge your Incredible more often that you would like. The Incredible can run many applications at one time, as many as the available memory will support. Applications running in the background use battery power even if you are not actively using the application.

There is no issue with the power management on the Incredible. However, unused applications running in the background need to be closed to extend battery life. I recommend a free application called Advanced Task Killer available in the Marketplace on your phone.

While I was able to provide general information about extending battery life on your Incredible, the verification information in your email does not match the information on the account and I am unable to provide specific information about your account. If you need specific information about your account, remember to include the account password in your email. It was too early to call when I received your email but I will call later today between 1:30 and 3:30 PM to ensure that I have resolved your concerns.

Mr. ___, I have provided general information about extending battery life on your Incredible. I hope this information has been helpful.

We appreciate your business and thank you for using Verizon Wireless products and services.

Sincerely,

Gary
Verizon Wireless
Customer Service

If you have received this e-mail in error or are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately by replying to this e-mail and deleting it and all copies and backups thereof. If you are the intended recipient and are a Verizon Wireless customer, this response is subject to the terms of your Customer Agreement.

To which I responded:

Thank you for your response. It’s unfortunate that you recommend a Task Killer to circumvent the lack of proper battery power on the phone. I thought I should refer you to this. Android is a Linux based OS, and as such has its own task killer, and it runs fairly efficiently.

http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android

This does not solve my problem, and would only likely create more battery drain, an unstable OS, or at best do nothing. Background services don’t run if not asked to do so (i.e. email sync, calendar sync, etc are requested to run in the background. Weather is not). I should also note that my sync times have been reduced (longer time between syncs), and I do not use Facebook, Twitter, or have my GTalk sign in automatically.

Again, I really hope that a true battery fix will come out soon. I emailed VZW and HTC in hopes of bringing this problem to the forefront of your list of bugs/problems to address with this new device.

Regards,

I also never received any call. At least they're trying. Glad we can at least contact them respectfully and get some sort of response.

 

[garment69]

I agree. This is the way you get things accomplished by phrasing everything in an intelligent and logical manner that HTC can't possible dismiss.

Are you being serious?

 

[chris61292]

What is the battery life of the iphone? Not shit quoted by apple but actual real life use... is it comparable to the incredible?

 

[jprow507]

What is the battery life of the iphone? Not shit quoted by apple but actual real life use... is it comparable to the incredible?

I use both and its not even close. I can use the iPhone all day, make calls, and play games and probably still have 50 percent left at the end of the day.

If I dont even use the Incredible at all and leave it sitting on my desk all day I am down to 50 percent at the end of the day (now this actually varies for me ... some days I may be at 80 percent with no use, and one day I was at 20 percent with no use after 4 hours, but I found out that was due to the Flickr account!!!)

 

[Reddog80p]

What is the battery life of the iphone? Not shit quoted by apple but actual real life use... is it comparable to the incredible?

Why? How does iphone battery life effect the DI's? There nothing relative about these two phones besides them both being smartphones.