Help Epic vs EVO - Battery Life/management

DILands · Sep 11, 2010

OK All - I don't want to add fuel to the Epic Rocks, Evo Sucks (or vice versa) debate.

The Epic is my first Android device - and - I absolutely love it. However, the functionality decreases substantially when I can't do what I want to do - when I want to do it.

I've tried Juice Defender (claimed a 10% savings - but had other issues connecting to the network when I wanted to). Am trying Switch Pro now - and the Epic is sitting on a charger as I write this.

As much as I would hate to give up the Epic - if I can't figure something out in the next 2 weeks to drastically improve battery management/ life - I will have to do something. After using an Android device such as the Epic - I don't think I could ever go back to the Blackberry. . .

How does the EVO compare?

Adrift · Sep 11, 2010

Well what are your battery life times in hours? After disconnecting from charger how long does it take till shutdown (not just blinking indicator)? What are your daily activities on the phone? Johnny 5 need input!

-Adrift

DILands · Sep 11, 2010

Adrift said:
Well what are your battery life times in hours? After disconnecting from charger how long does it take till shutdown (not just blinking indicator)? What are your daily activities on the phone? Johnny 5 need input!

-Adrift

Good question - and that's the problem. I want/need to use it as an Alarm Clock. It was fully charged last night (maybe 10:00) and the flashing light came on around 3:30 this afternoon. I hit the charger as soon as it started flashing.

I had it on Airplane Mode Overnight - and also was using Juice Defender. I hit the alarm when it went off - turned airplane mode off. Got 1 phone call (to voicemail). I did some browsing - and maybe a half hour on Slacker.

I have the wallpaper set to jet black where all you can see is a black dog's eyes.

i'm running Launcher Pro and Beautiful widgets (I THINK). I have ESPN Scoretracker on the home page - which I'm sure isn't helping any thing.

I think with as much as I love the phone - if the trade off is to kill all the widgets - and run the apps when I need them (and then close them) I would be willing to do that.

bdforte69 · Sep 11, 2010

DILands said:
I don't think I could ever go back to the Blackberry. . .

I agree, after using an Android device it would be VERY difficult indeed to go back to a Blackberry. I was a BB user for 5 years and never had one single problem with any of my devices. It wasn't until I tried an Android device that I realized what Blackberries don't/can't do! I dream of a day when RIM will catch up to Apple and Google and give us what we crave. (OS 6 ain't it)

If you aren't happy with the battery life on your EPIC, you really don't want to see what life is like with an EVO! Trust me, I spent 29 days with three different EVOs.... don't do it!

If you diligently use SwitchPro to toggle things on/off, your battery life will be dramatically better. Go to the Tips and Tricks section to find some other useful info regarding this.

Just remember that you have effectively gone from a Toyota Camry to a Porsche! Camrys get great gas mileage and are incredibly reliable vehicles ( a la Blackberry), but a Porsche (Android Super Phone) is a sexy beast capable of tremendous speeds! Yeah, the gas mileage won't be nearly as good, but what you get in return more than makes up for it!!!

JunBringer · Sep 11, 2010

Turning off wifi, gps, bluetooth and 4g does wonders for me. Make sure you do that when you're not using them.

Also you can just leave the phone on regular (not airplane) while you sleep and leave it plugged in until you leave the house in the morning, that way you're leaving with a full charge.

exBBuser · Sep 11, 2010

If you r using juice defender there's no need to put the phone on airplane mode,juice defender works great for me. I'm able to get as much as 18hrs out my Evo with moderate use,when phone is of my my data will only sync for 5min every 2 hours,

Eazail70x7 · Sep 11, 2010

Give juice defender another shot. At first it gave me trouble but I decided to try
It again and it worked this time

sryans2004 · Sep 11, 2010

Well let me start off that I would get more battery life with the EVO, BUT I had to do a couple of things in order for that to happen or else I would have horrible battery life.. Now I have the Epic and I am still learning about it since I have only had it for a day I am trying to wait it out untill OTA update and froyo to see if I can get battery life like I did on the EVO. I normally got about 16+hours on the EVO with A LOT of customization such as turning off facebook, mail, gmail, weather, etc from syncing. Keeping the brightness all the way down and much more.

According to my epic the screen seems to be draining the battery more then anything whereas on the EVO it was Phone Idle/Android System/Cell Standby On the Epic I have 59% Display, Voice Calls 19%, Cell Standby 11%, Android System 3% (Which is good compared to my EVO) Phone Idel 2%. Im not sure why Voice Calls is even up that high because I only made about 3-4 SHORT calls today.

But, basically the battery on the EVO is not going to be much better unless you do some hardcore customization. Like I stated this phone will get there (I hope) where there is more tips on how to save battery life. Good luck

novox77 · Sep 11, 2010

Evo battery optimization can be tricky as well. I would not recommend moving to the Evo, because you'll be right where you are now: trying to figure out how to get your battery life respectable.

I suspect the Epic, like the Evo, can be optimized without making too many sacrifices. Anything that uses your phone's radio is a suspect. On the Epic, screen brightness is a much bigger issue than on the Evo. That is the nature of OLED. Use a dark wallpaper on the Epic. It will help a lot.

Try to turn off syncing for shit you don't need syncing all the time. Make sure you disable auto-sign in for the Talk application if you don't use it. Watch out for heavy synching programs like FB and twitter, both apps and widgets. Turn off 4G if you don't have 4G in your area. Use wifi over 3G whenever you can; wifi is easy on battery; 3g is not.

Some day, when the rooting community for the Epic matures, you may have the option to root and then underclock your CPU when the screen is off. This saves a TON of battery when you're not using your phone. Most Evo users see a 1% drop per hour of screen-off. The worst thing is seeing your battery drop when you're not even using your phone, so this rooted ability is really a lifesaver.

dr g · Sep 13, 2010

Generally from what I've seen, the Evo manages the battery significantly better and may have better battery life. The Epic optimizations don't seem to have been worked out yet, and there probably needs to be an OTA or two.

buggerritt · Sep 14, 2010

I hope this helps:

I went to a Sprint Store, today. I asked them if they would be giving free batteries for Epic owners (like they did with the Touch Pro). The sales associate immediately went to the tech and got one for me. I tried my luck at another Sprint Store (to see if I could get one more). They told me that no batteries would be given out. I was planning on buying the charger, that comes with a battery, anyway. So, this worked out fine for me. I figure that with the way my usage is and the way this phone is responding to my usage, I need 3 batteries to get me through a day. My thought is this: try to get a free batter from a Sprint store. If the first store says no, try another until you get one. Buy a charger with a spare and that should suit your needs until some good ROMs are cooked up. This stock one blows Kong nuts. We just need the Froyo update and some of the great renowned chefs to work on this beast.

sixty4 · Sep 14, 2010

I have a blackberry bold for work, there is absolutely no comparison to a BB and any Smart Phone in terms of battery usage and life. Its like comparing a laptop to a palm pilot though. Good tip on the free battery.

buggerritt · Sep 14, 2010

Well, my Touch Pro 2, running on MrX latest ROM, is still at 47% battery. It has been turned on since August 31st. I have no charged it since. I did turn off data but wifi is still on. That's 2 weeks on a full charge. I wonder how long it will keep going.

mrvirginia · Sep 14, 2010

the Evo and Epic are on par with each other regarding battery life. by the time i get home after a day with the Evo, i'm usually around 60%. with the Epic, i was around 65%. so there's not a huge difference lol

dr g · Sep 15, 2010

mrvirginia said:
the Evo and Epic are on par with each other regarding battery life. by the time i get home after a day with the Evo, i'm usually around 60%. with the Epic, i was around 65%. so there's not a huge difference lol

Try shutting both off and turning them back on

Thefoodman52 · Sep 15, 2010

Another thing I have to add here, being rooted helps a LOT. With set cpu clocking my CPU down to 400 mhz when my screen's off, and down to 625 when my battery hits 25%, I've got a major boost in life span. I easily make it through the day with plenty of leftover juice for the rest of the night without ever having to plug. Still, these phones WILL still be daily chargers no matter what if you're using them.

flonkas · Sep 15, 2010

I didnt read through every post, so if this was mentioned already just ignore this.

When the epic gets froyo, wont the battery life be way better?

DILands · Sep 15, 2010

Innocell 3200mAh Extended Life Battery For use with Samsung Epic 4G

gatorproof · Sep 17, 2010

I think that you will find that ALL Super Phones are battery hogs. I have been buying extended batteries since my Moto Q. I don't make or receive more then 10 calls a week, yet I don't usually get more then 6 or 7 continuous hours out of a standard battery.Too much surfing. I used to carry an extra battery. However with the Epic and not finding a decent and available soft and easy to remove case, taking apart the hard case every day is NOT AN OPTION, they break easily. Answer is an Xpal xp4001( charges two at once) or similar portable power source. I have both the 1150 mah and the 4000 mah hour devices. The 1150 mah one is very small and easy to carry and saves the day for day trips.The bonus is that they will boost any item that uses a USB or mini usb power feed. I have used mine for dead Tom Toms, wireless headphones, mp3 players, cell phones and on and on. Don't leave home without a power pack in your pocket or purse. Hope this helps. I could not consider giving up my Epic. Oh and there is a 3200 mah extended battery out there and soft Zooly cases but everyone shows them out of stock. Overall, the portable power pack is the answer because of it's versatility, for use gadget freeks.

gme109 · Sep 17, 2010

buggerritt said:
I hope this helps:

I went to a Sprint Store, today. I asked them if they would be giving free batteries for Epic owners (like they did with the Touch Pro). The sales associate immediately went to the tech and got one for me. I tried my luck at another Sprint Store (to see if I could get one more). They told me that no batteries would be given out. I was planning on buying the charger, that comes with a battery, anyway. So, this worked out fine for me. I figure that with the way my usage is and the way this phone is responding to my usage, I need 3 batteries to get me through a day. My thought is this: try to get a free batter from a Sprint store. If the first store says no, try another until you get one. Buy a charger with a spare and that should suit your needs until some good ROMs are cooked up. This stock one blows Kong nuts. We just need the Froyo update and some of the great renowned chefs to work on this beast.

I tried asking for another battery at several Sprint stores, and just got dirty looks like, are you kidding me, we don't give anything away for free!
I think you were just lucky getting an extra battery.

Clocks · Sep 17, 2010

flonkas said:
When the epic gets froyo, wont the battery life be way better?

Froyo hasn't made significant improvements to battery life for any devices that have gotten it. If your battery dies after 15 hours, froyo might get you to 16 hours? Some people will always swear their battery lasts "like 2 months without a charge with froyo!!" but everyone else sees incremental improvement or none at all.

The only thing that might change is fixes, like the phone properly holding a signal, or fewer programs keeping a phone awake, or other things things that you could change now if you cared to.

Bottom line, don't expect froyo to change anything in terms of how long the battery lasts.

selinz · Jan 11, 2011

I purchased two knock off batteries with a separate charger from HK on eBay. Total cost of $9. Then purchased a Silicone, sliding case on eBay for another $8. The soft case slides off easy and protects phone from slipping out of my pocket and also cushions any fall. With the three 1500 mA-hr batteries, I can survive a weekend day of heavy use with my Epic...

fzammetti · Jan 12, 2011

The combination of the Seidio extended battery and a custom ROM (bonsai4all at the moment) has made a MONUMENTAL difference for me.

Previously, barely getting through a full day, or not quite making it through a full day, was the norm. Now, I'm getting 2-3 days of normal usage easily, and I can squeak out a 4th if I'm careful. It's definitely nice to go to sleep at night with 80% battery, leave everything on and normal, and wake up with like 78% at worst

I recommend both things for people... either one will make a difference (the extended battery more so naturally) but the combination has proven very potent for me.

copperman · Jan 12, 2011

[FONT=&quot]Hi All;

My battery situation is now significantly improved with the Siedio extended battery. It is hard to believe that they would let these phones go into circulation with such a small battery. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
I am using the Gauge Battery Widget (1x1) and it seems to be tracking battery power very nicely. It compares exactly with the SysTray Monitor app---but the Gauge Battery Widget is so much nicer. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I still only get 9 hours of phone life before I need to charge it (I am a very heavy email user) and need to get my emails right away. I am an old blackberry user and the MailDroid email mail program has given me nearly instant email connectivity. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] My screen timeout is set to 15 seconds (and then the app killer kicks in and kills everything that is not on my ignore list). My screen brightness is also set to zero. Haptic feedback is set to minimum.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]These are my battery consumers;[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]MailDroid: 28%[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Display: 22%[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cell Standby: 18%[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Voice calls: 13%[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Phone idle: 10%[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Android system: 7%[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It would be nice to somehow be able to get through an 18 hour day on this battery. Does anyone have any ideas on what I might be missing? Not sure what the difference is between cell standby and phone idle.

Perhaps I just need to exercise this battery some more in order for it to reach its full capability. Should I let it drain completely once or twice before plugging it back in? Note: I always try to keep it plugged in 2 or 3 hours after the charge light turns blue.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thank you all in advance for any advice and commentary.[/FONT]

Mr. Accutemp · Feb 28, 2011

The solution is, if it hasn't already been mentioned, is go to Ebay and search for "Epic extended life battery" There you will find 2 3500mAH batteries, a charger and a back cover for the larger battery for less then $25.00 The extended battery in my phone lasts for at least 6 hrs. when I stay on it non-stop. When that battery goes dead I put it on the new compact charger and it will be charged before you can run the fresh one down. Now that how to enjoy you Epic. I love mine and wonder how I managed without before I got it!
Hope this helps you and the other readers.

Help Epic vs EVO - Battery Life/management

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