Battery Life without extra features?

volleybear · Jun 24, 2013

Planning on buying a GS4 (or HTC One or Iphone 5 depending on which has the best battery life). If I turn off the extra features like the air waving crap and only use my phone for basic things (texting, checking email, one 5 minute call a day) plus auto syncing email, gchat, and streaming music for 2-3 hours a day, how long can I expect the battery to last?

I plan on un-overclocking the processor and using auto brightness.

Extra question: If anyone knows, how would HTC One/Iphone compare if I use them similarly?

Note: I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before. I've searched the GS4 forum here and searched the entire forum using google and couldn't find anything on how long the battery will last without extra features.

Edit: If it matters, I plan on using 4G LTE with T-Mobile

WalkaboutDavid · Jun 24, 2013

volleybear said:
Planning on buying a GS4 (or HTC One or Iphone 5 depending on which has the best battery life). If I turn off the extra features like the air waving crap and only use my phone for basic things (texting, checking email, one 5 minute call a day) plus auto syncing email, gchat, and streaming music for 2-3 hours a day, how long can I expect the battery to last?

I plan on un-overclocking the processor and using auto brightness.

Extra question: If anyone knows, how would HTC One/Iphone compare if I use them similarly?

Note: I apologize in advance if this has been discussed before. I've searched the GS4 forum here and searched the entire forum using google and couldn't find anything on how long the battery will last without extra features.

Edit: If it matters, I plan on using 4G LTE with T-Mobile

The S4 has a bigger battery than the one but also a larger screen. So, I would expect battery life to be reasonably similar.

S4 is the only one with user replaceable battery.

volleybear · Jun 24, 2013

Reviews by websites such as cnet or engadget don't seem to mention what apps they have running in the background or auto update/sync services, which can really affect battery life

Bobby R · Jun 24, 2013

Just spend your $5 for juice defender ultimate and you'll never EVER give battery life another thought.

Szadzik · Jun 24, 2013

Bobby R said:
Just spend your $5 for juice defender ultimate and you'll never EVER give battery life another thought.

And you will never EVER receive an important email on time again!

sincarafan · Jun 24, 2013

Huh? I have juice defender and I get emails just fine.

Szadzik · Jun 25, 2013

sincarafan said:
Huh? I have juice defender and I get emails just fine.

You receive them, when JD turns data on, not actually when they arrive on the server.As I said in my original post, they arrive, just not on time.

WalkaboutDavid · Jun 25, 2013

Szadzik said:
And you will never EVER receive an important email on time again!

Totally agree. It's not magic. JD works by shutting down aspects of your phone.

Jd and programs like it usually cause far more problems than they fix.

Also, not really needed with the S4, which does fine.

sntaylor · Jun 25, 2013

From the usage your suggesting I'd expect similar battery life all round, possibly better with the iPhone, purely cos it does less! As someone else stated, the s4 is the only one with a removable battery which gives you the option to purchase after market batteries, there are extended batteries available, but I don't like them as they add a lot of bulk, or there are standard size ones...I'm finding the anker standard size Is perfect for me!

Szadzik · Jun 25, 2013

There are loads of external batteries too, cheap and very easy to throw in your backpack.

tytlyf · Jun 25, 2013

volleybear said:
If I turn off the extra features like the air waving crap and only use my phone for basic things (texting, checking email, one 5 minute call a day) plus auto syncing email, gchat, and streaming music for 2-3 hours a day, how long can I expect the battery to last?

I think if you're on wifi instead of 4G you'll get much better life while streaming music. I have disabled pretty much everything and am currently at 2 days on battery with 2h40m screen time (44% battery left). The screen is my largest battery user.
I don't stream, I just get emails, texts, 5 minute call, and web browsing etc. Mostly on wifi.
I keep Mobile Data off unless I'm out and about and away from wifi.

I'm guessing I can get 3 days battery life with 5h screen time.

Jceinc · Jun 25, 2013

I average about 15 hrs before throwing it on a charger at 20% or so. The smart features are turned off on my phone. Average screen on time close to 4. Not sure how good this is but it kills my iPhone 5 battery and I'm thrilled with the GS4!

Talal5897 · Jun 26, 2013

Bobby R said:
Just spend your $5 for juice defender ultimate and you'll never EVER give battery life another thought.

How does juice defender work? I have the free version, but i couldn't understand how to use it.

ironass · Jun 26, 2013

Talal5897 said:
How does juice defender work? I have the free version, but i couldn't understand how to use it.

I would strongly recommend uninstalling it Talal5897. A correctly set up phone should not need a Task Killer and it can actually use more battery than it saves. See why, here:-

Why You Shouldn

Szadzik · Jun 26, 2013

ironass said:
I would strongly recommend uninstalling it Talal5897. A correctly set up phone should not need a Task Killer and it can actually use more battery than it saves. See why, here:-

Why You Shouldn

tytlyf · Jun 26, 2013

Ok, my battery is near dead. Here are screenshots of the life.

ironass · Jun 26, 2013

Szadzik said:
No idea where you got that, bu Juice Defender has NOTHING to do with task killers.

Thanks for clearing that point up Szadzik. I agree that Juice Defender is not a task killer, per se. However, it does regulate and close down certain set tasks at predefined times as you yourself pointed out with emails which, I agree with you, can be a real pain. As you yourself know I'm sure, there are other means of conserving battery life through careful use of settings, for instance, without disabling the phone.

fam · Jun 26, 2013

volleybear,

Everyone seems to be pulling you different directions but I have a vzw lte S4 and about a week ago I bought my wife her iphone5 (she went from a 4S).

I too dont use any of the gimmick features and have them all disabled.

The S4 is on par with the iphone, and most nights we come home and my battery has 5-15% more than hers does...rarely does hers have more.

It will last a good 9 hours of nerd usage, 28 hours of medium usage, 30+ of light usage...AND...you can just buy a 2600mah anker battery on amazon for 12 bucks and keep it in your car or pocket to double that.

I got 99 problems but a B....battery aint one ;-)

Szadzik · Jun 26, 2013

ironass said:
Thanks for clearing that point up Szadzik. I agree that Juice Defender is not a task killer, per se. However, it does regulate and close down certain set tasks at predefined times as you yourself pointed out with emails which, I agree with you, can be a real pain. As you yourself know I'm sure, there are other means of conserving battery life through careful use of settings, for instance, without disabling the phone.

It does not close down tasks, it shuts down Data Connections and WiFi

volleybear · Jul 1, 2013

fam said:
volleybear,

Everyone seems to be pulling you different directions but I have a vzw lte S4 and about a week ago I bought my wife her iphone5 (she went from a 4S).

I too dont use any of the gimmick features and have them all disabled.

The S4 is on par with the iphone, and most nights we come home and my battery has 5-15% more than hers does...rarely does hers have more.

It will last a good 9 hours of nerd usage, 28 hours of medium usage, 30+ of light usage...AND...you can just buy a 2600mah anker battery on amazon for 12 bucks and keep it in your car or pocket to double that.

I got 99 problems but a B....battery aint one ;-)

Ah nice, seems like the S4 is perfect for my needs then. But what do you mean by medium usage?

If only the S4 can take better night photos..

marine one · Jul 1, 2013

I'm currently sitting with 32% remaining after 1 day 13 hours and 27 minutes of moderate usage. I have some features disabled but more on than off. I am very pleased with the batter life of this phone. I'm getting better battery longevity with it than I was on a Moto Bionic with an extended battery.

fam · Jul 2, 2013

volleybear said:
Ah nice, seems like the S4 is perfect for my needs then. But what do you mean by medium usage?

If only the S4 can take better night photos..

Medium usage to me would mean obsessively being on it but not playing games or watching a long movie...generally youll get 4+ hours of screen time being on, the lowest screen time ive had is 2.5 hours. At 2600mah, the battery is one of the best OEM batteries.

As for low light photos, she's got a super potent flash to make up for her inability to shoot night shots without illumination.

Here's a link to a few of my S4 photos (though none are dark)
Samsung Galaxy S4 - a set on Flickr

itsallgood · Jul 2, 2013

Battery life is great. On average, I get 13 to 15hrs usage with around 4 hrs on screen time, using auto brightness, email sync every 4 hrs and using wifi 80% of the time. I'm on vacation now and took over 100 pictures in an 8 hrs day and got 13 hrs with 20% battery left. Only features I'm using is Smart Stay, Multi Window and power saving mode. Most of my screen on time is reading emails, text messages, magazines, books, news articles and surfing the net.

Jceinc · Jul 2, 2013

Mine today

jrmckins · Jul 3, 2013

I get through a full day of pretty heavy use and don't hit 20% on the battery until about 11PM. Compare this to my old HTC DINC 2 which would die about 5PM with a similar load. I'm thrilled with this phone and the battery life.

Battery Life without extra features?

Newbie

Well-Known Member

Newbie

Newbie

Extreme Android User

Well-Known Member

Extreme Android User

Well-Known Member

Android Expert

Extreme Android User

Member

Android Enthusiast

Member

Extreme Android User

Extreme Android User

Member

Attachments

Extreme Android User

Android Enthusiast

Extreme Android User

Newbie

Well-Known Member

Android Enthusiast

Android Expert

Android Enthusiast

Attachments

Android Expert

BEST TECH IN 2023

Smartphones

Best Android Phones

Upcoming

Best iPhones

Upcoming

Tablets

Best Tablets

Upcoming

Laptops

Best Laptops

Upcoming

Televisions

Best TVs

Upcoming

Game Consoles

Best Game Consoles

Upcoming

Wearables

Best Wearables

Upcoming

Smart Home

Smart Home Tech

Upcoming

Similar threads