smartphones...they may be smart but they're still just phones.

[THE W]

using a laptop as a PC will drain a battery faster than using a smartphone as a PC would do. i can manage 8 hours on my Android using it as a laptop but my laptop (which IS a PC) is lucky to last 3 hours of use. even if i put it to 'standby' (the laptop equivilent to idle or lock on a smartphone) so i fail to see the point. unless the point is 'smartphones use more battery power than dumbphones' and, last i checked, everyone knows that.

everyone doesnt know it which why so many complain about battery life on smartphones.

what smartphone do you own that allows you to stream video for 8 hours straight on 4G?

 

[Shocky]

It wasn't that long ago the average PC was allot slower than current smartphones, smartphones now have Quad Core Processors and graphics processors capable of full HD graphics, they have come a long way in the last 3 years especially and I can only see the pace increasing.

 

[nickdalzell]

if someone doesn't realize that a phone capable of more tasks, high CPU specs, and 4G is going to use more battery power than a Motorola RAZR with GPRS packet data and NO apps, they are lacking basic common sense on technology. and as for your question, a laptop won't stream that much video for that length of time either.

there was a time when the old analog cell phone were lucky to get a day of use on standby, or more than a couple of hours talk time. give smartphones time and later they will get more efficient, screen manufacturing will be different, (elimination of fluorescent backlights or LED backlighting helps save battery) and software more stable.

 

[THE W]

if someone doesn't realize that a phone capable of more tasks, high CPU specs, and 4G is going to use more battery power than a Motorola RAZR with GPRS packet data and NO apps, they are lacking basic common sense on technology.

buddy you'd be surprised..

 

[SaleenFiend]

I didn't read all the response, but from my point of view most battery life complaints coming from what I would consider Tech Savvy are founded on a good basis.

There is no reason for HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and the carriers to load the phone down with unnecessary bloatware running services that cause a persistant drain on our batteries. Kernels, processors, charging, ext ext should all be optimized better upon releasing a device.

There will always be room for improvement at every angle, but my complaints usually only spur for legit reasons. My phone is more capable than some PCs being built close to 5 years ago, therefore I expect my battery to drain persistantly under any type of use.

 

[ravenas]

I avoided smartphones for several years because I relied on a flip phone to be my lifeline to civilization if I got in a bind. It had to be available as a phone. It could go several days without a charge.

When I eventually got into smartphones I found myself using them primarily for reading news, watching video, sending messages, reading e-mail, GPS/navigation, taking pictures/video and Skyping. Rarely do I ever use it as just a phone. I got used to putting the phone on the charger whenever it was just sitting there for a couple hours.

That said, smartphones will always remain what I used before them: personal digital assistants. They allow me to keep track of my PIM data, can service as a camera and keep me entertained, but I cannot do any real work with them. When you do video editor, graphic design and web coding, you need some powerhouse programs all running concurrently.

 

[THE W]

I didn't read all the response, but from my point of view most battery life complaints coming from what I would consider Tech Savvy are founded on a good basis.

There is no reason for HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and the carriers to load the phone down with unnecessary bloatware running services that cause a persistant drain on our batteries. Kernels, processors, charging, ext ext should all be optimized better upon releasing a device.

There will always be room for improvement at every angle, but my complaints usually only spur for legit reasons. My phone is more capable than some PCs being built close to 5 years ago, therefore I expect my battery to drain persistantly under any type of use.

Shutting off radios and disabling automatic data collection will take care of most of the issues with battery drain.

 

[nickdalzell]

not too long ago i swore i would never use a smartphone to save my life. it seemed like humans couldn't live without the internet for a few hours haha! then i got my first Android tablet and i HATED it. got a BlackBerry Curve for my first smartphone and maintained my hate of Android (was 1.x Android) until i got my LG Optimus V to replace my Curve, which had Froyo, later flashed to Gingerbread 2.3, where my love affair with Android was rekindled. word of advice, steer clear of cheap tablets such as COBY or any chinese copy of a more expensive tablet (such as Sylvania) and STEER CLEAR of any version of Android below Froyo 2.2.

 

[sportwin]

No shit.

 

[McBuzz]

smartphones give us the ability to do so many things. they bring the functionality of a PC to the palm of you hand.

the problem is that people think they can use smartphones as much as they use their PCs. playing games for hours, streaming audio and video all day, leaving your phone connected to the web all day to update everything and constantly talking and texting.

you can do those things on a smartphone, but should you, and if you do, should you expect your phone to be able to handle it energy-wise and performance-wise?

smartphones are NOT PCs. functionally-wise, maybe, but performance-wise and capability-wise not at all.

many people complain about the battery life of their phones. when a smartphone is used the way its intended, most smartphones will easily go a day or two without needing a charge. however, if someone tries to use their smartphone like its a mini computer, they'll find themselves needing to charge up in the middle of the day.

for those claiming to get 2 or 3 days from their battery, try streaming an entire sports game or two on your phone with your mobile data and see how long your battery lasts.

those who want to play 3d games on their phone for hours and watch youtube all day better be near a power source. even the almighty battery of the droid razr maxx lasted a mere 6 hours in a 4g video streaming test.

smartphones were made for the user to, for most part, use them as..well...phones, while providing some PC functionality but in NO WAY were these designed to replace you PC.

we may get to that point eventually, but we have a LONG way to go.

Putin's iPhone lasts for years. They replaced the battery with a plutonium one.

 

[ari-free]

I don't use my phone as a computer replacement but I do use it as a PDA. It is very important to have the ability to take a note (voice or text) whenever I have an idea. There are so many little things that a smartphone can do better than a PC.

 

[ari-free]

if someone doesn't realize that a phone capable of more tasks, high CPU specs, and 4G is going to use more battery power than a Motorola RAZR with GPRS packet data and NO apps, they are lacking basic common sense on technology. and as for your question, a laptop won't stream that much video for that length of time either.
.

But are they using those specs? If they have all that power and not effectively using it then all they will notice is the battery drain.

 

[chanchan05]

But are they using those specs? If they have all that power and not effectively using it then all they will notice is the battery drain.

If they aren't using those specs, it will last longer. Case in point, I always test a phone's battery life out of the box (after a couple of cycles) and compare it to the battery life of a setup I want. The difference? Out of the box setup by the manufacturer lasts approx 36hrs standby time. After I set it up? I'm lucky to even reach 17hrs. If they aren't using all those little things, the battery life would last much longer. Thing is, when you have a smartphone people use it more but don't notice that they are. All they remember is that it takes this much days before I recharge my phone, but my new smartphone won't last a day. Nevermind that their old dumbphone does nothing but sit in their pocket, while the smartphone is used to play angry birds for half an hour or to scan through Facebook every 20min or so.

 

[ari-free]

If they aren't using those specs, it will last longer. Case in point, I always test a phone's battery life out of the box (after a couple of cycles) and compare it to the battery life of a setup I want. The difference? Out of the box setup by the manufacturer lasts approx 36hrs standby time. After I set it up? I'm lucky to even reach 17hrs. If they aren't using all those little things, the battery life would last much longer. Thing is, when you have a smartphone people use it more but don't notice that they are. All they remember is that it takes this much days before I recharge my phone, but my new smartphone won't last a day. Nevermind that their old dumbphone does nothing but sit in their pocket, while the smartphone is used to play angry birds for half an hour or to scan through Facebook every 20min or so.

But if you had the same battery on a lower spec phone, wouldn't it last even longer?

 

[SaleenFiend]

But if you had the same battery on a lower spec phone, wouldn't it last even longer?

Not true. Some faster processors may make use of better kernel operations, different battery usage, screen sizes, resolutions. All factors play into this it not just dependant on specs.

 

[Shinji01]

OP...

i think you are right and wrong...

right.. because we use it more .. the battery is used up faster.

wrong.. because the Manufacture can easily put in a bigger battery... take the moto maxx for example. or the LTevo vs Xone. I think very few users would complain about a 2-4mm extra thickness for more battery! Phones are too thin anyways.

i agree.
I dont think we do not have the technology to make battries last the whole day.
it is just that we ask for everything at the same time. Faster, longer, thinner. lighter.
The manufacturers simply take the common denominator because it is the most profitable.

 

[funpig]

In the last 12 months, I have found that I am using my smartphone less and less.

I started using a palm pilot 12 years ago to organize my life. When the Palm Treo came out combining the PDA and phone, I was thrilled that I only had to carry one device. I bought a folding keyboard and believed that I could become completely mobile with both work and play.

But working with a 3-4 inch screen is really frustrating. I went back to carrying and using a notebook.

When I bought a modern smartphone with the faster processor, better wifi and better browser, I had a renewed delusion that the smartphone that it would replace my computer. Certainly the novelty of constantly playing with it required that I charge it at least once every day. But once again the size of the display was a problem.

A tablet is much nicer to use because of the larger display. I toyed with the idea of getting a transformer to replace my notebook. But attaching a keyboard adds so much bulk and takes away the elegance and convenience of a tablet. And if I was going to carry an attached keyboard I might as well carry the notebook which is more powerful. I actually use a net book which is powerfully enough for my word processing, small and light and battery lasts over 4 hours. If I need to do more work than that at one time, I am working way too hard.

Now, I use the smartphone to make calls, text and the occasional email. If i want to jog and listen to music, i use a 5 year old ipod because it is there and it just won't die. Most of my mobile emails, app usage, personal info management and surfing is done using a 7 inch Galaxy Tab which has a large useable screen and just small enough size to carry. At home, for casual surfing, I prefer using the IPad because it is a larger, smoother and better tablet. If I need to do mobile computing (actual work), I carry a notebook. At home or office, I use a PC with a large display. If I want to watch sports, program or movie, I use th 46" Samsung TV. If I need to nail something, I use a BFH.

Now my smartphone battery lasts about 3-4 days between charges.

 

[funpig]

Funny thing about that old Palm Pilot. It used 2 AAA batteries which lasted about 3 weeks. And I used to get almost 5-7 days between charges with the Treo.

 

[dan330]

Funny thing about that old Palm Pilot. It used 2 AAA batteries which lasted about 3 weeks. And I used to get almost 5-7 days between charges with the Treo.

because it had low tech screens ... that did not use much power

 

[GandalfTehGray]

I think the OP is both right and wrong..... But when i bought a smart phone over the dumb phone it was for 2 main reasons. Ability to tether and to have the power of the internet at my fingertips at any time. Both of these activities can drain the battery fast, but its a tradeoff way in my favor over an old dumbphone.
Plus if all of us didn't complain about the battery life the companies wouldn't work on making them better. Moto is leading the charge right now in getting us a competent smart phone that you can use how you want throughout the day without being tied to the wall.

 

[THE W]

I think the OP is both right and wrong..... But when i bought a smart phone over the dumb phone it was for 2 main reasons. Ability to tether and to have the power of the internet at my fingertips at any time. Both of these activities can drain the battery fast, but its a tradeoff way in my favor over an old dumbphone.
Plus if all of us didn't complain about the battery life the companies wouldn't work on making them better. Moto is leading the charge right now in getting us a competent smart phone that you can use how you want throughout the day without being tied to the wall.

the point of the thread is that it is indeed the tradeoff and people should either curtail their activities or be ready to recharge.

those people playing 3D games for 2 hours, streaming video for 4 hours, playing music for another hour, and talking for another 2 hours with 100 texts eveyday shouldnt expect their battery to last all day or even half a day. even the razr maxx isnt gonna last you that long with that type of use.

with light use most phones will easily last you the whole day. a few streaming videos, some phone calls, an hour or so of gaming, a handful of texts. it will at least get you through a workday until you can get home to charge.

 

[zuben el genub]

The screens are mostly the culprit. I bought my phone for the storage, memory and speed. I don't tether, don't game, etc. but use the phone as a reference tool.
I have astronomy apps, nature apps, road logs. The nature apps have many photos and sounds available and will chew up battery almost as fast as online gaming.

These apps are huge and can be run with no connection of any kind, so it is the contents of the app itself. I turn off all signals if I'm out of range so nothing else is running but the app.