Why So Many Battery Complaints?

[hisense]

If you search the net seems like ever since over the air updates started in Feb/March 2014, many users started complaining about poor battery life. Some say its a glitch/bug, others say its a battery calibration issue, some say its an app creating drain. No one seems to know for sure.

I would like to know from real Moto X users who installed all the over the air updates. How is the battery life?

And I am hoping you could tell me how it is without having to apply all those tips to save battery (i.e., what is the point about a great display if I have to drop the brightness, etc).

Appreciate any real user experience feedback.

 

[Clementine_3]

I leave my display on auto, have GPS on, have wifi on and am in a weak signal area. I get up around 6:30 and go to bed around 11 and usually have about 20% battery left. That would be a few calls and checking 'stuff' all day (texts, Twitter, Gmail, Instagram etc.). I use my phone for work so some days am on calls for 3 hours (ugh), those days I do need to give it a little charge in the evening. I've found that I get about 4 hours of real use out of it...combination of phone and screen time. On the weekends when I'm out in a better signal area and not making so many calls I get better battery life.

Of course, everyone uses it differently with a different set up and habits but you should be able to get a full day out of it unless you are streaming video for 8 hours.

 

[hisense]

Thank you for taking the time to respond. This is the sorta of details I needed. Wow this is impressive.

 

[Deleted User]

I've been more then underwhelmed by the battery life on my Moto X. I was getting about 5%-10% drain per hour with my old phone, the Samsung Transform Ultra, running 2.3.6. But to get this kind of life I turned off practically everything and used JuiceDefender to turn the radios off to conserve the battery.

I heard that the Moto X had "all day" battery life and initial reviews looked pretty good. Perhaps it was my fault for assuming that you could get all day battery life while using the available services like Assist and Touchless Control, which require location services and a constant data connection.

With my Moto X on 4.4.2 I'm seeing about 10% drain per hour, nowhere near the all day life I was expecting. I'm planning to do a factory reset once I get the 4.4.4 update and see how that goes. Then I may need to bite the bullet and set up a battery saver, but then some of the key Moto X features become a little less usable.

I contrast my battery life with my wife's Moto G. Admittedly she does not use as many services as I do... but when I got home yesterday I looked at her phone and after over 9 hours her battery showed 89% remaining!! I'm seriously considering a Moto G for the battery life alone, although I don't know what it would be with my somewhat more demanding usage pattern.

 

[macgiobuin]

I found that the battery life went down a bit after the 4.4.2 update on my phone. It is my understanding that the 4.4.4 update "fixes" that a little, but being on AT&T I am still waiting.

I also found that I have one particular app that EATS battery life, but I have installed the app "Cleanmaster" (free from the Play Store) and it has improved the battery life by letting me know when the CPU use is up. It also helps with cleaning junk files, cache and other stuff if you want it to.

 

[RobertB-DC]

I'm super happy with my battery usage compared to my previous phone, but I'm pretty easy to please.

That "Cleanmaster" looks interesting... and well rated. Hard to find 10 million shills to bump up your five-star ratings. Think I'll grab it, thanks!

 

[Thom]

If you are having rapid battery depletion ... are you doing a periodic "wipe cache partition"?

Temporary files created by apps are stored in the data cache partition. The partition can become corrupted over time and cause slower response time, increased CPU use, and faster battery depletion.

If you "wipe cache partition" it removes the temporary files with no impact on any app you installed or data you saved.

... Thom

 

[hisense]

Thanks for yoyr feedback. This is the problem. One user says its very good battery life and another says its not. Then we end up talking about how it depends on all sorts of variables. Its quite frustrating. I basically have no real evidence on whether the battery is good enough to last from morning until evening. I just want the product to work as advertised not in a lab but at home and work.

 

[hisense]

Never heard of this. How do you actually do it. Any steps you can share? I purchased the Moto X and will test during trial period....if the battery ends up lacking per normal use so to speak I plan on returning as to me it is such an important part.

 

[Thom]

I am using a Droid Maxx. I have not verified the Moto X procedure.

From the Motorola website ...

This will remove any temporary files that may be causing the problem, but will not delete your files or settings.
1. With the phone powered off, press the VOL DOWN KEY for 2-3 seconds then POWER key then release.
2. The device will display different BOOT OPTIONS
3. Use the VOL DOWN Key to SCROLL to Recovery and VOL UP Key to select
Tip: If the device reboots, you may have waited to long to make a selection, you will need to begin the process again.
4. The device will display the Motorola logo and then the Android in distress ( logo with Exclamation mark)
5. Press and hold the VOL UP key for 10-15 seconds. While still holding the VOL UP key tap and release the POWER key
Tip: You can try this step, holding the phone in landscape. If you are stuck on step 6, try a force reboot by pressing the Power key and Vol Down key, and start the process again.
6. The device will display additional menu options (Text will appear in BLUE)
7. Use the VOL DOWN Key to scroll to wipe cache partition and the POWER Key to select this option
8. The device will then perform the partition wipe
9. The device will reboot and start the normal power up sequence

... Thom

 

[Grey1001]

The same method is used on the Moto X.

 

[Thom]

Thank you for the verification.

My concern was that it is the same as the Jelly Bean method on the Droid Razr M and not the same as the Kit Kat method on the Droid Razr M.

... Thom

 

[jds4000]

I work in a busy operating room where I make dozens of calls during a typical 12 hour shift. I also send dozens of text messages, bounce on and off the web and frequently check stock information via the CNBC app. My brightness always is set to 75% and I utilize wifi during this period. My Moto X battery has NEVER dropped below 30% by the end of a typical 12 hour shift. My use can easily be described as moderately heavy. IMO battery life for my Moto X is spectacular. It is certainly better than what I received from former phones, eg IPhone 5 and Galaxy Note 3.

 

[doogald]

I've always thought that a forgotten reason for battery differences that people report is the quality of the cell signal. People who find themselves in areas with weaker signals will report less battery life, since the phone has to boost the power to the antenna to hold a signal. I'm on vacation in a spot where I'm getting a much better signal than I do at home and I'm ending the day with more battery left with the same use.

 

[hisense]

Thanks for responding. I would be very satisfied if I get the same results. Seems like some folks get great battery life and others don't. So I will have to see once my Moto arrives. I can return it within 14 days and will test it out, etc.

 

[hisense]

Thanks. Well I will try it out and report back on my results. Waiting for the Moto X in the mail these days.

 

[jj2me]

GPS: Can you live with a Location setting of Battery saving mode? And toggling to "High accuracy" only when GPS is needed? On previous phones, I found GPS was the biggest battery drain. The Moto X only has a 2,200 mAh battery.

I experience

- surprisingly terrific battery life at home on wi-fi and with just an average number of bars for talk (now it's at 2).

- average battery life when on weak 4G.

Both are with GPS off ("Battery saving" mode).

 

[hisense]

Thanks. But this is sort of the point. I want to use all the features and not have to worry about what is draining the battery etc. I am hoping the Moto X architecture which is reportedly designed to manage the features of the phone efficiently and smartly for me so to speak lasts 12 hours with all the features left on. I will test it out once it arrives this week and report back here.

 

[timm9]

I have just recently switched from the Razr Maxx to the Moto X after the Maxx became unusable. I live in a rural area with limited service (my cell won

 

[svensett]

I've only had my X since last Thursday, but so far I'm impressed with the battery life for my usage patterns compared to my S3. The attached screenshot is from last night I wasn't intentionally babying the usage to get that... My S3 was ok to get me through one day, but sometime I would be scrambling to get to a charger.

YMMV, but for me so far battery life isn't an issue.

 

[Veronykah]

Wow, now I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my phone. I've been using it pretty heavily on 4gLTE on T-Mobile and it's been below 10% by 4pm when I've started using it around 8/830am. Even with GPS off it still goes through the battery like gangbusters.
How do I figure out what is draining the battery? I've got clean master installed and battery doctor.
Am I gonna have to start going through running apps every day to turn them off?

 

[hisense]

Wow, now I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my phone. I've been using it pretty heavily on 4gLTE on T-Mobile and it's been below 10% by 4pm when I've started using it around 8/830am. Even with GPS off it still goes through the battery like gangbusters.
How do I figure out what is draining the battery? I've got clean master installed and battery doctor.
Am I gonna have to start going through running apps every day to turn them off?

Its hard to figure out if your battery life is the way it should be as there are many variables. I have my Moto X for a week and its been quite good. I have been trying to test it in different usage patterns. If I use the phone minimally it lasts over 24hrs. If I use it moderately its about 15 hrs. If a lot then 12 hrs.

 

[Bruce53]

I get about 25 hours out of my phone using it in moderation, 2 hours of phone calls and not playing any games on it. I switched to ART instead of dalvik and it seems to have helped battery life and phone runs smoother, i do have battery saver turned on.

 

[Clementine_3]

I switched to ART instead of dalvik and it seems to have helped battery life and phone runs smoother

I switched to ART the other day and have noticed better battery life as well. The phone is snappier too. I haven't had any trouble (yet) with any of my apps, ART seems to be an overall improvement.

 

[hisense]

What is ART? How do you turn it on?