Battery Life- Are we our own worst enemy (long)?

[f308gt4]

I've been thinking that maybe we (the droid community, in general) are our own worst enemy when it comes to battery life. It seems that when someone complains, there is always someone else who chimes in to suggest that they change various settings, etc to help the battery life along. I.e., turn off radios (wifi, bluetooth, etc) that aren't being used, change the screen brightness, stop automatic syncing, etc.

Why are we doing this to ourselves? Shouldn't we be instead complaining loudly to the manufacturers that battery life is inadequate? After all, why should I not be able to use all of my phones features just so my battery life will last?

I have a HTC Inspire 4g, and I love the phone. The battery is usually not an issue, since I have a charger at work, in the car, etc., so that there is always one nearby.

But, I'm on vacation now, in NY state visiting family, and a few days ago, my wife and I decided to do an overnight in NYC while the kids were being watched by my parents. I took the phone off of the charger at 8AM, so that we could catch a train into the city. I didn't use the phone much at all, checked e-mail maybe once an hour, used google maps for a minute or two when we first got into the city, but that's about it. No calls, no internet browsing. By 4PM (8 hours), battery was down to 32%, and dropping fast (The phone is set to go into power saving mode when the battery reaches 15%), so when you are down to 32%, it's not like you have that much more time left.

That's pretty sad. Imagine if I needed to look up something, or make a few calls, or got lost and had to use goggle maps.

Why can't I use my phone and get decent battery life? And I don't want to have to root it, carry a spare battery, cut off services, etc to do it. It seems like all my buddies with iphones don't have to worry about this issue. Yeah, their battery life isn't the greatest either, but at least they can get a full days battery life while actually using the phone.

I don't want an iphone, much prefer the droid. But this whole battery life thing is making me wonder if maybe I shouldn't go the iphone route. As long as we keep buying these things, we are telling the manufacturers that we are OK with the battery life.

Maybe we need to be sending a louder message to the droid manufacturers about battery life. Instead of trying to figure out work-arounds to make it passable? Are we our own worst enemy?

 

[NoSpin]

I personally think the problem lies with Android, more than the oems. Google needs to tighten it up a bit and really focus on doing everything on their end to optimize battery.

But I fail to see your logic in comparing it to an iPhone. iPhone has a smaller screen (than most), no 4G, lacks true multitasking, and iOS can be optimized for the specific hardware during the literal years of dev time. All of these things help battery TREMENDOUSLY. You have much more control over your Android, and thus greater responsibility over your battery. If you want the 4.5in LTE monster, you can get it, but don't expect to have a great battery life. Mr. Jobs doesn't give you that choice for that reason, personally I like to decide myself.

I think you have a point, battery is a problem for android, and it needs to be fixed. But as phones get thinner and more powerful, battery tech stays the same. That, is equally troubling.

Sent from my T-mobile G2 using Tapatalk

 

[PvilleComp]

I think the blame here actually falls on the OEM's for putting such small batteries in these things to begin with. I understand smaller batteries cost less and the public wants super thin devices, but I think that a phone that can't make 8 hrs of light usage is a sin.

I counsel all my clients buying Android devices to seriously consider extended batteries so they can use the phone the way it was meant to be used. I know people whine that "It makes the phone too big" but the truth is it's not that much bigger and I prefer to use my phone as a tool, not a fashion accessory. But that's just me.

I don't think it's our fault for finding ways to extend battery life, but I think it is our fault for not complaining that OEM's need to put bigger batteries in these things.

 

[Moscow Desire]

Ahhhhh... the debate is on

All good points indeed. But... not all responsibility falls on the OEM. True, they could perhaps offer an option upon purchase (normal battery or extended), but the costs to do the extra manufacturing would fall upon the consumer in both areas. Not that it would be that much. But as they say, you can't please all the people all the time.

I feel that the providers are mostly responsible. After all, they take the basic OS, and put their own skins and bloatware and such, and then sell it off to the consumers, who, after complaining about weak battery life, finally figure out how to adjust the settings. Somewhere in this scheme, there is money involved, most likely through data usage.

Anyone who has ever compared an unbranded model to a branded one can tell you this. Out of the box, an unbranded phone has better battery life. No arguement.

We as a consumer, demand more and more every day. Better displays, Faster CPU's, GPU's, GPS, and frequency reception. Our thirst will never be quenched. And the OEM's provide us with what we demand. Unfortunately, battery technology just can't keep up with the demand, and we have to adjust to it, and find ways around it.

Personally, I'd much rather keep my slim looking stylish phone, rather than go to a restraunt and plop down a bulky, overweight, unbalanced extended battery phone :'( looking like the old motorola flip phone from the early 90's. Image is everything when in public

 

[Moscow Desire]

Even the best combo I have found (EVO with CM7 running the SavagedZen kernel) the battery is still pretty pathetic. I'd love to kill some time in an airport playing a game on my phone, but I know a half-hour of Plants vs. Zombies is going to eat through 30-40% of my battery

My "solution" has been to keep the phone plugged in as much as possible. It's plugged in overnight, it's plugged in in my car, it's plugged in at work, etc. I also carry a spare battery when I travel. I have not purchased an extended battery due to the previously mentioned "form factor"....the EVO is already big enough.

Yeah, at the airport, I prefer to kill time playing "Man vs Beer" at the Irish Pub

I always carry my spare USB cable wherever I go. Just in case... No more spare batteries though. One time a TSA gorilla thought the spare might be an IED. 30 minutes, 3 co-workers and 2 supervisors later, it was somewhat agreed it was indeed a real battery (after several operational checks), but was warned I might not want to bring it in carry on at future airports. I said "what about the one in the phone?". They said it was ok. Then I informed them the one they think now is an IED, is actually the original one from the phone which they didn't complain about. After several minutes of blank stares, I was informed it was a federal offense to harrass a TSA employee in the progress of their work..... Welcome to America....

 

[Puzzlegal]

Personally, I'd much rather keep my slim looking stylish phone, rather than go to a restraunt and plop down a bulky, overweight, unbalanced extended battery phone :'( looking like the old motorola flip phone from the early 90's. Image is everything when in public

And I'd much rather have a phone that worked, even if it were a bit bigger.

Oh how I miss my extended battery on the Pre. Yes, it made the phone 50% fatter. But it lasted a full day of heavy use. I never worried about power. Now that was a valuable feature.

One reason Apple can pack in more power is because they don't let you change the battery, so they don't need to give it a solid container, or a regualr shape. They basically fill up every nook and cranny of the gadget with a bag of battery. I don't really like that option, either.

What are the odds I will be able to get an oversized, extended-life battery for the Photon, do you think?

 

[Moscow Desire]

And I'd much rather have a phone that worked, even if it were a bit bigger.

Oh how I miss my extended battery on the Pre. Yes, it made the phone 50% fatter. But it lasted a full day of heavy use. I never worried about power. Now that was a valuable feature.

One reason Apple can pack in more power is because they don't let you change the battery, so they don't need to give it a solid container, or a regualr shape. They basically fill up every nook and cranny of the gadget with a bag of battery. I don't really like that option, either.

What are the odds I will be able to get an oversized, extended-life battery for the Photon, do you think?

I suspect within 4 or 5 months for an oversized battery. Given the time to manufacture an extended battery cover.

Or, you can do a redneck repair.... duct tape

 

[takeshi]

Why are we doing this to ourselves? Shouldn't we be instead complaining loudly to the manufacturers that battery life is inadequate? After all, why should I not be able to use all of my phones features just so my battery life will last?

Oversimplified analogy but it's like your car. If you leadfoot it, MPG will suffer. You don't get something (power hungry features or improved battery life) for nothing.

It seems like all my buddies with iphones don't have to worry about this issue.

The grass is always greener. The iPhone doesn't have magic batteries. They have battery life issues as well.

 

[NoSpin]

The grass is always greener. The iPhone doesn't have magic batteries. They have battery life issues as well.

But they do! Made of unicorn and the tears of children!

Sent from my T-mobile G2 using Tapatalk

 

[f308gt4]

So, since posting this thread, my travel charger (a cheapo one) broke, so I went to a local staples to get another one. As I was looking, I saw that they had power-skin cases. I wound up buying one. Makes the phone really bulky, but so far, seems to be holding up quite nicely with regard to power.