Nexus Battery Concerns

**mazzmoney95** · 11-04-2012, 12:59 AM

Over at XDA there seems to be A LOT of concerns over the battery life of the Nexus 4, and from the looks of some of the tests, I can see why. It has better battery life then the Galaxy Nexus no doubt, but many people are saying it's still REALLY bad. I don't know what to think yet. I know it's pre release software and that there are still some bugs, but this was pretty bad. There was even tests to see how good the battery was while browsing the web and it seemed to do significantly worse then the Optimus G (Optimus G got 8 hours while this got like 6) and and One X (Got 8 hours on LTE compared to the 6 on the Nexus w/o LTE). I'm just reporting the concerns I saw over there because there doesn't seem to be too much concern on this site. No site gave it amazing reviews, but I dont think any were as bad as the Anandtech tests shown (which seem to be the most detailed ones I've seen). maybe they just got a bad unit or something? Or are people at XDA overreacting a little? This might be a concern for some people (as it stands now I'm still getting the device but others might change their minds).

**Andrew Martonik** · 11-04-2012, 01:08 AM

Does anyone in those threads on XDA actually own a Nexus 4?

Didn't think so.

**mazzmoney95** · 11-04-2012, 01:14 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew Martonik

Does anyone in those threads on XDA actually own a Nexus 4?

Didn't think so.

Of course not, which is why it's only a minor concern for some. But they are getting their info from sites that do have it. While I didn't read any reviews that said the battery life was terrible, I saw some comparisons to other devices that put the nexus battery to shame (even the Optimus g, which is the same damn hardware). I guess my question is partially "Do you think Google will have all these obvious quirks and bugs worked out in the next few days? Or will we have to wait some time before they are fixed?" I know nexus devices do come with bugs after release, but this battery one seems pretty important to many people thinking of jumping ship for this device.

**SeigaGen** · 11-04-2012, 01:17 AM

Originally Posted by Andrew Martonik

Does anyone in those threads on XDA actually own a Nexus 4?

Didn't think so.

Its not just XDA. Reviewers that have received the device have also stated that the battery life has improved over the Galaxy Nexus, but its still draining like none other. To be perfectly honest, that's where rooting and installing a custom kernel can help out. The only thing I regret with the nexus 4 is that it doesn't have a removable battery.

Brought to you by the Google Nexus 7.

Hit me up at the Android Developers Conference from December 4-7 in San Francisco

**Fairclough** · 11-04-2012, 01:08 AM

I posted this same question, apparently it actually isn't bad. Could be just a single bad review. Phil's Pod cast said along the lines of his battery was ok nothing out of the normal. I think it all really comes down to usage and how you use it. " When it comes to battery life, the Nexus 4 is also performs just below the One X and the iPhone. Under normal use, I could go a day before having to charge it. If I was using the handset non-stop, I’d have to charge the Nexus 4 before I left work. This is good battery life, but not exceptional." - wired.

Edit:
Battery life is yet another segment of the performance that's confused us. Since the Nexus 4 uses the same 2,100mAh battery (and power-friendly Krait chip) as the Optimus G, we expected to record essentially the same runtime. Much to our surprise, however, it was considerably worse in both our tests and our real-life use. Our standard video rundown test, which consists of looping a movie at 50 percent brightness with WiFi on (but not connected) and normal pull notifications for email and social media, lasted for five hours and 18 minutes before the battery died. Our anecdotal tests -- in which we do a moderate amount of email, social media, messaging, web surfing and take a few pictures and make some phone calls -- almost got us a full day of use, but your overall result will definitely depend on how bright you set that display. Regardless, the experience we had with both of our review units is still a stark contrast to the Optimus G, which lasted over eight hours in the video rundown test and 20 hours with moderate use. - Engadget.

Featuring a 2,100 mAh battery we found that the Nexus 4 handled a day easily however this was with very limited use so wait for the full review to find out if it can cope with an average days use. - T3
Despite driving a very high res panel, Google is able to deliver relatively competitive battery life with the Nexus 10. Battery capacity is around 80% the size of the 3rd gen iPad and battery life is around 93% of what Apple delivers here. Over 10 hours would be nice to have, but 8 hours of use in this test isn't bad at all. We'll have to do more testing to understand Exynos 5's power behavior a bit better, but so far it doesn't seem that the platform is all that bad from a power consumption standpoint. It remains to be seen how gracefully the Nexus 10 will handle being taxed heavier. - ANANDTECH

**Rayzaa** · 11-04-2012, 02:00 AM

Originally Posted by mazzmoney95

Over at XDA there seems to be A LOT of concerns over the battery life of the Nexus 4, and from the looks of some of the tests, I can see why. It has better battery life then the Galaxy Nexus no doubt, but many people are saying it's still REALLY bad. I don't know what to think yet. I know it's pre release software and that there are still some bugs, but this was pretty bad. There was even tests to see how good the battery was while browsing the web and it seemed to do significantly worse then the Optimus G (Optimus G got 8 hours while this got like 6) and and One X (Got 8 hours on LTE compared to the 6 on the Nexus w/o LTE). I'm just reporting the concerns I saw over there because there doesn't seem to be too much concern on this site. No site gave it amazing reviews, but I dont think any were as bad as the Anandtech tests shown (which seem to be the most detailed ones I've seen). maybe they just got a bad unit or something? Or are people at XDA overreacting a little? This might be a concern for some people (as it stands now I'm still getting the device but others might change their minds).

How about we wait till the final software verson is done and then see how it is? The Nexus 4 is pretty much the same phone as the Optimus G and that has a good battery in it and has good numbers in tests for speed.

**Fairclough** · 11-04-2012, 02:02 AM

Its said that the "using the camera (especially to make Photo Sphere) really eats that juice.", that would be down to software usage.

**sidamos** · 11-04-2012, 03:40 AM

Someone from Google said here in this forum, that the battery life is better than the GNex with its extended (2000 mAh) battery. And that is to be expected, because the screen should use less power.

**mazzmoney95** · 11-04-2012, 10:45 AM

Coming from an evo lte being better then a gnex isn't saying much. I'm fine with the phone having worse battery then my current phone, I just hope the difference isn't this much (2–3 hours)

**Mugler Infusion** · 11-04-2012, 11:01 AM

I know it could very well be a software issue, new software has bugs in it and the new phones we get will probably have less bugs, but I wonder if we all can eventually downgrade from 4.2 to say a stable 4.1 or 4.0?

I know the new features are great but I can wait until bugs are worked out of the system.

**Andrew Martonik** · 11-04-2012, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Arctic Prodigy

I know it could very well be a software issue, new software has bugs in it and the new phones we get will probably have less bugs, but I wonder if we all can eventually downgrade from 4.2 to say a stable 4.1 or 4.0?

I know the new features are great but I can wait until bugs are worked out of the system.

They're not going to ship super buggy software. And no, you're not going to downgrade to 4.1 or 4.0, that's ludicrous...

People need to seriously wait until they get the devices in their hands and use it how they normally use a device, then make a call on the battery life. 10 people using it for a week and reviewing it doesn't give us at all an indication of how the device will perform for you.

**Ziptied** · 11-04-2012, 02:25 PM

Thanksgiving will mark 2 months of my N4. I get a good amount more life from it than my galaxy nexus got with the OEM extended battery. Optimization shows for battery life with a marked and noticeable improvement. I only charge it every two days and I use moderately throughout the day and heavily at night.

**skafri#WN** · 11-04-2012, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by carolinaguy99

Thanksgiving will mark 2 months of my N4. I get a good amount more life from it than my galaxy nexus got with the OEM extended battery. Optimization shows for battery life with a marked and noticeable improvement. I only charge it every two days and I use moderately throughout the day and heavily at night.

This is great news, and I hope it holds true for the rest of us.

**Inkyape** · 11-04-2012, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by carolinaguy99

Thanksgiving will mark 2 months of my N4. I get a good amount more life from it than my galaxy nexus got with the OEM extended battery. Optimization shows for battery life with a marked and noticeable improvement. I only charge it every two days and I use moderately throughout the day and heavily at night.

Who are you and how come you have had a nexus 4 for 2 months? What sorcery is this?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

**StuMcBill** · 11-04-2012, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by Inkyape

Who are you and how come you have had a nexus 4 for 2 months? What sorcery is this?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I believe he works for Google!

**Richard Devine** · 11-04-2012, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by StuMcBill

I believe he works for Google!

You believe correct :-)

Seriously guys... Battery life is always dependent on what you do with it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

**sidamos** · 11-04-2012, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by carolinaguy99

Thanksgiving will mark 2 months of my N4. I get a good amount more life from it than my galaxy nexus got with the OEM extended battery. Optimization shows for battery life with a marked and noticeable improvement. I only charge it every two days and I use moderately throughout the day and heavily at night.

Compared to GNex on 4.1.2? Because my GNex hat better battery life with 4.1.2 compared to 4.1.1.

**Ziptied** · 11-04-2012, 08:04 PM

Good question. I haven't used 4.1.2 much in my gnex. I'll have my wife use my gnex for the next few days and report back, and indeed I work for Google.

**Fairclough** · 11-04-2012, 09:00 PM

Originally Posted by carolinaguy99

Good question. I haven't used 4.1.2 much in my gnex. I'll have my wife use my gnex for the next few days and report back, and indeed I work for Google.

Could be extra nice and provide us with freebies <3

**Ziptied** · 11-04-2012, 09:07 PM

I don't work on that side my friend. Otherwise I would.

**Fairclough** · 11-04-2012, 09:15 PM

That's a shame, least you would get a free work phone. Do you really get segways at work? because I saw pics of the an office with slides and fireman poles. God that would be fun.
So without being Bias would you view the battery life is reasonable and too many reviewers were expecting too much?

**Ziptied** · 11-04-2012, 09:24 PM

I would say reasonable. Its obviously not insanely good, but better than any nexus before it I'd say. Expectations are always too high for the time being, having a non removable battery is a tad inconvenient, but I've never owned a spare battery for any phone I've owned so I could see some being a tad annoyed. Battery life is one of those subjective things, its very relative to usage, conditions, screen brightness, apps, battery conditioning, etc etc. For me its still not what I'd like but better than anything before it.

**Ziptied** · 11-04-2012, 09:28 PM

Oh and 4.2 does some better power usage optimizations than 4.1 did

**Winterfang** · 11-04-2012, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by carolinaguy99

Thanksgiving will mark 2 months of my N4. I get a good amount more life from it than my galaxy nexus got with the OEM extended battery. Optimization shows for battery life with a marked and noticeable improvement. I only charge it every two days and I use moderately throughout the day and heavily at night.