Comparing battery life of Motorola Z Play to Samsung GS7 Edge or Active

[Apple2Droid]

I was somewhat active here 3 years ago when I was switching from an iPhone 5 to a Moto X2, but I haven't been back much since. But now I need some information and advice. –Sorry I've been gone for so long . . .

My Moto X2 is dying a repeated daily death (think Groundhog Day if it were a battery and notifications) since my last firmware update (v 5.1). I work as a massage therapist so since I'm not on my phone while working I've recently resorted to turning airplane mode on during the day when I'm with clients. You would think that when I turn it off at the end of my day, I would have plenty of battery to get me through the evening and the next morning. But you would be wrong. Since the last update, my battery life after my all day airplane mode, tends to be anywhere from 3-6 hours at best. The phone is so unusable that I bought not one, but two, portable battery packs for a recent trip, because that was the only way I knew I wouldn't be stranded. The phone will also frequently send notification sounds every 20-60 seconds–when there's not actual notification. This only happens 30% of the time but it's so annoying that I resort to locking it into another room. –I know, I know, I'm such a bad phone mom . . .

My screen has also been cracked for a year and a half so now I'm shopping again.

If I could get a good deal on an unlocked Moto Z Play (1st gen), I would snap it up, primarily because of the battery, which shouldn't be a surprise. But I can't find a new one for less than $400, which seems way overpriced to me at this point in the phone's lifetime.

So I've started looking at Samsung G7 Edge and GS7 Active (Unlocked). Given that the Z Play's 3,500 mAh battery is praised for lasting for days, I assumed that even with Samsung's OS, the Edge's 3,600 mAh and Active's 4,000 mAh would last at least to days with minimal to moderate use, but the reviews that I've read talk about a day's worth of batter and maybe a little longer.

I know that Samsung's OS, not being remotely close to vanilla Android will use more battery power than a Motorola's, but the differences that I'm reading about battery life don't quite make sense to me.

Am I missing something here? Shouldn't both Samsung battery totally wipe the floor with the Moto's?

Can anyone comment on this or clarify it? Or send me a link that explains comparing the higher capacity Moto and Samsung batteries?

I'm not a gamer and only rarely stream video outside of WiFi range, yet, due to the extreme battery issues that I've had of late, battery life is one of my main criterion in choosing a new phone. –And unlike many people, I don't dislike the aesthetics of the S7 Active. I actually kind of like it, as well as the peace of mind it brings.

Any information or advice is very welcome.

 

[Dngrsone]

The S7E, like any cell phone, drains battery when in a low-connectivity area. I also find that GPS can use the battery a bit, but Bluetooth isn't so bad.

Some apps use a lot of battery (Facebook), too.

Have you tried clearing the caches after your update? That may fix some of your issues... You could always try a factory reset as a last-resort.

 

[Apple2Droid]

The S7E, like any cell phone, drains battery when in a low-connectivity area. I also find that GPS can use the battery a bit, but Bluetooth isn't so bad.

Some apps use a lot of battery (Facebook), too.

Have you tried clearing the caches after your update? That may fix some of your issues... You could always try a factory reset as a last-resort.

Thanks for your reply Dngrsone. I had cleared the app cache and deleted unused apps a few days ago but hadn't tried clearing system cache until I read your post. But I can't seem to do it. I've gone through the steps and get as far as choosing recovery mode and seeing the Android lying on it's side.

I think I'm supposed to press the power button for only a second or two and then press volume up just once, and I should then boot in recovery mode, except that I don't. The phone eventually just reboots normally.

Am I doing this wrong?

 

[Dngrsone]

I don't how it works on the Moto Z. For Samsungs it's something like holding vol down and then power until the Samsung splash appears.

 

[Apple2Droid]

I don't how it works on the Moto Z. For Samsungs it's something like holding vol down and then power until the Samsung splash appears.

Oops, I forgot to clarify that I'm on the Moto X2 and not the Z.

That's how it's supposed to work on this phone except that it isn't.

 

[Dngrsone]

Try vol up then power?

I've also seen some models require holding both volume buttons down.

Also, don't try it while the phone is plugged in... For some reason it ignores the command when you have power coming into it.

 

[Apple2Droid]

Try vol up then power?

I've also seen some models require holding both volume buttons down.

Also, don't try it while the phone is plugged in... For some reason it ignores the command when you have power coming into it.

I finally got it to work. Turns out I was supposed to continue holding the power button while tapping volume up once. I had read to tap them separately which, of course, didn't work.

Clearing cache helped marginally, but not enough that I can trust this phone any more than I have over the past month. I ALWAYS have to take an external battery pack with me when I leave the house and that's just a PIA.

So I started phone shopping. I was about to buy an S7 Edge when a guy that I'd talked to on eBay about a Moto Z Play contacted me. His auction was won by a scammer so he sold it to me at a great deal, and included the external battery mod to boot! I'm hoping that I never need the battery mod or an external battery pack with this phone.

Thanks so much for your help!