Disabling 4G How long does the battery last

**davidpquesada** · 04-08-2011, 04:42 PM

Would like to know how many hours or if you can get through a day with 3G on.

I wanted and was planning to go with a 1Year contract with a HTC Inc2 and update next year to 4G, but Verizon is removing that 1yr option before that phone hits so I'm thinking of getting this phone now if battery life on 3G can make it last through the day and then upgrade next year.

Thanks.

**tekhna** · 04-08-2011, 05:05 PM

Battery life on this phone is great, and it doesn't seem to affect battery life one way or another if 4G is on or not. At least that's how it seems to me.

**funguy123us** · 04-08-2011, 06:36 PM

I turned off all data last night and it used 3% more battery then with data "on"

**Komodod** · 04-08-2011, 06:42 PM

Have not seemed to notice any difference in battery life beween 4g on or off. I think the main issues have come from people on the edfe of a 3g/4g zone.

**Forgetful** · 04-08-2011, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by Komodod

Have not seemed to notice any difference in battery life beween 4g on or off. I think the main issues have come from people on the edfe of a 3g/4g zone.

I've noticed the same thing.

Just about the same idle current draw if 4G/Wifi is on or off.

**FrankXS** · 04-08-2011, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by Komodod

Have not seemed to notice any difference in battery life beween 4g on or off. I think the main issues have come from people on the edfe of a 3g/4g zone.

Originally Posted by Forgetful

I've noticed the same thing.

Just about the same idle current draw if 4G/Wifi is on or off.

Agreed. I think it's the "hunting" for 4G, when 4G is near but weak, that can consume more battery. And cause data dropouts.

When I'm in and around solid 4G areas, even when going back and forth between solid 4G and 3G areas, my battery usage is the same as when I'm in solid 3G all day.

-Frank

**tino72** · 04-08-2011, 07:02 PM

i turned off 4g and got 11hours the other day and 13 hrs yesterday..makes a difference to keep 4g off..i live in a good 4g area ftr..thats moderate use..heavy use i get AT LEAST 10 HRS

**MojaveHigh** · 04-08-2011, 07:35 PM

Agree that it is not the 4G or the wi-fi that hurts battery life. It is when the signal is weak and the phone has to search for a better or stronger signal. I suspect that is why people have good days and bad days with their battery. I went through the same thing the other day. 4G seemed to be acting up in my house and my battery went down quickly. Usually though, I have fairly decent battery life. In fact, turning off 4G and using wi-fi hurts my battery more because the router is far from my office (will be fixing shortly) so it's a weak signal and the phone spends more power looking for the wi-fi.

I thought a 4G/3G toggle might show some amazing battery improvement, but it just doesn't (for me, at least). YMMV

**PJnc284** · 04-08-2011, 07:38 PM

yeah, that only works if you're in an area of relatively strong 3G. Otherwise toggling 4G off isn't going to get you anywhere. In those cases, wifi is generally better since the signal should be stronger.

**jmz768** · 04-08-2011, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by tekhna

Battery life on this phone is great, and it doesn't seem to affect battery life one way or another if 4G is on or not. At least that's how it seems to me.

No, no it's not.

Oh wait, it's great if you don't use the phone.

**tekhna** · 04-08-2011, 08:13 PM

Originally Posted by jz68

No, no it's not.

Oh wait, it's great if you don't use the phone.

I've been using my phone all day, constantly, with tethering and talking, and I just broke 50%

**Wildside** · 04-08-2011, 09:15 PM

The 4g signal at my office is really bad. Before I installed the 4G/LTE toggle I would be down to about 45-50% by 11:30 or so (having unplugged at 6:00 and bump charged for 20 minutes or so). After the toggle, I get through the workday above 65% (about 2:30 to 3:00 of awake time). The search for a 4G signal is a battery killer.

Now if I could get Tasker to to toggle 4G for me. :-)

**SMD** · 04-08-2011, 09:36 PM

Yeah, it helped me to switch to 3G.

I'm in LA and get pretty good signal everywhere. But in some homes/apartments a signal takes a hit inside. I go from 4 bars outside to 1 or 2 inside my home. Switching to 3G definitely added several hours of battery life to my phone. I only tested it once though but there was a huge difference for me personally, especially when I'm home all day and the phone is at 1 or 2 bars.

And then there's the extended battery which lasts all day even with HEAVY 4G usage. It's Awesome.

**soboness5** · 04-08-2011, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Mojave

Agree that it is not the 4G or the wi-fi that hurts battery life. It is when the signal is weak and the phone has to search for a better or stronger signal. I suspect that is why people have good days and bad days with their battery. I went through the same thing the other day. 4G seemed to be acting up in my house and my battery went down quickly. Usually though, I have fairly decent battery life. In fact, turning off 4G and using wi-fi hurts my battery more because the router is far from my office (will be fixing shortly) so it's a weak signal and the phone spends more power looking for the wi-fi.

I thought a 4G/3G toggle might show some amazing battery improvement, but it just doesn't (for me, at least). YMMV

I don't know if I agree. I can't say that i've tried toggling off 4G, but I have a relevant experience to share.

I live near Philly and am in a 'fringe' zone. I've had the 'no 3g connection' issue since buying my Thunderbolt 2 weeks ago, so haven't been able to compare 3G to 4G (until today when I found the 3G issue was resolved). Long story short, I don't get 4G at work or at home...only on my way to work (since i'm outdoors)...so I never had battery issues since 4G is essentially on or off - i'd get almost a full day out of a charge with moderate use with wifi enabled, and less than an hour of 4G per day. When I went down to a Phillies game earlier this week, however, I had a full 4G connection the entire time since I was in downtown Philly. I had about 90% battery when I got down there...and besides a few texts and pictures, I didn't use the phone (obviously it was updating FB/e-mail/etc occasionally)...within 4-5 hours, the phone was <5%.

As far as i'm concerned, i'm convinced a full-time 4G connection is a battery hog. I know other people have had other experiences...but this was my first full-strength 4G experience.