what kills the battery quicker.. wi-fi or 3G

[FredBassett]

there is no clear answer on this forum .. any ideas?

 

[carter17]

Wifi kills it faster from what I can see

 

[josearmz10789]

I've read on this forum that 3G uses 50% more energy than wifi.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

 

[Paul627g]

Best answer I have heard is WIFI is normally the better option. 2g/3g/4g is a constant up and down draw with signal strength and have always heard that this will pull more from the battery over a consistent WIFI connection.

 

[andyberman]

I researched the issue a while ago, and read that 3G/4G uses more power than WIFI.

 

[jpp44345]

there is no clear answer on this forum .. any ideas?

It all depends on the signal strength. If you are in an area where 3G signal is good but a weak wifi signal, wifi will use more energy to remain connected. And also, if wifi signal is full and 3G signal is weak, using wifi will yield better battery life. If both signals are robust, then using wifi will effectively use less energy if you are using you phone actively. If you are a passive user who is not streaming media or chatting or anything else that needs you to be connected, then you should stick with 3g as the radio turns off after a few seconds non usage. Wifi on the other hand remains on. So effectively uses more battery for passive users. Hope that helps.

 

[KMBass]

I don't know anything tecnical to tell you, but I can give you real life experiences. I got my RAZR on 12/31/11 and for the first week and a half I had it set to use 3G. By the end of the day I only had 30% to 40% battery. Last week I changed it ot use wi-fi wherever possible. Right now at 4:55 PM I still have 80% battery and I have used it all day for checking and replying to e-mails and I have noticed several app updates throughout the day.

My daughter who uses her Droid 2 Global to play around on FaceBook and Twitter, for what seems like all day, also changed to wi-fi and she has 40-50% when she goes to bed where she was dying around 7-8 pm with 3G.

For us, we are staying on wi-fi whenever we can.

 

[n0obpr0]

I use WiFi. 3G drains my battery faster

 

[fatboy97]

My own personal experience using Wifi and home and at work... then turning my wifi off, going with full LTE... then going to 3G only... so I've done it all testing different ROMs. I definitely think, and have seen, Wifi is the best on battery life no matter what ROM I'm running.

 

[doogald]

This question was answered by Android Central previously:

http://www.androidcentral.com/keeping-your-charge-how-improve-battery-life-your-android-phone
http://www.androidcentral.com/android-101-save-battery-keeping-wifi-alive

Or, from lifehacker:

How to Get Better Battery Life from Your Android Phone

Answer: WiFi consumes less battery than 3G.

 

[Androidpwns]

ummm, 3G

 

[fatboy97]

14.5 hrs on Wifi.... 77% battery life left... that is just today.

 

[DarkTattoo]

I have the Razr and I can tell you that WiFi is your best solution for battery hands down. 2G/3G/4G consumes alot more power. Plus, WiFi also helps with data if you you don't an an older unlimited plan(obviously). It is the best way to conserve for any smartphone period. I leave WiFi on in my house all day for all my phones( Razr,Thunderbolt, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S 2 ATT). This is a factt opinion and not speculation I hope this helps. Live It, Love It, Android-Life!

 

[balthuszar]

i get about 18 hours on 4G, havent tested 3G...but i accidentally left wi-fi on one day while i was at work...and it didnt even make it through the 8 hour day

 

[ragnarokx]

i get about 18 hours on 4G, havent tested 3G...but i accidentally left wi-fi on one day while i was at work...and it didnt even make it through the 8 hour day

If you're not connected to WiFi and it's just searching for signal, then that will kill your battery faster.

Sent from my Nexus S

 

[IceDree]

from my experience 3G kills it allot faster than Wi-Fi , But if your phone is just searching for Wi-Fi as Ragnarokx said it will kill the batter faster

My Atrix can last up to 3 days with Wi-Fi on Stock battery , but allot less on 3G

 

[trmoney24]

i agree, wi-fi saves more power. i use "y5 battery saver" from the market which automatically turns on my wi-fi in places where i have connected to a wi-fi network. its greats cause it will turn off your w-fi automatically when you leave your wi-fi spot so your battery isn't waster searching for a signal.

 

[Bzow]

In my experience, WiFi is a lot better for battery life. I have my phone set up so that when WiFi is connected, my mobile data switches to 2G. I also have the sleep policy for WiFi set to "Never." Works incredibly well, assuming you have decent WiFi signal.

 

[KoukiFC3S]

Wifi uses less battery.

Check out the Anandtech Razr review.

AnandTech - Motorola Droid RAZR Review - A Better Clad Bionic

They tested web browsing over 3G, 4G, and Wifi.

3G: 4.417 hours
4G:3.067 hours
Wifi: 8.8 hours

So wifi is a lot more power efficient.

 

[skulldroid67]

Wifi is a helluva a lot cheaper too.