How's the battery life on the Moto X Pure Edition?

[BoneDigger]

I'm unplugging at 8am and generally make it to 5-6pm before a short charge.

Sent from a cell phone. Sorry for any typos.

 

[rushmore]

Battery life after a week for me seems that the device is better suited for people that do not use apps that are heavy on the GPU: 3D games and VR as example. Like the G4, the Pure appears to have a slightly stressed GPU that results in heat and battery life taking a hit. I wonder if the issue is the 1440p display is a little too much for the 808 and explains why the 805 in comparison does not get as hot or drain the battery as quickly. The GPU in the 805 handles 1440p better than the 808, but the CPU is faster in the 808.

Game emulators on the other hand are CPU dependent and only run warm with good battery life on the Pure. Seems if you are a light to medium user that does not game much, the 808 is a good chipset fit, but for people that use a lot of GPU heavy apps, not so much.

 

[rushmore]

In other words... the battery life sucks, simple as that. The Moto X Pure gets 30-50% less battery life than other android phones with similiar sized batteries (2900-3200). I wish Motorola would start making high-end phones for a change. They always end up with mid-end compromised frustrating devices. The Pure looks nice and all but it's still a big, thick, heavy piece of phone with bad battery life, average camera and ok screen. If moto could make a device with stock android, moto features (voice and screen), premium design and stellar hardware, that would be awesome. (Sorry, but the turbo doesn't qualify, the OS is never optimized well enough and omg the ugliness.)

The weak link seems to be the 808's GPU.

 

[Pontiac1979]

Re: Worse battery life than my G4...how?

I'm so frustrated at this point.

Backstory: I had a G4 and for a while I loved it. I was getting 19 hours off the charger 40 minutes screen on time and was at 76%

Then carrier bloat killed it, ruined the battery life. Sold it, and eventually got the Moto x Pure thinking no carrier bloat will kill this guy!

Day one: I am at 14 hours off charge with 50 minutes screen on time, and I'm at 61%...HOW?

I backed up from the G4 so literally every setting I can think of down to nova launcher are carbon copied.

I'll keep an eye on the battery but at this point I'm tempted to ditch the Pure and snag an unlocked international G4 for 399 and call it a day.

UGH


Any insights would be great. Could it be day 1 syndrome and the battery needs to "settle"?

In my experience, the battery definitely settled in. On the first full day of use, I got 2.5 hours of SOT. A week later and I already had 1 hour SOT at 90%. Granted, I keep airplane mode on, only use WiFi, screen brightness all the way down.. You get the point. I expect about 4.5-5.5 hours this time around.

Posted via the awesome Moto X Pure

 

[rushmore]

I think it depends on how much apps use the GPU and that is the main wild card. IMO the GPU is a power sucking demon and more so than others. It needs to be throttled.

 

[bpe4]

Okay, I folded yesterday and bought a Pure from Best Buy during lunch. Those of you who have seen my posts know I've criticized the battery size that was put into the XPE. Well, I wanted to try it myself so here's my experience after only '2' charge cycles.

- Got home, unpacked it, put in the SIM, and powered it up. It started with 50% battery.
- I plugged it in with the included quick charger, and started the app updates and downloads.
- I check back an hour later, it's fully charged, and all my apps are loaded. I unplug it and start setting things up like I typically do. This goes on pretty much for the rest of the afternoon and early evening.
- Around 10:30pm I know I'll be still playing with it while in bed, so I top it off to around 96%.

The charts you see below are after the 2nd Charge cycle. The brightness was set on Automatic/Adaptive and slider at 50%. The only optimization I did was to disable the google services I don't use (i.e. docs, people details, sheets, slides, etc..)




As you see, I didn't sleep much last night... I watched a bunch of YouTube videos, played a game or two, and browsed a lot of sites. When I saw the stats this morning, I was AMAZED. With the battery left (20%) I can see going well over 6 hours of SOT with no issue. And this is without any 'settling in' time, which is really kind of confusing as all phones are known to have crap battery life right out of the box. It certainly doesn't jive with most of the reports in this thread, so I may have some sort of mutant Moto XPE.

In the top left corner you see Qualcomm's Battery Guru app running. I'm certain it had nothing to do with this battery life as it is still in 'Learning' mode, as I just installed it. (I've used it on an LG G4 with good success)

 

[appmy]

After a couple of weeks my battery performance is much improved. The WiFi seemed to always show in use, even when it was turned off.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[andy a]

Okay, I folded yesterday and bought a Pure from Best Buy during lunch. Those of you who have seen my posts know I've criticized the battery size that was put into the XPE. Well, I wanted to try it myself so here's my experience after only '2' charge cycles.

- Got home, unpacked it, put in the SIM, and powered it up. It started with 50% battery.
- I plugged it in with the included quick charger, and started the app updates and downloads.
- I check back an hour later, it's fully charged, and all my apps are loaded. I unplug it and start setting things up like I typically do. This goes on pretty much for the rest of the afternoon and early evening.
- Around 10:30pm I know I'll be still playing with it while in bed, so I top it off to around 96%.

The charts you see below are after the 2nd Charge cycle. The brightness was set on Automatic/Adaptive and slider at 50%. The only optimization I did was to disable the google services I don't use (i.e. docs, people details, sheets, slides, etc..)

View attachment 198527
View attachment 198528

As you see, I didn't sleep much last night... I watched a bunch of YouTube videos, played a game or two, and browsed a lot of sites. When I saw the stats this morning, I was AMAZED. With the battery left (20%) I can see going well over 6 hours of SOT with no issue. And this is without any 'settling in' time, which is really kind of confusing as all phones are known to have crap battery life right out of the box. It certainly doesn't jive with most of the reports in this thread, so I may have some sort of mutant Moto XPE.

In the top left corner you see Qualcomm's Battery Guru app running. I'm certain it had nothing to do with this battery life as it is still in 'Learning' mode, as I just installed it. (I've used it on an LG G4 with good success)

Hi there

I know you were on the fence about buying this phone and I am still on the fence about buying it in fact I totally dismissed it yesterday due to the phone heating up and some people saying the screen whites weren't that great so I was thinking of getting a Nexus 6 that are now reduced but the burn in bothers me with the Nexus and the whites don't look that great on the Nexus either!

But crikey I am amazed at that battery! My needs are really a phone that I can use for browsing the Internet and as a sales rep on the road a nice big screen so I can watch Netflix while I have my coffee and a sandwich for lunch, so I have an Xperia Z3 at present which has a 5.2" screen but I just fancy that 5.7" size and even though it is a bigger phone the Sony is too square and is very uncomfortable in my jeans front pocket.

I would be really keen to hear more of your thoughts on the phone in general as in build quality performance and especially the screen quality as I know you had major doubts didn't you

Thanks

Andy

 

[bpe4]

Andy,
I'm really happy with the phone as far as fit and finish. There was a video review posted in this forum where the reviewer kept repeating over and over how good the phone felt in the hand, and now I know what he means. Compared to other 'big' phones like the Nexus 6 or LG G4 or Note 4 (I haven't held a Note 5), the XPE really is a great phone to hold. Somehow it doesn't feel big at all. I tried a Nexus 6 for about a month, and honestly it was just too wide to be held and used comfortably. The XPE is 'just right'.

The screen is nice and bright, and luckily it seems I have one that isn't warm (yellowish tint). Also, I haven't had a full Moto phone since the original X, and now I remember how GREAT the Moto features are (active display, active voice). I love picking up the phone and having the on-screen slider ready to turn it on without having to do a double tap or hunt for a side button.

If I were you I'd take the plunge. Like others have said, you have 14 days to see for yourself, or else you can just send it back. My other criticisms still stand (not future proof, missing key features that are in upcoming flagships: fingerprint scanner, wireless charging, usb-c). However, I guess for the price and the actual in-hand 'experience', it's worth it. And as I showed above, the battery life isn't an issue from what I've seen.

 

[andy a]

Thanks so much bpe4 for that and YOU are the one person who has totally changed my mind on getting the Style as I always wanted it but certain things were putting me off and as much as I like the Nexus 6 it is older and the Style is new so I am going to take the plunge that is WHEN it is released for sale in the UK as at this moment it isn't!

Any more thoughts and ramblings you have please post them up as I said I know you were very sceptical about this phone so if you are impressed thenI am sure I will be

Andy

 

[Almeuit]

Okay, I folded yesterday and bought a Pure from Best Buy during lunch. Those of you who have seen my posts know I've criticized the battery size that was put into the XPE. Well, I wanted to try it myself so here's my experience after only '2' charge cycles.

Glad you decided to give it a try .

 

[RikkiRay]

I can't complain at all about the battery life. I'm not a gamer, and I'd rather watch a movie on my tablet, so there's that. But, recently we took a road trip through rural areas. I had Google Maps running for 3 hours (battery only, not on charger), choosing NOT to dim the screen between turns. Battery was approx. 95% when we began. When I shut down Maps approx. 3 hours later, I still had 51% battery left.

For my usage & needs, I LOVE this phone!

 

[sloopjohnb]

People that post outstanding results usually turn off a bunch of things. It's not objective. Just go to gsmarena and compare battery life between Moto x pure and x 2014. The pure is actually worst in video and Internet (which already wasn't very good). Moto dropped the ball on this one.

 

[bpe4]

Honestly, I'm not quite sure why everyone's battery results seem to be all over the map. In the charts I showed I was being very objective. I had NOTHING turned off from default other than telling Google not to sync services I don't use.

My only observation is that the SOT is very good on this phone IF you use it nonstop, which I admit even for me is very unusual.

I went from an almost full charge and played with it nonstop for 5 hours (YouTube, reading kindle book, and surfing). I did not play any high GPU intensive games. Using it this way, the phone seems to give you great SOT. But its far from typical use.

I think in any normal day where you pick it up occasionally, you're looking at 3-4 hours of SOT.

 

[rushmore]

People that post outstanding results usually turn off a bunch of things. It's not objective. Just go to gsmarena and compare battery life between Moto x pure and x 2014. The pure is actually worst in video and Internet (which already wasn't very good). Moto dropped the ball on this one.

Most folks are light to medium users, so battery life is fine. Of course, this device would have been at least $100 more and out of the business model they stated for this product. Take cost and multiply by 2.5 to remain margin whole at retail. A newer OLED display, chipset, and fingerprint scanner adds up. Frankly, I wish they offered this with a Premium Pure as a product option.

The only thing that makes no sense is the fixed battery. The layers on the back and lack of unibody design does provide design reasons for the fixed battery. A simple cover would have been even lower cost and afforded better heat dissipation. They could have still have the cover period options.

I think a simple GPS throttle would provide significant battery life improvement and no impact to performance. The GPU on this device is rogue.

 

[RikkiRay]

People that post outstanding results usually turn off a bunch of things. It's not objective. Just go to gsmarena and compare battery life between Moto x pure and x 2014. The pure is actually worst in video and Internet (which already wasn't very good). Moto dropped the ball on this one.

Everyone has their preferences. Your choice is your own. I read the gsmarena review.

According to what I read in the gsmarena review, "Overall, the device's endurance rating is considerably better than that of last year's Moto X, though not the best we've seen in a 2015 flagship."

For my usage (web browsing, email, texts, videos, maps, calls), I don't care to drop the extra $$$ so that I can say I have a "flagship" phone. It's been a few years since I've had a Moto phone; didn't realize till I received the MXPE how much I appreciated the quality of their radios.

Why the hate? If people (like myself) really like this phone, what's the beef? What is it that you think people have turned off when you say "usually turn off a bunch of things"?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but don't put mine (or others) down because this happens to be the phone of choice.

 

[rushmore]

If Moto released a throttle for the GPU, heavier users would also notice better battery life and minimal if any performance decrease. The 808's GPU needs to be better controlled. Same issue on the G4 and why also all-over-the place battery life and heat reports. The three main battery users are display, chipset and radios. The radios are fine and the display can be adjusted down.

 

[andy a]

If Moto released a throttle for the GPU, heavier users would also notice better battery life and minimal if any performance decrease. The 808's GPU needs to be better controlled. Same issue on the G4 and why also all-over-the place battery life and heat reports. The three main battery users are display, chipset and radios. The radios are fine and the display can be adjusted down.

Is this something that could be sorted out with a software update? I don't know how these things work so it could be a daft question.

 

[rushmore]

Everyone has their preferences. Your choice is your own. I read the gsmarena review.

According to what I read in the gsmarena review, "Overall, the device's endurance rating is considerably better than that of last year's Moto X, though not the best we've seen in a 2015 flagship."

For my usage (web browsing, email, texts, videos, maps, calls), I don't care to drop the extra $$$ so that I can say I have a "flagship" phone. It's been a few years since I've had a Moto phone; didn't realize till I received the MXPE how much I appreciated the quality of their radios.

Why the hate? If people (like myself) really like this phone, what's the beef? What is it that you think people have turned off when you say "usually turn off a bunch of things"?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but don't put mine (or others) down because this happens to be the phone of choice.

Precisely. The Pure is a good device- especially for light to medium users, or even heavier users with charging options nearby. Still, the choice of LCD and the 808 chipset puts the battery life wind in front of, instead of behind the Pure. Here is perspective from the one year old Note 4, that also is supported by Anandtech's battery testing.



The battery life difference is profound, but light to medium users will not notice since do not use their device enough to be impacted. No harm no foul

 

[RikkiRay]

Precisely. The Pure is a good device- especially for light to medium users, or even heavier users with charging options nearby. Still, the choice of LCD and the 808 chipset puts the wind in front of, instead of behind the Pure. Here is perspective from the one year old Note 4, that also is supported by Anandtech's battery testing.

View attachment 198565View attachment 198566

The battery life difference is profound, but light to medium users will not notice since do not use their device enough to be impacted. No harm no foul

Totally agree with you. Although my MXPE is not considered in the "flagship" category, it's performance for me far exceeds "acceptable", especially considering my old phone. I don't have the ability to flip phones every 6-12 mos., so the extra $$$ saved was a big plus; the turbo charger is another plus. I've used both turbo & regular charging since receiving this phone. I do like the screen tho.

Would be nice if Moto put out a software update to throttle as mentioned earlier. More happy folks.