Need help with battery life and email

[soloz2]

I came from an iPhone 4 (had a 3G before that and the original iPhone before that) and just purchased a Skyrocket a couple weeks ago. I really like the size of the screen and how quick the phone is compared to my iPhone 4. Battery life is killing me to the point that I'm about ready to return the phone.

My 19 month old iPhone 4 had better battery life! Yesterday my phone was on for about 15 hours with light/normal usage. It mostly just sat in my pocket while I was at work all day. I took it out to check messages and send a few texts while on breaks and read email when at home. I watched 1 7 minute youtube video. I have the screen set to auto brightness and battery saver mode on at 30%. The phone shut down before I even made it to bed last night...

The other issue that's really bugging me is email. I have a few different gmail accounts and a hotmail account. I would like an email app that will work with all of them.
-The stock email client doesn't seem to have any options/settings. I don't like the landscape mode and it has an annoying bell that I can't change. It is different from the regular notification that all other apps use and I can't find an app specific option menu to change the sound.
-gmail does not have a unified inbox and doesn't work for my hotmail account.
-k9 would almost be perfect, but when I delete messages they aren't being removed from the server.


Please help. I'd rather not go back to my iPhone as I like how many things are more customizable on android and then I can share apps with my wife who has a Captivate, but the battery and email is driving me to my wits end.

 

[skyrocketeer]

First you need to see how much juice you are losing just when the phone is in standby. The phone is capable of much better battery life than you are describing(I came from iphone too). Put your phone in standby and leave it off for an hour...note how much battery drained...do it over several hours beyond that...you should lose no more than 1% per hour when in standby. If you are losing more then you have something draining battery and we can go from there. If not, then start by tweaking the screen down to 20-30% max and take it off auto brightness. Let me klnow what you find in the "drain per hour test".

 

[soloz2]

Thanks for the resp;onse. I got a new battery from AT&T Friday, but didn't use my phone much yesterday as I was working on my car. When you say standby what exactly does that mean?

 

[skyrocketeer]

I mean not fully powered down, but just with the screen off with a quick hit of the power button on the right side.

 

[soloz2]

ok. I can look into that. Do I want to stop all active apps when doing this and turn any features (wifi/gps etc) off/on?

 

[skyrocketeer]

no not necessarily, I get about a one percent drain per hour with no special adjustments, and we want to get a gauge of if anything is abnormally draining the battery, just with normal use. We can take measures afterwards if adjustment is needed.

 

[jedah]

no not necessarily, I get about a one percent drain per hour with no special adjustments, and we want to get a gauge of if anything is abnormally draining the battery, just with normal use. We can take measures afterwards if adjustment is needed.

I only get 1%/hr or lower with Wifi on or data off. Is this what you're doing, too?

On LTE, it's 6-10%/hr and HSPA+ 2-5%/hr for me on standby.

 

[skyrocketeer]

Yes if you are getting 1% on WIFI then you are ok, and there isn't an application draining battery while in standby, which needs to be corrected as a first step for someone getting really bad battery life. It sounds like you are ok on that score jedah. I would expect drain to be higher on hspa+ and even more on LTE. So, yes, that is what I am doing too.

 

[anon(50597)]

I seem to lose more battery on wifi than on HSPA+. I use wifi at home to save data from my plan.

 

[skyrocketeer]

I seem to lose more battery on wifi than on HSPA+. I use wifi at home to save data from my plan.

I do the same thing Tgeek...in fact I use so much WIFI I am considering lowering my data plan as right now I am nowhere near the 3 gb a month usage I am paying for...but I don't know for $10 maybe I'll stick with the 3 gb as LTE is supposedly being installed here in Cleveland as we speak. That said, maybe your phone is working to stay connected to the WIFI? How strong is your signal from your router? It seems my power drains faster when not on WIFI, but I have never really studied it in a controlled experiment, may be worth studying though.

 

[jedah]

That said, maybe your phone is working to stay connected to the WIFI? How strong is your signal from your router? It seems my power drains faster when not on WIFI, but I have never really studied it in a controlled experiment, may be worth studying though.

+1 on this. Wifi signal matters. At home, my Wifi connection is strong, and my battery life is very good. At work, my Wifi connection is very weak and spotty, and battery life is only slightly improved over HSPA (give or take my imagination).

 

[anon(50597)]

I believe I have a strong signal but not at expert at the various settings. Can different router settings make a difference? Its nothing terrible. I get through the day without a problem. Just an observation.

 

[soloz2]

I just went up to the inlaws for Easter. My phone was at 100% about 11:30 or so and down to 26% at 8:30 when we left. I did use data and play angry birds while there. It took about an hour and 10 minutes to get home and I'm down to 25% now. I guess that sounds about right. I'm just not getting as much life out of the phone while using it as I'd like.

 

[anon(50597)]

The more I think about it, I'm just going to carry an extra battery at times when I think I might need it. Don't want one of those fat batteries and on normal days I'll be fine. Loving this phone!

 

[skyrocketeer]

I love this phone to man! Yes, I am considering going that way too, especially with LTE on it's way here in Cleveland. I am somewhat concerned with the bulky battery situation too...I am also considering the amazon replacement that fits in the standard slot but supposedly gives a couple extra hours.

Amazon.com: 2250 mAh Extended Slim Battery for Samsung Galaxy S2-LTE i727R Skyrocket: Cell Phones & Accessories


And...its like $11...might be a good spare at least.

 

[soloz2]

I love this phone to man! Yes, I am considering going that way too, especially with LTE on it's way here in Cleveland. I am somewhat concerned with the bulky battery situation too...I am also considering the amazon replacement that fits in the standard slot but supposedly gives a couple extra hours.

Amazon.com: 2250 mAh Extended Slim Battery for Samsung Galaxy S2-LTE i727R Skyrocket: Cell Phones & Accessories


And...its like $11...might be a good spare at least.

with shipping it's $16. Apparently Verizon sells a 2100 mAh battery for the nexus that fits for $25. Thinking about giving it a try if I keep the phone.

 

[anon(50597)]

Mine should be here in a couple days. I like the slimness of this device and don't want to ruin it with a thicker battery, though I know it's a good answer for some people. Can't put this thing down!

 

[skyrocketeer]

with shipping it's $16. Apparently Verizon sells a 2100 mAh battery for the nexus that fits for $25. Thinking about giving it a try if I keep the phone.

It fits, kinda...but the back cover won't close completely and is deformed by the bulge from the pic's of it I've seen...also some people report they don't really see a big difference in battery life...seems like a "stretch" to me.

 

[soloz2]

If you buy the one from amazon report how it works please.

 

[jedah]

If you buy the one from amazon report how it works please.

+1. Inquiring minds want to know