3G or 4G..which to use...

[tiggervd]

I know this is a really dumb question....but here goes...I am in a 4G area so I have my phone set for 4G...battery life is still not that great even after the upgrade and disabling everything I have read here that uses too much battery. Will I get better battery life if I go back to 3G even though I have 4G in my area?
Thanks!!

 

[Jude526]

No question is a dumb question ! You can still have your device set to 3G I live in 3G area, but my work and everywhere else I maybe is 4G. I have it set to CDMA and keep it on 3G. It does help the battery life a little bit more. I don't need the speed of 4G but am glad I have the option. I find the 3G is very quick on this phone and I had the Incredible prior. It is definitely faster. No worries !

 

[FrankXS]

I know this is a really dumb question....but here goes...I am in a 4G area so I have my phone set for 4G...battery life is still not that great even after the upgrade and disabling everything I have read here that uses too much battery. Will I get better battery life if I go back to 3G even though I have 4G in my area?
Thanks!!

Personally, I have found that simply being "connected" to 4G service does not use any more battery than a 3G connection. Assuming you are in a good solid 4G area and the phone is not searching for a data signal.

On the other hand, I would assume that any actual data transfers (especially large ones like downloading a large file or video streaming, etc.) would use more battery on 4G. Not because of 4G specifically, but because the data transfer operation (downloading/streaming) will place a much higher demand on your CPU during the higher speed transfer -- using more battery power.

When your phone is simply checking/syncing mail/contacts/weather, etc., there should not be any increase in CPU load due to the faster 4G speeds. Because, there is so much "negotiation overhead" in those operations that the actual transfer speed difference would be nominal due to the small amount of data transfered.

I recommend leaving it on 4G. Shoot, if you are doing the higher data use operations it is likely you'd want them to complete at a faster rate anyway.

Just my thoughts.

-Frank

 

[Jude526]

If you are toggling it will use more battery juice

Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk

 

[realitydigg]

I leave it on 4g. If your battery is not lasting it is likely other parts of your usage pattern and apps. One could argue that 4g is a bit more power hungry, but then again if you are pulling the same amount of data over 3g or 4g, 4g would download more quickly and efficiently. Besides i bought the phone to benefit from 4g not to turn it off... I just put the rezound battery in my phone and find that the little extra it gives me is just enough

 

[ALCingularUser]

I got the HTC extended battery and have had great results with it, even in 4G areas. I'd recommend that you watch for it to go on sale here (it does every few weeks), and grab one. Also, on the slim chance you haven't already gotten GB, get it, as it seems to significantly improve battery life.

 

[tiggervd]

I appreciate the replies....I just purchased the Rezound battery...should be here Monday. I'll leave it on 4G and try the new battery to see if I get better battery life....thanks again!

 

[bjboucher]

I have a HUGE difference in battery life comparing 3G to 4G. 3G gets way better battery life. I think it's because my 4G signal strength is probably not that great but with the extended battery I can go up to 3 days without recharging on 3G, on 4G i'll get 1.5 days tops.

 

[Legio X]

Very good question. 4g radio uses considerably more power than 3g even with good reception. With a weak signal it is even worse. I have 3 spare batteries mainly because I'm a consultant and use hotspot frequently (don't get me started on how quickly that drains the battery). Hotspot aside, in downtown San Francisco I usually have a pretty strong 4g signal and will get 4-6 hours with 4g at best. If I switch to cdma only I get between 8-10 hours. Regardless of what your usage is, there is a significant difference in battery life. I've tested this with and without hotspot feature in SF, Baltimore, New York with similar differences in battery life. If you live in a 4g area, you know the obvious benefits of 4g. Decide for yourself if it's worth it to you. Most days I run 4g all day, but sometimes if I'm going out for fun and don't want to carry a spare battery, I'll switch to 3g only and can be confident the battery will carry me through the night. Hope this helps.

 

[anon(394005)]

My experience has been similar to Frank's in that 4G itself does not cause increased battery drain. In fact, my battery life has actually increased since 4G LTE went live where I live back in October! I believe mainly because the LTE signal is much stronger and the phone doesn't struggle to hold a data connection. Prior to LTE going live, the phone would periodically drop the 3G signal (at work was especially bad, even going down to 1x). Finally, since LTE is much faster, I get things done much faster as well, thus less on time which equals better battery life. Really, the ONLY time I've experienced poor battery life was when in weak signal areas regardless of signal type (ex. 3G/LTE) or when using the phone heavily.

 

[mightyfacundo]

My experience has been similar to Frank's in that 4G itself does not cause increased battery drain. In fact, my battery life has actually increased since 4G LTE went live where I live back in October! I believe mainly because the LTE signal is much stronger and the phone doesn't struggle to hold a data connection. Prior to LTE going live, the phone would periodically drop the 3G signal (at work was especially bad, even going down to 1x). Finally, since LTE is much faster, I get things done much faster as well, thus less on time which equals better battery life. Really, the ONLY time I've experienced poor battery life was when in weak signal areas regardless of signal type (ex. 3G/LTE) or when using the phone heavily.

Yep. This is my experience as well.