battery life problem

[IMANUT46]

I have a samsung galaxy s5 smart phone that I bought 15 months ago. It has been in constant operation since that time. I am on a lollipop 5.0. Battery life has never been an issue but lately, battery life has gotten very short. Yesterday, during phone use Google Maps, battery life became very very poor. I had to hook up my car charger during the day to keep the phone in operation. Is the battery just showing its age? I know other users have complained about battery problems since they upgraded to lollipop, but I haven't had the problem. I have the Verizon version 5.0. Should I get a new battery, or wait for Lollipop 5.1 to see if that fixes the problem? Thanks.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop 5.0

 

[Rukbat]

If you regularly drop the battery below 40%, 15 months is a long lifetime for it. (Regularly draining it almost to 0 will kill it in less than 6 months.)

Replace it (you can get the stock battery on Amazon for just over $10) and try to keep it at 40% or more. If you need more time than that, get a power bank, or keep a charger with you.

 

[IMANUT46]

Thanks for your help. I do have two spare batteries that I've been carrying around with me. I guess I'll install one of them. Thanks again for your help.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop 5.0

 

[Drunder40]

I can tell you that before lollipop 5.0 update my battery life was amazing.. Since.. it sucks.. Before when I used it things were great now when I use it it uses atleast triple the battery with the same use as before 5.0. I am finally at the end of my wits with Samsung/Andriod. I will stick this crap out until April next year then will get me an Iphone.. No more factory resets/issues after updates.. HW and SW all made by the same company.. No more Google gets the update to Samsung.. from Samsung to Verizon and 14 months later to the users only to break the phones for tons of users. Then fix #1 comes out and breaks more stuff.. Fix #2 comes out to fix Fix #1.. friggin stupid.. Next April it is time for a change... My co-worker has had Iphones for years and is amazed at what he see me go through with Samsung phones.. I'm done.

And why should we have to walk around with spare batteries.. really??

 

[ziva2006]

Mario,

I agree with Rukbat. 15 months can be a long time for a battery. Use your two spares you have. That is one of the great things about Samsung, swap out the failing batteries!

I can tell you that before lollipop 5.0 update my battery life........

I don't even think you attempted to assist the OP, seems it was just a soap box for you to rant and complain.

And why should we have to walk around with spare batteries.. really??

SIMPLY put, because we can. We don't have to always be tied next to an outlet and tethered, like iPhone users when their battery runs low. That is, until the S6 arrived....:-[

 

[steve_ma]

....I agree with Rukbat. 15 months can be a long time for a battery. Use your two spares you have. That is one of the great things about Samsung, swap out the failing batteries!.....

...I don't even think you attempted to assist the OP, seems it was just a soap box for you to rant and complain. [

+1 on this. Rotate your batteries if you have spares. I bought two Anker spares plus the wall charger for $25 when I got the phone and it's a great set up. I swap them every week or two. I rarely need the spares but every time I get a call from my wife or daughter from their friends phone because their iThing ran out of juice and can't hold a charge for crap (probably because they layover a full OS upgrade seemingly weekly).... I am grateful to be able to have a battery that lasts way longer and can be swapped out on the fly.

As for the 5.0 update being a phone killer. I don't buy it. I suspect there are a certain number of folks with a particular hardware and firmware combo that the 5.0 update struggles with. OTOH I think there is a significant number of folks on these boards who get a certain satisfaction from standing on mountaintops and yelling about how horrible Samsung and the 5.0 update is and how it ruined their phones. I think the majority of people who actually bit the bullet and went through a FR are happy Samsung customers. Not all I admit, but most folks who did it seem to be very happy.

 

[IMANUT46]

Mario,

I agree with Rukbat. 15 months can be a long time for a battery. Use your two spares you have. That is one of the great things about Samsung, swap out the failing batteries!



I don't even think you attempted to assist the OP, seems it was just a soap box for you to rant and complain.



SIMPLY put, because we can. We don't have to always be tied next to an outlet and tethered, like iPhone users when their battery runs low. That is, until the S6 arrived....:-[

UPDATE....

I changed the battery. I bought the spares (genuine Samsung) through Amazon for less than $10 each. It made a world of difference. Battery life is back to normal. Battery life issues were solved by simply replacing the battery. Thanks again for your help.

Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 Lollipop 5.0

 

[1901Madison]

I have the S5 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Battery life on both easily lasts me through even the longest of days and (if I didn't charge overnight) would last me into day two if necessary.

 

[ziva2006]

As soon as I got my S5, I was in the market for a good case with a holster. At the time, the only good case was an Otterbox ($50-60). I also wanted to get an extended battery. So I picked up a Zerolemon extended battery with case. Its 8500mah battery lasts me three days to a week, depending on usage. And its now almost a year old. So it has served the purpose of a good case with holster, plus the extended battery, for the same price as one of the two previous options. And the north American distributor (Bastexwireless) has great customer service, in my experience. Still love my S5, and still going strong.