Is anyone returning their S6?

[katiheefner]

I can't answer that. It's a Google issue that hopefully will be addressed soon. It sucks to see people get such terrible battery life right now when this device is capable of so much more. This level of efficiency on the hardware side is impressive. I can only imagine how the battery life would be on a phone with these internals and a 3500 mah battery. The Note 5 could be an absolute monster in that regard.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

Do you suggest exchanging it for another S6 or do you think this will be a software update that will solve the issues? I am brand new to android...just switched from the iPhone 6. So I am unsure as to if I should keep the phone and wait for the update (I can manage as long as I know it will be fixed) or just get rid of the phone.

 

[jcp007]

Why do you just turn off auto brightness and control it manually to your liking? Seems strange to return it just for that issue especially since you said you're probably going to get another one in a few months again. That doesnt really make any sense.

I really don't understand it either. I toggled it off indoors and only toggle on outside if the brightness is not sufficient. Everyone has their reasons. I respect that but IMO it's not a reason or even an issue.

Posted via My Samsung Galaxy S6 Handheld Device

 

[Adranalyne]

The stupid cell standby issue is killing my battery. I did all the things in the other battery tips thread, even switched wifi connection from 5ghz to 2.4ghz, and battery life is still awful on my Verizon S6. This is about the fourth or fifth charge, and the phone is still losing battery at a crazy rate. Lost 7% this last hour (100% down to 93%), doing nothing. The only two items in the list currently are Cell Standby (3%) and Android OS (3%). I want to love the phone, because the screen is awesome, and the build is fantastic. I don't even mind this version of TouchWiz on top of Lollipop. But the battery doesn't work for me. I also have a Note 4, and it's by far the better device (for me). If the battery life on standby were better on my S6, it might be a different story.

I've thought about exchanging it, but the device doesn't seem to be defective, and I worry that if I exchange it for another S6 which has the same issue, that I won't be able to return it for a refund if I ultimately go that route.

If this was me, I'd be running without WiFi for awhile, only turning it on if I was watching a video or downloading something. I've got 15GB through AT&T and data in my area is superb, but that's another story.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[jcp007]

Do you suggest exchanging it for another S6 or do you think this will be a software update that will solve the issues? I am brand new to android...just switched from the iPhone 6. So I am unsure as to if I should keep the phone and wait for the update (I can manage as long as I know it will be fixed) or just get rid of the phone.

Is it possible that Lollipop 5.1 fixes these issue?

Posted via My Samsung Galaxy S6 Handheld Device

 

[Adranalyne]

Do you suggest exchanging it for another S6 or do you think this will be a software update that will solve the issues? I am brand new to android...just switched from the iPhone 6. So I am unsure as to if I should keep the phone and wait for the update (I can manage as long as I know it will be fixed) or just get rid of the phone.

I can't imagine it not being fixed because it affects other phones, too. It's just not present on my device and my battery life is pretty good for a phone with this size battery. I would love to tell you that exchanging it will fix the problem, but I can't say that for sure.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[GolferChris68]

If this was me, I'd be running without WiFi for awhile, only turning it on if I was watching a video or downloading something. I've got 15GB through AT&T and data in my area is superb, but that's another story.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

That's a great idea! I feel dumb for having not thought of that already. I'm charging it back up to 100%, and will see how it goes with that. Thanks for the suggestion.

I assume the Cell Standby issue is a software issue, and not something with the hardware?

 

[GolferChris68]

I can't imagine it not being fixed because it affects other phones, too. It's just not present on my device and my battery life is pretty good for a phone with this size battery. I would love to tell you that exchanging it will fix the problem, but I can't say that for sure.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

Which carrier are you on? And I wonder if there is a difference in the Edge vs non-Edge firmware that might affect Cell Standby?

BTW, how are you liking your Edge? I went with the regular S6, but was torn between the two.

 

[Zendroid1]

All this is stressing me out lol

I just want to be able to use my phone and not have to worry about toggling constantly or crippling my phone

 

[Adranalyne]

Which carrier are you on? And I wonder if there is a difference in the Edge vs non-Edge firmware that might affect Cell Standby?

BTW, how are you liking your Edge? I went with the regular S6, but was torn between the two.

I'm on AT&T. As far as I know, this issue is affecting all types of devices, even people with the Edge.

I've been really pleased with the Edge so far. I don't think you can go wrong with either device, but for me the prospect of using such a unique phone was worth the extra $100. People Edge is really the only feature I've used consistently, but sliding side menus out over the curved screen is just awesome.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[chris mackenzy]

Vote up for keeping it. !!!

 

[chezm]

I'm on AT&T. As far as I know, this issue is affecting all types of devices, even people with the Edge.

I've had 0 cell standby issues, Rogers Canada S6 device. We don't have VoWifi or Volte configured here yet so that may be a difference , its not built into the design of this stock model? We also don't have that ugly galaxy S6 tramp stamp on the back lol

Posted via S6

 

[cardboard60]

Y'all should of had a Poll on this if it would of went that high.
I really like my S6 64GB phone. Glad they didn't have the 32gb in the morning I was there.
I like the setup and operation of the phone.
Had to figure out how to get Gmail to quit notifying me when email came in. I got dings all day.
The camera is really nice.
The colors on the screen are great.
Think in all the years I've owned phones, this has to be the best phone I've had. And I like it more than any other.
Hate it cost so much.
I stayed with AT&T , found out I was getting a Discount from where my Wife worked..
And I got a Signal booster that helped my situation.
Been taking a class at Best Buy on how to do things on the phones.
Got another one this Saturday.
And like others has said I like the Charging Pad.
It would be hard for me to return this phone. Man its light compared to the S5.

 

[robinhelenehebert]

The phone itself is great, making even touchwiz tolerable. Everything about it I like, but this battery has me concerned. I purchased it on launch day, and for the first 2 days it was fine. But the last 2 days I have need to charge by noon and then again when I get home. Not sure what is going on, but Google Play Services is chewing up battery. I even tried turning off location and location history and it is still the same. And if that did fix it, I do not want a phone that I have to turn off key features just to make it through the day. As it sits now I am truely on the fence.

Thats what happened to me, its like it's a Jekyll and Hyde phone. One day its fine, then boom, issues....it had a hard time keeping the wifi signal, the battery would drain. I have reset it twice already!

 

[atishc]

If you are brand new to android, something to understand is that every single app has the ability to run in the background and use battery and data unless you disable it. Once you have had the phone for a few days, you will have a better sense of the apps you use and do not. For example, I use Facebook and not Google+, so I disabled Google+; I use Google Voice Search and not S Voice, so I disabled S Voice; I use the pedometer on my smartwatch, so I disabled S Health; I use Outlook and not the stock email or calendar apps, so I do not sync my work email through the stock "Accounts" settings. Once you go through all the pre-installed apps and disable what you don't ever plan to use, you should go under "Accounts" in your settings and see what data is being synced over what account in the background. I have only enabled Calendar and Contacts sync because that is all I need to have happen in the background - everything else can happen when I open the app. I also keep my Location set to "WiFi and mobile networks" because GPS drains my battery when I am indoors; I keep the Location toggle in the quick settings so I can quickly switch to High accuracy (with a long press) when I need to do navigation; I turned off WiFi always scanning. Keeping the screen on auto brightness and using a dark theme will limit the amount of battery used by the display. Then there are the specific carrier specific network-related things to disable (WiFI calling on T-Mobile, Sprint Connections Optimizer, etc.)

There are other posts on optimizing battery in many of these threads, but the tweaks here do not limit the functionality of my phone for myself, I am just modifying it for my own use. (For example turning off location services completely will help your battery life, but many apps and widgets tap into your location, so this is too functionally limiting for me; I like Google Voice Search so I keep hot word detection enabled.) Also, all of these steps are reversible if I decide that I want to use one of the disabled services. I hope this helps.

 

[imnjs]

Must... Not... Revisit... Thread...

But seriously, nothing but a great experience so far. Even battery seems to have gotten better. 8 hours on battery with mild use and still at 54%, which is about what my iPhone 6 got. I'm not complaining at all.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Bodzm]

I'm getting an average of 17 hrs with my S6, and that's with the WiFi on all day. What I did do, was turn off Google Location History and adjust the brightness level to be about 1/3 from full. I've been using my S6 almost constantly. So, I'm surprised to see only 9 hrs of battery life.

same here. I am getting about 9 hours of battery life and I am not a power user. I am giving it a few more days to see if battery will improve. Cell standby is eating my battery the most.

Love the phone. But just don't think I'm getting the battery life I should. And I've done all the recommended settings

Typical of forums like this expecting a device to require changes upon changes in settings before the device is manageable - disable this app, this function, turn X off etc If the battery sucks and you have to switch off functions, what's the point of a cutting edge phone that's hampered? It's a useless device and you should cut your losses. It's gonna be five times worse in a year's time. Alarm bells are ringing and you're ignoring them for the sake of novelty

 

[Almeuit]

Typical of forums like this expecting a device to require changes upon changes in settings before the device is manageable - disable this app, this function, turn X off etc If the battery sucks and you have to switch off functions, what's the point of a cutting edge phone that's hampered? It's a useless device and you should cut your losses. It's gonna be five times worse in a year's time. Alarm bells are ringing and you're ignoring them for the sake of novelty

While that may be true .. they could just be talking about battery life in general. Such as me .. I talk about my battery life but do I have to worry in my day-to-day life? No. I work at a desk job so .. plug is always there .. wireless charger at home so it stays full .. battery pack for the times I know I will be away from an outlet for a long period of time.

Remember they're just talking about battery .. not saying their day to day life needs so it may not be that big of a deal .. but they also can be right in the sense of not getting the full life they should.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

You might have a defective unit. I'd suggest you try to exchange it for a new one before your two weeks are up (that is, if you can do that with your carrier). Then, if it's still an issue return it and wait for the next best phone that comes out.

No, don't think it's defective at all. The stutter and stuff is inconsistent. I can't pinpoint when it'll happen or where, it'll just happen sometimes. Like I'll pull down the notification shade and the frames will drop, pressing the multi-task button has a delay before the cards appear, pressing hte app drawer will have dropped frames etc - these aren't defects, it's just how the phone performs. For the most part is smooth, and the stutter are rare occurrences. But I wouldn't call this phone 'snappy'. Not compared to other phones I've used. It's overall fast and generally smooth, but is just a beat away from the other top end devices I've used.

And battery we've been hearing about average battery life for a while now, so I had expected it.

 

[Bodzm]

Battery sounds like it's BELOW average and it's turning in to the achilles heel of this phone.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Battery sounds like it's BELOW average and it's turning in to the achilles heel of this phone.

What's considered average though? I'm getting at best 3.5-4 hours screen on time (haven't actually hit 4 hours screen on time, but I think I could get there.

Not sure if that's average or below average. I do know that'll less than the last few phones I've used.