Is the battery life really this bad?

[joe_sun]

I got my Nexus on Satuday and have been loving the LTE speeds and awesome screen. it. I rooted it and have been running AOSP Codename Android since Sunday.

Today was my first day back at work, I unplug the phone from my charger and drive 20 min into work and I when I get here I notice I'm at 97% okay that's strange. I plug it in at my desk and it goes quickly back to 100%.

At 9:30 this morning I go into a 3 hour meeting. The phone is mostlly just sitting there exept for the 1 email I read. After 3 hours of pretty much idle I'm at 70%

I head out to lunch do some light surfing, check Facebook, a couple of texts to my wife and now I'm at 60%

I seem to lose 10% an hour with VERY minimal activity? Is this normal?

 

[tacticalfats]

Yup. Battery life is abysmal. Hoping an update fixes it or it's gone.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk

 

[bakerbert]

My first thought.
Other then your screen, a big battery killer is bad reception.
How is your 4g signal at work? if it is week and constantly switching between 3g and 4g, this will kill your battery fast. Your phone will always be looking for the best signal and not sleeping correctly.

 

[thebignewt]

Under "settings" < battery it'll tell you what's using it. 60% with what you describe isn't normal (at least not for me). I bet it's searching. Try turning LTE off tomorrow and just using CDMA/3G and see what happens.

 

[p08757]

I get from 10 to 16 hours of use on one charge depending on where I am and how I use it.

I'm running total stock. For me its normal for me to charge the phone up an hour before I go home from work so I can make it through the evening. No big deal for me.

 

[nuchdog]

If you just got your phone, which OS are you running? I'm guessing 4.0.2, so you can expect improvement with new updates or with a custom ROM. For me, the two biggest battery hogs were the 4G radio and some of my background apps that were using a lot of data.

1) Try disabling 4G when you aren't using it. (settings > more (under Wireless & networks) > Mobile networks > Network mode > choose CDMA only to force 3G)

2) Check your data usage and force apps that are using lots of data to check less frequently or you can force the OS to "restrict background data" for them. (Settings > Data Usage > Select the app and then check the "restrict background data" option). Google+ was a big culprit for awhile.

On a side note, I get much better battery life after using the leaked 4.0.4 version if you want to go the custom route.

 

[joe_sun]

Thanks for the info. I hit up the Verizon store across the street and spoke to them for a bit. The lady told me I should expect 8 hours of battery life out of this phone and that 10% an hour was good!

She suggested I trade in and get the RAZR MAXX since I'm still in my 14 day. I'm considering it.

I just checked the battery screen and it shows 48% screen, 17% android OS and lol 10% facebook which is funny because I've only been on there a few times today. I wonder if it's running in the background. 6% is Maps which I haven't used at all today then 5% idel, 4% standby and then it drops to 2% items.

 

[bakerbert]

you can get a lot better then 8 hours on a single charge, if you are not a heavy user

I use Franco's Kernel and have hot plug enabled (shuts down a core when not in use) and underclocked min to 350
On average use, I usually get about 14 to 16 on a single charge (not a heavy user)

 

[dcastillo]

Thats funny, she tells you that you should only get 8hrs out of the battery and then tries to sell you the MAXX....

classic

with moderate usage, which you sound like you do, maybe less, you should easily get 12-16 hrs...

I use my much more then you do and thats how long mine lasts...

couple things..
restrict background data from any apps that dont require it...

it sounds like you manually check your facebook, if so, restrict background data...

every time an app, uses background data, regardless of how much, it wakes the phone and that kills battery life

also, some screen shots of the battery stats would help us out

one test you can do is:
fully charge the phone before you go to bed, then leave it unplugged and dont turn the screen on till you wake up. see how much battery has been used and check to see what used it, also look to see how often your phone waked up (lets you know if you got apps turning it on)

If it woke up a lot, check the data usage for just that night and see what apps were pulling background data...

-Danny

 

[davey11]

Yeah batt life is pretty sad. If you root and install a custom rom and kernel and undervolt a bit, you can improve the batt life somewhat.

But with all the pluses this phone has, I have learned to put up with the dismal battery life. I am on the standard battery, but if you get the extended one, you may see a couple hours more.

 

[joe_sun]

Thats funny, she tells you that you should only get 8hrs out of the battery and then tries to sell you the MAXX....

classic

with moderate usage, which you sound like you do, maybe less, you should easily get 12-16 hrs...

I use my much more then you do and thats how long mine lasts...

couple things..
restrict background data from any apps that dont require it...

it sounds like you manually check your facebook, if so, restrict background data...

every time an app, uses background data, regardless of how much, it wakes the phone and that kills battery life

also, some screen shots of the battery stats would help us out

one test you can do is:
fully charge the phone before you go to bed, then leave it unplugged and dont turn the screen on till you wake up. see how much battery has been used and check to see what used it, also look to see how often your phone waked up (lets you know if you got apps turning it on)

If it woke up a lot, check the data usage for just that night and see what apps were pulling background data...

-Danny

Awesome post thank you, I just restricted background data on a few apps and was really shocked to see that Google+ had eaten up 45MB of data in a day and a half and considering I don't use that app that's suprising! I restricted it.

I'll charge it up and let it sit overnight but how do you check to see how often it woke up?

One more thing.. My friends with Verizon are getting much stronger signal than I am and yes I'm switching to CDMA when I check.

Sitting at my desk I get -93dbm with 3g and -104dbm with LTE.

When I was at the Verizon store I checked the RAZR MAXX compared to my phone and I was getting -83dbm an it was getting -65 dbm on 3G.

 

[anon(137239)]

I've hit the 20 hour mark (15% remaining) before with running Bugless Beast / CM9 no problem. What I do is disable 4G while I'm at work, except for toilet surfing.

I also do not use the Facebook app. I put a shortcut on the home screen to the fb mobile website if I want to check it. Then the disable photo sync'ing & google+ sync'ing.. when it can even last long enough before I uninstall it.

 

[TabGuy]

I'm currently at 9h 28m and sitting at 58% left. That's typical for me but I use Juice Defender which helps a lot. I also have it connected to wifi at work most of the day which saves on juice eating LTE.

 

[dcastillo]

When you click on the battery graph, you can seen a few lines under it... one is screen on time, and awake time...

when the screen is on, the phone is obviously awake...
you cant help that...

but what contributes to bad battery life is how often it is awake when the screen is off

-Danny

 

[joe_sun]

you can get a lot better then 8 hours on a single charge, if you are not a heavy user

Click to view quoted image


I use Franco's Kernel and have hot plug enabled (shuts down a core when not in use) and underclocked min to 350
On average use, I usually get about 14 to 16 on a single charge (not a heavy user)

Thank you, mine was already underclocked to 350 but I went ahead and enabled hotplug as well.

 

[TabGuy]

By the way, Google+ is important. It will back up all of the photos and videos that you take to a private area on Google+. However, you need to tame that beast. It wants to keep your photos and videos up to the minute. Fortunately, the settings are very granular and you can tell it exactly how and when to back up.

I tell Google+ to only backup my photos and videos on wifi when plugged into power. That way it backs up at night.

 

[TabGuy]

Also, spend the $25 on an extended battery. It's worth the peace of mind to have a spare in your pocket.

 

[joe_sun]

When you click on the battery graph, you can seen a few lines under it... one is screen on time, and awake time...

when the screen is on, the phone is obviously awake...
you cant help that...

but what contributes to bad battery life is how often it is awake when the screen is off

-Danny

Interesting thanks!

I don't really know how to read it but the awake is longer than the screen on.

I'll play the charge it then disconnect it tonight and post some screen shots.

 

[joe_sun]

By the way, Google+ is important. It will back up all of the photos and videos that you take to a private area on Google+. However, you need to tame that beast. It wants to keep your photos and videos up to the minute. Fortunately, the settings are very granular and you can tell it exactly how and when to back up.

I tell Google+ to only backup my photos and videos on wifi when plugged into power. That way it backs up at night.

Hmm no wonder it had such high data useage. I actually just deleted it but I might consider doing what you're talking about.

 

[greydarrah]

It's not the phone, it's 4g. It absolutely sucks your battery dry, regardless of what device you have. I suspect it will remain that way for the next year or two, until one of the manufacturers figures out a better way to build the radio. Looks like Qualcomm is going to do it, but no time soon.

To get the best life, switch to 3g only (CDMA mode) and you'll run from waking up to going to bed. Most people have wifi at home and work, so most of your day will have data speeds as fast or faster than 4g anyway.