Note 3: My battery calibration history, for your reference

[clevin]

I am recording my battery calibration history here, it may be helpful to give a reference for those who are interested.

Note: I only do the calibration every 2-3 months, i do 30-85 rule between calibrations (plug in at ~30%, charge to ~85%).

The calibration starts with charging to 100%, then draining to less than 10%, followed by another charge to 100%. During calibration, I usually play an hr or two of video, and use the phone regularly, mostly web, txt, email, etc. I attempted to use dark theme apps when possible, and use dark reading mode in browsers when possible.

I turned off data when not in use, and turned off background sync.

My first calibration (Oct 2013) lasted 35 hrs, with 483 min (8hr 3min) screen on time.
My second calibration (Dec 2013) lasted 48 hrs, with 433 min (7hr 13min) screen on time.
My third calibration (Mar 2014) lasted 45.5 hrs, with 487 (8hr 17min) min screen on time. This is first calibration since kitkat, it seems kitkat has improved standby battery consumption (used to be 0.3-0.5% /hr, now its 0.2-0.25%/hr).
My fourth calibration (Aug 2014) lasted 39 hrs, with 432 (7hr 12min) screen on time.
My fifth calibration (Jan 2015) lasted 27 hrs, with 376 (6hr 16min) screen on time. This is the last calibration on this battery as it has lost 15-20% capacity.
UPDATE, after Lollipop update: Another calibration (Apr 15-16), lasted 33 hrs, with 455 min (7hr 35min) screen on time. Removing battery improvement from Lollipop (10% increase), SOT would be 6.75hrs, a 15% reduction from original capacity after 18 months.

Oct 2013:

Dec 2013:

Mar 2014 (two glitches, 1. 2 hr video at beginning wasn't counted in screen on by the system, not sure why; 2. mobile cell was on all the time, not sure why system didn't show any color there):

Aug 2014

Jan 2015


The battery seems to have lost substantial percentage of capacity (15-25%) over 14 months period. I will now switch to the battery I purchased from amazon, and keep this old battery as a back up.

UPDATE: After months of using backup battery, I did another calibration on this old one, results are below:


Sorry I can't post more than one screenshot for this calibration in this post due to 15 attachments limit, scroll down for all screenshots associated with this calibration.

In comparison, my backup battery, after lollipop upgrade, improved screen on time by 10%. Removing this improvement from OS, above SOT of 7.5 hr will become 7.580.9=6.75hrs. This is a 15% reduction from original capacity. This is not bad after 18 months.

 

[msndrstood]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

And this is with your stock battery? I have a 7500 and can't get those battery hours. I can get those on screen hours with a Zerolemon 10,000, but definitely not stock battery. Interesting. Maybe I'll try the stock battery again, lol.

Sent via The Big, Bad, Beautiful Note 3

 

[clevin]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

And this is with your stock battery? I have a 7500 and can't get those battery hours. I can get those on screen hours with a Zerolemon 10,000, but definitely not stock battery. Interesting. Maybe I'll try the stock battery again, lol.

Sent via The Big, Bad, Beautiful Note 3

Well, stock battery. This is just a baseline test so I know where my battery is on its way to the grave. So I do quite a bit conservations to keep unpredictable battery consumption to minimum.

If you don't mind the trouble to do those battery saving things, I am sure yours will last longer too.

 

[msndrstood]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

I'm pretty obsessed about battery life hence the 10,000 Zerolemon. I have things toggled off that I don't use, on wifi for 90% of the day etc. My usage tends to be in large blocks of time not 30 minutes here, an hour there, I think that's why I burn through battery so quick.

Sent via The Big, Bad, Beautiful Note 3

 

[clevin]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

Mmm, so how's standby battery consumption looks like?

When you say large block, do you mean 2 hrs at a time? Maybe share some screen shots?

@T-Mobile GN3

 

[msndrstood]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

Zerolemon 10,000

Stock battery

Sent via The Big, Bad, Beautiful Note 3

 

[JellyBeanGurl]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

I can get 6 hours with constant use, Facebook here and there. Seven hours with little to no Facebook use. Facebook app drains all my battery.

Sent From My Samsung Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[clevin]

Re: My battery calibration history, for your reference

That's impressive battery. Everybody's usage is different, more Internet will definitely reduce screen on time.

It's also helpful to do calibrations from time to time, just to make sure your battery is not dying.

@T-Mobile GN3

 

[tee86]

OK very nice. But what about these stats:

 

[clevin]

its GPS related. I heard there is a setting somewhere to make GPS use less battery in KK, see if you can find it.

Also, do a reboot (turn off then on, not "restart").

 

[clevin]

Another thing to do is wiping the cache. You may need to do that more often due the kitkat bugs introduce by Google.

@T-Mobile GN3

 

[tee86]

Turn off / turn on helped very well, thx.

that's the way I like it... Perfect.

 

[clevin]

Original posted updated with latest calibration today.

It's a bit over 7 hrs screen on time over about two days from 100-9%.

I did use internet and browser more this time. But it's battery life could be decreasing since its 11 month old. I will do another calibration at the end of this year and see how it goes.

 

[I_Have_a_Bassbort]

So you charge it when it gets from 30% until 85% for a calibration.


"The calibration starts with charging to 100%, then draining to less than 10%, followed by another charge to 100%. During calibration, I usually play an hr or two of video, and use the phone regularly, mostly web, txt, email, etc. I attempted to use dark theme apps when possible, and use dark reading mode in browsers when possible."

So after this 2nd charge around Iet it reach 30 then charge until 85. Do I do this just once?

 

[clevin]

Last calibration on this stock battery, capacity decreased by 15-25% in 14 months, I am switching to a new battery.

So after this 2nd charge around Iet it reach 30 then charge until 85. Do I do this just once?

I try to do 30-85% every time I charge it, 100->10->100% calibration is done every few month.

 

[clevin]

Okay, did a calibration with the old, original battery on Lollipop.

This calibration confirmed battery capacity loss, although by a smaller % as last calibration showed, to be ~15% after 18 months. This is very good.

 

[BR34KF4ST]

thats freaking good espescially if its a note 3 heard that battery note good on note 3 so went to s5 and battery is awesome

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Rukbat]

Necropost, but for reference:

1. Draining the battery to 9% regularly will kill it fast.

2. Proper battery calibration for an Android is to charge the battery until the terminal voltage stops rising, then setting the calibration file to 100%. There an app that will help you do it, Battery Calibration (Root), and since the file that has to be modified is a system file, the phone has to be rooted.

Full discharge/full charge conditions the battery, it doesn't have any effect on the calibration file.

3. See The Care and Feeding of Lithium Polymer Batteries for more battery information.