Sprint problem or device modem defection?

[Owen Kim]

I got a Sprint variant GS6 two days ago and I love it except that it does not have a satisfactory battery life. I only get 3~3.4 hours at most of screen on time while at 17 hours of usage before it dies. That's a combination of home WiFi and data usage being here and there. When using data I notice that it drains significantly faster.

Everything remaining the same, when I turn on airplane mode, this thing is amazing. Just had 50 minutes of browsing interent (via WiFi) and social media while draining only 9% of battery! Now I can see how some people can hit 7 hours on screen time with this.

I know it's common sense that having no signal at all will make the phone endure much better, but by this much? I estimate that while on airplane mode phone does more than twice as better in terms of battery drain while in screen on Internet use. Standby is much much better too.

I don't have a visible data to backup my skepticism but still I think this is too much of a difference.

I don't live in a place where there is weak coverage, even with Sprint, I can tell you that, although I get inconsistent signal strength constantly moving from 1 bar to full bars (which is not abnormal in many cases)

Yeah so I don't know. Is Sprint having problems having its coverage draining my phone battery, or wud it be my phone having a bug in system or defective hardware on data reception that's killing battery life?

Just as a note, I have hard resetted this phone twice so far.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Rukbat]

I got a Sprint variant GS6 two days ago and I love it except that it does not have a satisfactory battery life. I only get 3~3.4 hours at most of screen on time while at 17 hours of usage before it dies.

1. That's about normal.

2. You should never drain a lithium battery to less than 40% unless you like buying new batteries.

I know it's common sense that having no signal at all will make the phone endure much better

Actually, if you have airplane mode off, that's backwards. If there's no signal, the radio keeps searching for a signal, which eats battery. If the signal is weak, the phone increases its transmitter power, which also eats battery. Turning airplane mode on when the signal isn't an extremely strong one will save battery.

I estimate that while on airplane mode phone does more than twice as better in terms of battery drain while in screen on Internet use. Standby is much much better too.

That sounds as if you have a weak cellular network signal.

I don't have a visible data to backup my skepticism but still I think this is too much of a difference.

Run LTE Discovery to see how strong your signal is.

I don't live in a place where there is weak coverage, even with Sprint, I can tell you that, although I get inconsistent signal strength constantly moving from 1 bar to full bars (which is not abnormal in many cases)

You can't tell unless you actually measure the signal. If you lay the phone down in a dead spot for a few hours (and they can be inches in diameter), you'll kill your battery quickly. (Sprint covers this city like a blanket - with one hole which happens to be my daughter's entire house. So I'd have no battery problem at all with a Sprint phone, unless I spent a few hours in her house.)

Yeah so I don't know. Is Sprint having problems having its coverage draining my phone battery, or wud it be my phone having a bug in system or defective hardware on data reception that's killing battery life?

No way to tell without putting the phone on a bench and testing it.

Just as a note, I have hard resetted this phone twice so far.

Nothing to do with the modem. If that's what's causing the drain, it won't change anything.

 

[deeb215]

I got a Sprint variant GS6 two days ago and I love it except that it does not have a satisfactory battery life. I only get 3~3.4 hours at most of screen on time while at 17 hours of usage before it dies. That's a combination of home WiFi and data usage being here and there. When using data I notice that it drains significantly faster.

Everything remaining the same, when I turn on airplane mode, this thing is amazing. Just had 50 minutes of browsing interent (via WiFi) and social media while draining only 9% of battery! Now I can see how some people can hit 7 hours on screen time with this.

I know it's common sense that having no signal at all will make the phone endure much better, but by this much? I estimate that while on airplane mode phone does more than twice as better in terms of battery drain while in screen on Internet use. Standby is much much better too.

I don't have a visible data to backup my skepticism but still I think this is too much of a difference.

I don't live in a place where there is weak coverage, even with Sprint, I can tell you that, although I get inconsistent signal strength constantly moving from 1 bar to full bars (which is not abnormal in many cases)

Yeah so I don't know. Is Sprint having problems having its coverage draining my phone battery, or wud it be my phone having a bug in system or defective hardware on data reception that's killing battery life?

Just as a note, I have hard resetted this phone twice so far.

Posted via the Android Central App

I think it's Sprint I'm seeing similar results. You may want to consider trading it in for something with a bigger battery or switching carriers. I'm going to be fine at least for now.