What is normal mA consumption for a newer phone during use?

[EsEllEmm]

I am still using my original Galaxy Note that I got in early 2012 when they were first released. The battery life has become pretty awful. I even got a new battery for it at one point, but it didn't seem to help much. I recently got a battery app that supposedly shows the phone's power consumption. When I'm using the phone, it seems to run a little over 1000mA of current, sometimes going over 2000mA. Since the battery is 2500mAh, obviously it only makes it an hour or two of use before a fully charged battery is completely toast. I'm not sure how accurate the app is though, it's hard to say.

I just ordered a new Note Edge, and I'm seeing reviews saying that it can manage about 7 or 8 hours of use. I'm completely confused as to how this could be. The battery isn't much larger at 3000mAh, and the screen is larger and higher resolution. How do newer phones last so long? 7 hours of use from a 3000mAh battery equates to only 428mA of current use while using the phone. Are the screens and processors that much more efficient than just two or three years ago? Will my Edge likely face the same fate as my original Note? (Only lasting an hour or two once it's a couple of years old.) How can I prevent this? Does a factory reset generally get phones back to having the same battery life as when new? (Along with replacing the battery with a new one obviously.)

I plan to keep the Edge for a while, just like my current Note, and I don't want to have to deal with a phone that has terrible battery life once it's a couple years old.

 

[anon(5600632)]

Your question is hugely complicated, and no two phone setups are alike. But generally speaking, newer software reflects many efforts to improve the efficiency of how all those electrons get routed through your hardware. There are so many variables here - a phone with a smaller battery might actually have a longer battery life than one with a bigger battery, depending on the setup. BTW - that battery analysis app might be draining your battery - so can so-called battery savers.

As one example, search this website for discussions of battery effects of old Dalvik versus new ART, and for project Volta. While Google claims something of a breakthrough, many users aren't convinced.

As your phone ages, the battery ages as does the rest of the hardware - there are limits to fighting the effects of old age. But there is also an accumulation of software junk - remnants of old apps, old stuff cluttering storage, etc. A factory reset, not often but when things become intolerable, can help on the software side.

 

[Mooncatt]

Something else to remember is advertised numbers are often "best case scenario." I.e. mostly not using the phone, only connected to Wi-Fi, no/little background sync, etc. If your phone is left sitting on the table with the screen off most of the day, it'll last a long time on a charge. The more you use it, the quicker the battery goes down.