Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacDawg

Moderator emeritus
Mar 20, 2004
19,823
4,503
"Between the Hedges"
My iPhone 5's battery is better than my 4s was, no placebo
Battery life is affected by too many factors to draw conclusions from one user to another
 

AFDoc

Suspended
Jun 29, 2012
2,864
629
Colorado Springs USA for now
My iPhone 5's battery is better than my 4s was, no placebo
Battery life is affected by too many factors to draw conclusions from one user to another

Exactly.

Maybe the i user plays games and streams music and movies all day and the 4s user does not of that. It's all relative.

I get about the same battery life from my 5 as I did my 4/4s.
 

bushman4

macrumors 601
Mar 22, 2011
4,019
3,422
Iphone5 battery is better. Problem is that many Apps these days work as widgets constantly updating the info whether or not they are in use. If you eliminate these Apps you'll see how much better the Iphone5 battery life is
 

stevendphoto

macrumors member
Jul 9, 2011
66
0
I am not sure what was going on with my 4S, it might have had a sub par battery, it seemed like I was charging it all the time and if I charged it overnight (so it was at 100%) by the end of my work day it would easily be down to 85% or so, consequently I would have to charge it about every three days (or so).

With the 5, I charged it overnight last Sunday, by Monday night it was still at 100%, and sitting here Saturday morning (a full SIX days) it is at 40%, meaning I may be charging this ONCE a WEEK, instead of 2-3 times per week.

Needless to say, you results may vary, but I am impressed and amazed...!

(Note: Not a heavy Data / Internet user)
 

Mlrollin91

macrumors G5
Nov 20, 2008
14,120
10,106
My iPhone 5 battery is probably 3-4X better than my 4S. I use my phone all day and still end up with 60%+ at the end of the day, with my 4S I was struggling to make it to the end of the day with 10%. My LTE signal strength is much better than my HSPA strength, so I'm sure thats a big reason why my battery is better.

I was fearful of getting the 5 because of all the battery problems my friends have had. Luckily, I have a great battery!
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Technically if tested the 4S is better.

iPhone 4S

http://www.glbenchmark.com/phonedetails.jsp?benchmark=glpro25&D=Apple+iPhone+4S&testgroup=battery

iPhone 5

http://www.glbenchmark.com/phonedetails.jsp?benchmark=glpro25&D=Apple+iPhone+5&testgroup=battery

The iPhone 4S is 14% better in the highest test (only test for the iPhone 5).

Glbenchmark basically maxes out the CPU/GPU while running the screen at full brightness until the battery dies. Worst case scenario really.

The key thing is usage, the iPhone 5 has a lot of more efficient components but they can do more work and hence use more power.

Edit: this test doesn't include the radio which is why people probably see better battery life. The new LTE radio may be holding into signal much better. Thus at the end of the day you used less battery. Come to on screen use, movies, gaming etc the 4S is tested better.
 
Last edited:

OSxiPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
42
0
UK
Technically if tested the 4S is better.

---

The iPhone 4S is 14% better in the highest test (only test for the iPhone 5).

Thanks for posting the links. My iPhone 4S seems to last for 2-3 days without me needing to charge it normally and that's with some data usage.

I did think the iPhone 5 would have a similar battery because its thinner. I think people either messed up their iPhone 4S to get bad life or are exaggerating the iPhone 5's life. Either way I might as well just wait to upgrade when the 5S comes.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Thanks for posting the links. My iPhone 4S seems to last for 2-3 days without me needing to charge it normally and that's with some data usage.

I did think the iPhone 5 would have a similar battery because its thinner. I think people either messed up their iPhone 4S to get bad life or are exaggerating the iPhone 5's life. Either way I might as well just wait to upgrade when the 5S comes.

I'm probably going to go with the 5S too. It seems to get better software then the none S models. Example would be the 4S getting Siri but the 4 didn't, then when the 5 came out the 4S got everything where the 4 didn't get maps.

I'm not impressed to much with the hardware. More of the software on it. But I'm expecting the 6 to be more of an upgrade with software and hardware wise.
 

TyPod

macrumors 68000
Nov 2, 2006
1,745
18
Minneapolis, MN
I feel like my iPhone 5 battery is better than my 4. Although I didn't have a 4S, I can definitely tell the battery life of my 5 is much better.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
What kind of battery life are you guys getting with your 5 compared to your 4S?

I've never got amazing like like some people post 10+ hours of usage but I blame that mostly on signal and type of usage.

I can get 8 hours of usage time on my Verizon 4S.
 

Mlrollin91

macrumors G5
Nov 20, 2008
14,120
10,106
What kind of battery life are you guys getting with your 5 compared to your 4S?

I've never got amazing like like some people post 10+ hours of usage but I blame that mostly on signal and type of usage.

I can get 8 hours of usage time on my Verizon 4S.

I get roughly 5 hours of usage and 14+ hours of standby and still have over 60% left. Mostly texting and browsing. Bluetooth on, backlight at about 40% and WiFi always off.
 

Prime85

macrumors 6502a
Mar 1, 2012
652
0
I get roughly 5 hours of usage and 14+ hours of standby and still have over 60% left. Mostly texting and browsing. Bluetooth on, backlight at about 40% and WiFi always off.

I am sure people that get bad battery life are the ones that have their brightness turned up. Personally it is too bright for me especially at night.
 

Mlrollin91

macrumors G5
Nov 20, 2008
14,120
10,106
I am sure people that get bad battery life are the ones that have their brightness turned up. Personally it is too bright for me especially at night.

Seriously.. When I wake up in the morning and check my phone and its at 40% in a dark room, its blinding. Only time I need it at 40% is during the day, too bad there isn't a feature that allows the brightness to change with the time of day. Auto-brightness doesn't have a large enough effect.
 

Grayburn

macrumors 68020
Jul 12, 2010
2,154
545
England
Thanks for posting the links. My iPhone 4S seems to last for 2-3 days without me needing to charge it normally and that's with some data usage.

I did think the iPhone 5 would have a similar battery because its thinner. I think people either messed up their iPhone 4S to get bad life or are exaggerating the iPhone 5's life. Either way I might as well just wait to upgrade when the 5S comes.

I was gonna share my opinions but seeing as your dismissing former 4S owners and present 5 owners opinions I won't bother.
 

OSxiPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 17, 2012
42
0
UK
I was gonna share my opinions but seeing as your dismissing former 4S owners and present 5 owners opinions I won't bother.

I'm not dismissing opinions at all. If I was I wouldn't even make this thread. Is looking at information and thinking most cases point towards the 5 being similar in battery life bad? Lets not make this thread dramatic. What's your opinion? I really am interested.
 

maxosx

macrumors 68020
Dec 13, 2012
2,385
1
Southern California
I use my iP5 the same way I used my 4S & 4.

iPhone 5 battery life is terrible.

But Mophie Juice Pack Air fixed that problem for Apple. Now I can freely use mine all day without running out.
 

boodyup

macrumors member
Dec 3, 2009
49
0
My 5's battery life is horrible. Put my phone on sleep at 1:30am with 18% juice left, went to bed and checked my just a few minutes ago at 9:50 and the phone was dead. That's with an hour lost due to Daylight Savings Conversion.

Yes, I could've plugged it in overnight but that isn't the point - a phone shouldn't drain that quickly not doing anything.
 

Looon

macrumors 6502a
Jul 10, 2009
685
2
I love my iPhone 5's battery personally. I was just thinking to myself last night how great it was that after working 9 hours I still had 65% battery left on my phone. I even laughed to myself as two of my co-workers had to plug their phones in in the middle of the shift to charge them (not iphones).
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.