Why can't people ENJOY their device instead of looking for every single, minute non issue to worry about? Please stop with the stupid threads and move on with your life. No need for the rest of us to suffer through the growing topics of ignorance.
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AT&T vs VZW Battery Life
- Thread starter smf72
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Actually, I've just read numerous GSM vs. CDMA articles that state, in identical phones on the two different types of network, CDMA phones can get as much as 40% less battery life. BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW YOU USE THE PHONE!
Where CDMA experiences the largest difference in battery drain is in STANDBY mode. CDMA requires constant connection to the tower, even in standby. GSM does not maintain a constant connection in standby. So, CDMA is DEFINITELY burning more battery when the phone is in standby compared to an identical GSM phone.
CDMA also burns a bit more battery in talk mode, but the difference isn't as significant.
If you are the type of person that constantly uses your phone for data and voice throughout the day, then a CDMA iPhone will get maybe 10-15% lower battery life compared to identical use on a GSM iPhone.
However, the less you use the phone throughout the day (the more it is in standby mode), the wider the gap in battery life will become.
Since Apple simply says "Up to xxx hours" for the battery life of the iPhone, let's look at battery life for HTC Droid Incredible (CDMA) and HTC HD2 (GSM). These are virtually identical phones on the two different networks. Both have 1GHz processors. From HTC's site:
HTC Droid Incredible (CDMA):
Capacity: 1300 mAh
Talk time: Up to 313 minutes
Standby time: Up to 146 hours
HTC HD2 (GSM):
Capacity: 1230 mAh
Talk time: 380 min
Standby time: 490 hours
As you can see, the HD2 has a slightly smaller capacity battery but it still gets superior battery life. But look at the difference in standby time!!! It's HUGE!
Verizon may very well have the network with better coverage. But that's where Verizon's advantages end.
Mark
Where CDMA experiences the largest difference in battery drain is in STANDBY mode. CDMA requires constant connection to the tower, even in standby. GSM does not maintain a constant connection in standby. So, CDMA is DEFINITELY burning more battery when the phone is in standby compared to an identical GSM phone.
CDMA also burns a bit more battery in talk mode, but the difference isn't as significant.
If you are the type of person that constantly uses your phone for data and voice throughout the day, then a CDMA iPhone will get maybe 10-15% lower battery life compared to identical use on a GSM iPhone.
However, the less you use the phone throughout the day (the more it is in standby mode), the wider the gap in battery life will become.
Since Apple simply says "Up to xxx hours" for the battery life of the iPhone, let's look at battery life for HTC Droid Incredible (CDMA) and HTC HD2 (GSM). These are virtually identical phones on the two different networks. Both have 1GHz processors. From HTC's site:
HTC Droid Incredible (CDMA):
Capacity: 1300 mAh
Talk time: Up to 313 minutes
Standby time: Up to 146 hours
HTC HD2 (GSM):
Capacity: 1230 mAh
Talk time: 380 min
Standby time: 490 hours
As you can see, the HD2 has a slightly smaller capacity battery but it still gets superior battery life. But look at the difference in standby time!!! It's HUGE!
Verizon may very well have the network with better coverage. But that's where Verizon's advantages end.
Mark
I agree.
Battery life depends on how most people use their phones.
If someone streamed videos with WiFi on, 3G on w/ poor 3G reception and BT turned on, full brightness on the screen, etc. all at the same time, the battery would drain in a few hours. But if all battery consumption features were set conservatively, a fully battery could last 4 - 5 days in between recharges.
batteries are different. see iFixit teardown guide.
CDMA v. GSM will make a difference too. That said I've been on VZ forever and really have had no issues.
Yesterday, during my first full day of usage, starting at 80% because i had used 20% the previous night after UPS delivered, i got the battery down to 17% and that was with me playing with the phone almost every second of downtime I had.
Pretty good in my opinion.
That said ultimately these threads are ridiculous.
CDMA v. GSM will make a difference too. That said I've been on VZ forever and really have had no issues.
Yesterday, during my first full day of usage, starting at 80% because i had used 20% the previous night after UPS delivered, i got the battery down to 17% and that was with me playing with the phone almost every second of downtime I had.
Pretty good in my opinion.
That said ultimately these threads are ridiculous.
Uh, that's right... the battery life you get from a battery operated device doesn't matter.
Mark
Who's to say that currently shipping AT&T iPhones aren't using the exact same battery? iFixit tore down the AT&T model 7 months ago.
Battery technologies change and improve. A new supplier could be providing a battery with the same power rating but weighs a bit less.
Mark
Why is it no one has trouble believing it's the system when it's pointed out that the same computer, with the same settings, running the same program, drains the same battery much quicker with Windows 7 than OSX?
I've always been impressed by how long my GSM phones can sit on a shelf without being recharged.
That said, I suspect that very few people need more than the six days' worth of standby that the above CDMA phone gets.
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Uh, that would be why I said "who's to say" and "could". But it is entirely logical to assume that Apple is simply using a slightly lighter battery with the same capacity. iFixit is the one claiming that the two batteries have the same power rating, not me. I assume they are basing that on, oh, I don't know... WHAT IS PRINTED ON THE BATTERY!
Mark
Yes, but standby time becomes more important for day to day usage when a percentage of standby time is mixed with actual use for voice & data. Take the HTC phones I mentioned...
Based on HTC's specs, If each phone was used for 300 minutes (5 hours) of talk time in a given day, that would eat up approx. 95% of the CDMA phone's battery and approx. 79% of the GSM phone's battery. Then the question becomes, can the CDMA phone make it through the rest of the day on standby with just 5% of the battery?
KEEP IN MIND.... Data usage burns more battery than voice! Apple's specifications for the iPhone indicate up to 7 hours of talk but only up to 6 hours of internet use (both on 3G). So, even though there are very few people that would talk on a phone for 5 hours in a day, there may be a lot of people that browse the web for 5 hours in a day. Plus, certain games or more intense web activity (streaming video) might drain the battery even faster.
So, assuming the CDMA phone is left with just 5% battery life in the above scenario, can it make it through the rest of the day on standby? I keep my iPhone off the charger for 15 hours each day (disconnect it at 6am, reconnect it at 9pm). So, minus 5 hours of use would leave 10 hours of standby. The HTC CDMA phone wouldn't make it. 5% of 146 hours is just 7.5 hours. The HTC GSM phone would make it. 21% of 490 hours is 102.9 hours.
Now assume that each phone owner won't be able to charge their phone for a couple of days and the 5 hours of usage is spread out over a few days. The CDMA phone's battery will be dead long before the GSM phone's battery.
I realize these are extreme examples. The vast majority of iPhone owners won't use their phones for 5 hours in a day. But, remember, it has been consistently documented that iPhones use more data than any other phone on the market. The simple fact is, iPhone owners LOVE to use their phones. And when it comes to the battery making it through a day of regular use, a GSM iPhone stands a statistically significant better chance.
Mark