Well, I performed a full DFU restore, and did not sign into, access, or associate any of my existing or previous Apple ID's or iCloud accounts with my iPhone 6 after performing the restore. Just curious, after performing a DFU restore, should I also have performed a typical restore where iOS 8 is downloaded again via iTunes?
Anyway, before disconnecting my phone from my MacBook, I disabled all suspect setting configurations. The results? Still losing 1% every 2 minutes or so, which is on par again for a battery life of roughly 5 hours. During this time, I was only browsing MacRumors (e.g. scrolling through a single page) and making a brief phone call. I had not even installed a single third-party application yet, as I had not created a new Apple ID or accessed my existing one.
At this point, I have come to the realization that based on my current usage, cellular network (Verizon, LTE), and location, real-world battery life in the iPhone 6 just isn't very good. I am absolutely bewildered as to how some can achieve a battery life of over 7 hours and beyond. I went through a period with the iPhone 5 where I swapped out devices for new ones, performed restores, etc., but still ultimately experienced the same measly battery life. One may argue that I performed device swaps too early into the launch period, and inevitably received similar units or some of those units plagued with manufacturing defects as it relates to the lithium-ion battery, but there comes a point where you can only do so much.
So now I'm wondering what I should do next. Here are my options:
1. Accept mediocre battery life for another year and hope that the A9 and M9 provide a small improvement. Wait for Mophie or other battery case manufactures to provide a temporary solution.
2. Make the hour drive through rush-hour traffic to my Apple store to have them perform some diagnostics and potentially swap my device out for another. Is it possible though, before surrendering my current device, to use a demo or test model over a cellular network and/or WiFi to see if I achieve similar or different results from those on my current phone? One thing I dislike about the Apple lottery is that when you perform a device swap you may encounter another issue that you had not previously experienced.
3. Return my iPhone 6, pay another $100, and go for the Plus. My only concern with this option is that, based on my current real-world battery life with the iPhone 6 (5.5 hours), I'm not sure I would really see a significant improvement, with respect to battery life, to really warrant the trade-off of carrying a bigger device and totally forgoing one-handed usability. If I elect to choose this option, however, can I return my iPhone 6 through Apple even though I purchased it from Best Buy?