Do you keep 3G enabled at all times on your iPhone?

[musika]

I've been wondering. I never have 3G enabled on my 3GS (ironically) because of battery drain. Been suffering with edge my entire iPhone Career (yes, I just called me owning a cell phone a career, what's wrong with me).Can't wait for the iP5 so I can keep 3G enabled like lots of iP4 folks do.

What do you do?

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

I've been wondering. I never have 3G enabled on my 3GS (ironically) because of battery drain. Been suffering with edge my entire iPhone Career (yes, I just called me owning a cell phone a career, what's wrong with me).Can't wait for the iP5 so I can keep 3G enabled like lots of iP4 folks do.

What do you do?

3G does not drain your battery any faster then Edge does in a perfect world. The problem is when you are in areas of low 3G coverage or constantly using the radio to load data then the battery will start to suffer. But if you have 3-5 bars of 3G and your phone is in standby you will not notice any difference in battery life.

 

[musika]

3G does not drain your battery any faster then Edge does in a perfect world. The problem is when you are in areas of low 3G coverage or constantly using the radio to load data then the battery will start to suffer. But if you have 3-5 bars of 3G and your phone is in standby you will not notice any difference in battery life.

I think you may be wrong.

Seeing as the settings panel on iPhone literally says "Using 3G loads faster, but may decrease battery life" is enough to make an argument.

From Apple's Support website: "Turn off 3G (GSM model only): Using 3G cellular networks loads data faster, but may also decrease battery life, especially in areas with limited 3G coverage. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. You will still be able to make and receive calls and access cellular data networks via EDGE or GPRS where available."

Especially shows that while you're correct that it will drain more under poor coverage areas, it doesn't exclude areas with greater coverage from still having shorter battery life.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html

I don't think I deserved a minus on my post just for wanting to observe the way people use their phones.

 

[The Game 161]

I think you may be wrong.

Seeing as the settings panel on iPhone literally says "Using 3G loads faster, but may decrease battery life" is enough to make an argument.

From Apple's Support website: "Turn off 3G (GSM model only): Using 3G cellular networks loads data faster, but may also decrease battery life, especially in areas with limited 3G coverage. To disable 3G, from the Home screen choose Settings > General > Network and set Enable 3G to Off. You will still be able to make and receive calls and access cellular data networks via EDGE or GPRS where available."

Especially shows that while you're correct that it will drain more under poor coverage areas, it doesn't exclude areas with greater coverage from still having shorter battery life.

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html

I don't think I deserved a minus on my post just for wanting to observe the way people use their phones.

He's right though

Using edge which I have to at work as there is no 3G coverage is just as bad as using 3G but the difference is edge takes longer to load everything even when it uses pretty much the same amount of battery life.

Yes 3G does hurt you battery life but it is very quick on the speed level of wifi...it just drains faster due to how quick it is.

Edge though is bad for draining the battery while taking alot longer to load.

I never have 3G on and when I do switch it on i only do it when i'm out and bored. Wifi rules my usage really on my iphone 4.

I would not use edge over 3G by choice but when at work i have no choice.

 

[malias4]

i also close my 3g from sbsettings (jb tweak) so i dont get battery drain..
Because some timew im in areas with 1 bar or 2 and then its diff to get signal and the battery goes down.
i enable it only when im online for mail twitter and safari..

 

[profets]

I can't turn off 3G because the network I'm on is only 3G. Even if there was edge available, I would never suffer by using it. 3 years ago there was a noticeable difference when the 3G came out but recently battery life has been excellent.

 

[The Game 161]

I can't turn off 3G because the network I'm on is only 3G. Even if there was edge available, I would never suffer by using it. 3 years ago there was a noticeable difference when the 3G came out but recently battery life has been excellent.

Dont you use wifi? why can't you turn 3G off?

 

[profets]

Dont you use wifi? why can't you turn 3G off?

I use wifi sometimes but my data isn't an issue so wifi doesn't worry me. In Canada bell, telus and their sub brands use a network that launched two years ago and is only 3G/UMTS/HSPA.. No 2g/edge, so if I turn off 3G I get no service at all.

 

[miamialley]

I have never met anyone who keeps 3G off because of battery drain. OP must live in a place with bad 3G coverage? I've never had any drainage on any of my iPhones in my urban area.

 

[musika]

Dont you use wifi? why can't you turn 3G off?

Verizon doesn't let you turn 3G off. Even when using wifi, 3G is still on for calls/texts. No edge option on Verizon.

 

[profets]

Verizon doesn't let you turn 3G off. Even when using wifi, 3G is still on for calls/texts. No edge option on Verizon.

Verizon is a different story since they use a CDMA model iPhone with evdo "3G" for data, so a disable 3G option wouldn't make sense.

 

[The Game 161]

Verizon doesn't let you turn 3G off. Even when using wifi, 3G is still on for calls/texts. No edge option on Verizon.

Didn't realise that was the case in the US.

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I have never met anyone who keeps 3G off because of battery drain. OP must live in a place with bad 3G coverage? I've never had any drainage on any of my iPhones in my urban area.

I leave 3G off as it isn't needed most of the time

Most of my major usage is at home with wifi

Not point leaving 3G on when you use wifi...that is not wise battery wise.

 

[DoghouseMike]

Turning it off if you're not using it kinda makes sense, but if you are using it, all that time you're waiting for it to load over edge, with the screen lit up, probably negates a hefty chunk of the battery life you save while it's in your pocket.
How about leaving it on for a few days, see if YOU notice any major difference, other than it taking less time (and less screen on, seriously, the screen being on is probably the biggest battery drain there is) to do your stuff?
On a related note, setting it to only check email manually (like when you have an appropriate minute or two) saves a load of battery life, and makes for a slightly more distraction-free day.

 

[The Game 161]

Turning it off if you're not using it kinda makes sense, but if you are using it, all that time you're waiting for it to load over edge, with the screen lit up, probably negates a hefty chunk of the battery life you save while it's in your pocket.
How about leaving it on for a few days, see if YOU notice any major difference, other than it taking less time (and less screen on, seriously, the screen being on is probably the biggest battery drain there is) to do your stuff?
On a related note, setting it to only check email manually (like when you have an appropriate minute or two) saves a load of battery life, and makes for a slightly more distraction-free day.

I'm going to be interested to see the difference in battery life when i get ios 5 and have my e-mail to fetch every hour and see how big of a drain battery wise it is.

push won't work so want to see how much battery life i get with fetch every hour.

i think on ios 5 e-mail will be worth having on in the notifcations center.

afterall whats the point in ios 5 and notification center if you don't use it?