Does the Wifi take over internet surfing from 3G?

[waloshin]

My carrier does not seem to be getting an iPhone 4S anytime soon so I might switch to Telus.

My carrier offers unlimited text, unlimited data 400 minutes all for $60 a month.

For the last two months i've used 8 gigabytes of data.

Telus on the other hand offers everything my carrier does minus the unlimited data, Telus only offers 5 gigabytes of data for the same price, so if I switched to Telus I would have to use wifi when i'm at my dorm. Telus also charges an extra 0.05 cents per mb.


So my question is when Wifi is turned on does it suck more battery life then having wifi turned off ? As apple states better battery life for wifi internet use,but I would assume with 3G turned off.

 

[The Californian]

It's really not that noticeable of a difference.

 

[Trauma1]

The differences in battery life would be negligible, unless your doing some heavy-duty downloading on your phone and multitasking.

If you're truly concerned about battery life, put the phone in Airplane Mode and turn Wi-Fi on.

 

[stu212]

It works that way but the iPhone doesn't turn 3G off it just doesn't use that to search the web it uses the WiFi to do that. WiFi uses less power than 3G anyway so it will save battery life.

 

[HeezyBear]

I have unlimited data and use wifi whenever it's available. I also turn 3G off if I'm going to be using the wifi for a prolonged period of time, like when I'm at home. It really helps battery life. However, even if you keep your 3G on, using wifi still helps battery life. Also, making calls on 3G drains the battery a lot as opposed to making calls on 2G. And why bother making 3G calls when wifi is available? You don't have to worry about not being able to surf while on the call.

I would advise you to keep wifi off when not using it like when you're out and about. I may be wrong, but I believe having wifi on all the time isn't what drains the battery. It's having the Ask to Join Networks feature that drains battery if you have it on because it's constantly looking for networks. But why bother with it at all if you're not going to be using it anyways?