I'm impressed with the battery on the iPhone 3G!!

[unixfool]

Not only do most smartphones (Nokia, SE, Blackberry etc) give you better battery life (SE P1i = 440 hrs standby, BB Bold = 310 hrs, N95 = 280 hours, etc) standby, but they all have a frickin' battery door so that you can bring an extra battery and switch them when the first one dies. The iPhone has a dainty wristwatch battery *and* it's sealed.

Those devices don't compare, IMO...especially any BB (Nokia is a close second). They have outstanding battery life because they don't really do much to begin with.

I don't hate the device, in that case it would be easy. I just hate the disgusting subhuman bucket of puke who decided that this battery was appropriate for the iPhone.

This is the big gripe everyone has with the iPhone. This forum is littered with threads about battery woes. Fans of other phones don't discuss the battery with such fervor. I wonder why?

This forum is built with rumors in mind and EVERY hardware forum that I'm aware of has complainers. Internet forums aren't the best way to judge the overall success of a product, especially a Mac forum such as this one (most Mac users tend to be perfectionists).

I'm a recent iPhone convert and I love the device. It doesn't have the best consumption rate, but I've seen worse. Again, it comes down to comparing apples vs. apples.

 

[hexonxonx]

I've been getting 3-4 days standby with about 2-4 hours usage on both of my iPhones. I keep 3G off, WiFi on, bluetooth on because I bought a new car on Monday that works great with my iPhone, and push is off, email off. Basically, it's just a bluetooth phone with WiFi.

This all started to happen with the last update.

 

[Pared]

While I agree.... I'm pretty sure the battery time improvement is due in part to background fetching being BROKEN in 2.1!

It's amazing how many people don't realize this.

 

[Brett3rThanU]

If I were to try exchanging mine as I'm only getting 3 hours of usage before I'm nearly dead, what would I say to Apple to get a replacement?

 

[Anuba]

Those devices don't compare, IMO...especially any BB (Nokia is a close second). They have outstanding battery life because they don't really do much to begin with.

Now you're the one comparing apples and oranges. What they can and can't do in terms of versatility when used to the fullest has no relevance when it comes to comparing battery capacity and how much power they hold. If the iPhone would run longer on a P1i battery than its own battery, then the P1i battery is better, period. All three phones support 3G, Bluetooth and fetching mail in standby mode, yet the P1i has almost twice the battery life of an iPhone in standby mode, even though the P1i keeps the display running (without backlight) so that you can check the clock, the signal, see if you have any messages or missed calls etc. The iPhone, in order to achieve half the standby time, has to sink into a deep coma with no indication to the outside world as to whether it's on or off. And the P1i has no option to switch off 3G, this isn't needed to achieve 440 hours of standby time, while the 127 hours I managed to squeeze out of my iPhone could only be accomplished by disabling 3G.

And since those devices don't do much to begin with, and still have bigger batteries than the iPhone, it could be argued that those companies have found a good balance between capabilities and battery life, whereas Apple has failed, due to their obsession with thinness which is always given precendence over functionality.

If I were to try exchanging mine as I'm only getting 3 hours of usage before I'm nearly dead, what would I say to Apple to get a replacement?

If you're getting 1% of the advertised battery life, what other argument do you need to get a replacement?

 

[OrangeCuse44]

Now you're the one comparing apples and oranges. What they can and can't do in terms of versatility when used to the fullest has no relevance when it comes to comparing battery capacity and how much power they hold. If the iPhone would run longer on a P1i battery than its own battery, then the P1i battery is better, period. All three phones support 3G, Bluetooth and fetching mail in standby mode, yet the P1i has almost twice the battery life of an iPhone in standby mode, even though the P1i keeps the display running (without backlight) so that you can check the clock, the signal, see if you have any messages or missed calls etc. The iPhone, in order to achieve half the standby time, has to sink into a deep coma with no indication to the outside world as to whether it's on or off. And the P1i has no option to switch off 3G, this isn't needed to achieve 440 hours of standby time, while the 127 hours I managed to squeeze out of my iPhone could only be accomplished by disabling 3G.

And since those devices don't do much to begin with, and still have bigger batteries than the iPhone, it could be argued that those companies have found a good balance between capabilities and battery life, whereas Apple has failed, due to their obsession with thinness which is always given precendence over functionality.

If you're getting 1% of the advertised battery life, what other argument do you need to get a replacement?

I think he was just referring to the iPod functions mainly of the iPhone compared to the BB's. BB's are work machines while the iPhone is an entertainment device. The large, bright screen makes the comparison between the two devices irrelevant.

 

[pilotkid]

To maximize battery life do we need to condition the iPhone battery like our apple laptop batteries? Meaning, should we let it completely drain and let it set for a few hours and then let it get a full charge?

 

[ItsGavinC]

While I agree.... I'm pretty sure the battery time improvement is due in part to background fetching being BROKEN in 2.1!

It's amazing how many people don't realize this.

I don't realize it because my fetching is working perfectly.

 

[James L]

If you're getting 1% of the advertised battery life, what other argument do you need to get a replacement?

1%?

He said he is getting 3 hours of usage.

Apple says between 5-6 hours of usage, on average, is normal... up to 5 hours of talk time, up to 5 hours of 3G internet use, up to 6 hours on wifi, etc. Apple does what every company does in this matter... tests under absolutely best case conditions. Actual usage is always a bit less in the real world.

How is that 1%?

Anyway, here's my times:

 

[Watabou]

My battery life is great since 2.1 I get close to 7-8 hours before my phone reminds me that the battery only has 20% remaining.

 

[Small White Car]

Whoo! Here's my screenshot shortly after getting the 10% warning.

And this is normal use, btw. (Safari, Mail, Phone, Address Book, Calendar.) No game playing, and mail is all set to "manual" so there's no fetching going on. Screen brightness on about 20% and wi-fi off.

 

[Eso]

Yeah, and that's what I tried. I have a secondary phone to take calls and I have an iPod Touch for the fun stuff you might use an iPhone for.

I find it amusing you seem to have gotten an iPhone to let it sit useless for days on end so you can complain about its battery life.

Good game.

 

[pilotkid]

To maximize battery life do we need to condition the iPhone battery like our apple laptop batteries? Meaning, should we let it completely drain and let it set for a few hours and then let it get a full charge?

Anyone know?

 

[Eso]

Anyone know?

This was a factor to the older technology of the Nickel-Cadmium batteries related to the memory effect. Lithium-ion batteries do not suffer from the memory effect and therefore it doesn't matter how you charge them. Li-ion batteries have been around awhile.

 

[01jamcon]

Count me in as being impressed with the 3G battery. On my first Gen iPhone I would only get about 5 hours of continuous Crash Cart and with the 3G, it went for OVER 8 Hours in Crash Cart. Nice.

You actually played Crash Kart for 5-8 hours straight? Or you started the game up and left it alone for most of the time? Because if you played it continuously, that is a bit mental.

 

[Stepper]

Im very dissapointed with the 3G battery life. My old 2G iPhone used to go days with out needing a charge, but with my new 3G i have to charge it everday or the battery will be dead by the next morning

I do use the phone quite often though, work emails, calling, texting, surfing, downloading apps of cydia and i listen to music for around 1-2 hours a day lol

 

[Anuba]

I think he was just referring to the iPod functions mainly of the iPhone compared to the BB's. BB's are work machines while the iPhone is an entertainment device. The large, bright screen makes the comparison between the two devices irrelevant.

Yeah I know, but that's been precisely my point all along. Because the iPhone has a giant, bright screen (to name but one of its many power-hungry features), and because it's an entertainment device, it should have the battery to match it. Instead it has a battery on or below par with BB's and other smartphones.

Had we been discussing cars, I would be saying -- look, you can't build a big SUV and then power it with a 60 bhp engine from a Fiat, and you guys would be saying "well, you can't compare a Hummer to a Fiat" and that's exactly the point I'm trying to make -- since you can't really compare the two, why did the manufacturer consider them comparable when they selected a power source?

The iPhone battery is really thin (mostly because it's naked, without the plastic container you'd normally find on devices with a replaceable battery), and it could easily have been twice as big and the iPhone would still have been thinner than most Smartphones, but because Apple has an anorexia fetish, they said "screw battery life, the most important thing of all is that Steve must be able to say 'look how THIN it is!' during the Keynote.

 

[Brandon Heat]

The iPhone battery is really thin (mostly because it's naked, without the plastic container you'd normally find on devices with a replaceable battery), and it could easily have been twice as big and the iPhone would still have been thinner than most Smartphones, but because Apple has an anorexia fetish, they said "screw battery life, the most important thing of all is that Steve must be able to say 'look how THIN it is!' during the Keynote.

Is Steve married? I wonder if his wife is fat...

 

[AppleFan360]

To maximize battery life do we need to condition the iPhone battery like our apple laptop batteries? Meaning, should we let it completely drain and let it set for a few hours and then let it get a full charge?

From what I understand that should be done at least once a month on the iPhone but not really for the battery. It's done to keep the battery indicator calibrated.

 

[unixfool]

I think he was just referring to the iPod functions mainly of the iPhone compared to the BB's. BB's are work machines while the iPhone is an entertainment device. The large, bright screen makes the comparison between the two devices irrelevant.

Thanks, OrangeCuse44!

 

[snverhallen]

Anyone know?

From what I understand that should be done at least once a month on the iPhone but not really for the battery. It's done to keep the battery indicator calibrated.

Here is a really good thread that will most likely answer any questions you might have, including conditioning etc.

snverhallen

 

[jemeinc]

Def. seeing a big battery life improvement on my end as well. I updated about 24hrs ago, using 3G ON + WiFi + BT + E-Mail + LOC ON & iPod for 3hrs as well. I just hit the 20% battery warning after I took this pic.

Yeah, but you've plugged it in somewhere during that 6 hour usage..

I exchanged mine two days ago because of terrible battery life- I averaged 3 hours and 9 minutes over the life of the phone according to the apple tech..

I was nervous the first day because the first charge only lasted 3 hours, but after running it down todays charge seems to be holding up much better... we'll see- hopefully I'll start to experience some of the good times others are reporting.. So far I was much happier with the first generation..Don't get me wrong, I love the device- but it is kind of lame that I have to make sure I have a car charger in every car I own because I know that I'll need it.. If you're carrying chargers with you everywhere you go it's not much of a portable device..

I just want to be able to make it until I get home at night and recharge while I'm sleeping....

 

[cellocello]

I usually get 6 hours of usage and over a day (sometimes over 2 days) of standby before needing to recharge. It never dies on me unless I'm trying to kill it.

Phone stuff - several 10 minute conversations a day (what I consider 'normal' - I'm not a chatty cathy, like some of you ), lots SMS (send maybe several dozen a day) and the usual voicemail and stuff.

I use my phone as an iPod *a lot* (hours a day), as a web browser quite a bit and as a game player a fair share.

All of this in a given day - I consider this good battery life.

 

[TheSpaz]

Check this setup out. I never have to worry about battery life.

My iPhone is also my main iPod. I have the Griffin AutoPilot in my car which not only CHARGES the iPhone but, also plays audio straight through the USB connector, so as long as I'm in my car, my iPhone is being charged. It's hard to go anywhere without my car so I'm always all set. I don't use CDs anymore, so my music source is my iPhone. It works out well for me. More on the plus side, I can listen to music and use GPS and Maps while in my car and I don't have to worry about it draining my battery. I recommend anyone to pick up the Griffin AutoPilot for their iPhone... it works through AUX so the quality is really good and it even has play/pause, forward and back controls on the cigarette charger, which is really convenient because then you can change songs without taking your eyes off the road.

By the way, I leave 3G on, Wifi on, Location Services on, Ringer off mostly, Bluetooth on, Screen on 40% with Auto Brightness on, and auto-lock is set to 1 minute. By the way, I don't get 3G in my area yet, but I keep it on so that I'll know the instant they turn it on where I live.

 

[Anuba]

Is Steve married? I wonder if his wife is fat...

Or, Steve wants his gadgets to make him look fat by comparison. Maybe Apple's obsession with thinness inspired the gods to add an 8th deadly sin and now they're punishing Steve for commiting it.