iPad mini iPad MiniR Battery Life

[Jelako72]

We have owned an iPad 2 for 2+ years. It has logged many hours and essentially operates as efficiently today as the day we bought it - give or take things like Siri/Panorama Pictures/etc

I had my iPod Touch Gen3 stolen out of my office. I used this daily for over 3+ years. Again, it did everything I could ask of a portable device between my favorite podcasts, social media, and messaging. I was pretty devastated when it was stolen, but when faced with replacement I could not bring myself to purchase an iPod Touch GenV because I just knew I'd be miserable Fall of 2014 when it received a hardware refresh.

All that stated, enter iPad rMini. The iPad rMini based on my research would exceed every current hardware expectation. I would be getting the latest processor, retina display, and more pixels per inch than any other Apple device. I am a Directv subscriber and it would work with the GenieGo as well as playback all forms of video files with the use of the VNC app.

Having owned other devices, the one glaring issue I have with the rMini is the battery life. Having read so many people's commentary about screen retention, I YouTube'd all the videos and performed the checkerboard test. Based on all the YouTube videos I watched, I have one of the good screens. That is why I'm so reluctant to return this iPad rMini because it runs everything so well and I don't have any screen issues - but to me the battery is concerning.

Example: I'll leave it charged over night. When I wake up in the morning it reads 100%. Unplugging from the charge cable, and simply walking from the bedroom to the kitchen it will register 99%. Adam Carolla's podcast updates over night, and every morning as I'm pouring my OJ it begins to download the latest podcast (every other podcast updates before going to bed, but Carolla's does it at 0500 the minute I unlock it). I do the standard opening of either CNN/Fox News app, Bleacher Report, perhaps FB or Twitter if I have any alerts. In this span...lets say "10 minutes" my battery registers 95%. Checking email, a couple of news articles, and FB/Twitter feeds and preparing to leave for work, 92%. I have an hour commute to work. From my driveway to work, I can listen to a full Thundering Herd podcast & start of SVP and Russillo podcast. When I arrive to work i'm now mid 80s (84%-86%). Finishing those podcasts, I transition to the previous day's Stern show and again basic browsing of News/Sports pages by 11 am I'm well below 50%.

Compared to the iPad 2 & iPod Touch Gen3, the iPad rMini just doesn't seem to maintain the battery. When I first got this miniR, I used the device all the way to the point it shut itself down and then completely charged it to 100% where it said "Full". I repeated that for a week straight: use until completely depleted, left it charging until 100% "full".

I've read about 3-4 "battery life" saving articles and implemented 'most' of the suggestions. That being said, I still feel like the battery life drains exceptionally fast.

The morning is the most concerning going from 100% > 99% just by unplugging, and then down to mid-90s doing basic operations like browsing newsfeeds/social media/podcast download.

Should this be a point of concern?
Is there something I'm potentially overlooking?

 

[wmkim]

I've not had the same issues with rMini's battery life.

I don't do as much online streaming/media activities as you've described. My typical use is Newstand reading--overnight update of newspapers (then may 15 - 20 minutes of various multimedia items within them)...occasional social networking updates/browsing...email throughout the day...then probably another hour or two of reading, etc. in the afternoon. None of all this is 'continuous', but spread out throughout the day.

I've only had it "almost" a week now...and I'm getting a good 10 - 11+ hours of use out of mine...which seems to be what they rate it for "all-day" use.

Maybe take it into the AppleStore to see if there's some sort of test they can do...especially w/ the 100% to 99% after unplugging. I've seen that happen occasionally with my iPhone 5...but it's been through many charges/discharges now, so I'd expect that at this point.

 

[GoingDark]

The 100% to 99% thing doesn't seem that unusual to me, but being below 50% by 11am is extremely unusual.

I've had my retina Mini last for almost a week of standby time plus anywhere between 15-20 hours of screen time - it's the longest-lasting iPad I've ever owned! Screen time is a mix of web surfing, video and audio podcasts, and e-reading.

The only time I notice it draining quicker is when I'm playing a graphically-intensive game (Infinity Blade etc).

Definitely take it in to an Apple Store to see what's going on.

 

[Soordhin]

I have to say the battery life on my rMini is better than on my iPad 3 by a fair margin. However, graphic intensive usage will drain the battery quite fast, as does network access with difficult reception, both WLAN and WAN. But with with the rMini i can actually charge the battery if i hook it up while playing or browsing, with the 3 it still drains.

 

[andyw715]

I'm at 48% with 9:14 usage, 3 days 0 Hours standby.

I use it for web browsing, games, and the occasional AirPlay to Apple TV.

 

[HEK]

A few battery tips garnered from many places. First check out battery university to better understand Li batteries. Also since most of us upgrade to new devices after two to three years or sooner, most any way you decide to charge and use your device will give you a usable lifespan. So no need to get OCD over your battery.

The batteries are rated for about 500 100% discharges and still have 70-80% of full capacity. Note that five 20% discharges equal one 100%. Also, as with all manufactured items, a certain percentage will get a bad battery and or device. No manufacturing process is 100% perfect all the time. If you get a bad one, go to Apple Store and see what they will do for you.

Li battery chemistry hates heat. So avoid high temperature situations as much as possible. If your device gets hot during charging or intensive processor use, try to allow contact with cooler surfaces to draw away heat when in these situations. Never leave your device in a hot car, even turned off.

Li batteries will fail if overcharged or if allowed to fall below a threshold voltage. Use only Apple chargers and cords as the device in conjunction with these is designed to prevent over and undercharge conditions. You may be lucky and use third party charger/cords without incident, but you really want to risk hundreds of dollars to save twenty bucks?

If you want to be kind to your battery, consider usually charging when you reach 30% and ending charge at 80%. This is a sweet spot for the chemistry of Li batteries. When it's convenient, and I reach 30-40% I connect the charger for short time, like 30 minutes and take it back into low 80% range. Of course when I know I need it due being on the go, I charge to 100%. I may be deluding myself, but have noticed increase in duration since I got my iPhone and iPad following this protocol. About very six weeks I will drain to 10% and charge to 100% to recalibrate the percent meter. Doesn't do anything for battery, just adjusts the range of the meter to improve accuracy.


I leave you with this to ponder. Toyota in their Prius Hybrid has the Li battery pack cycle between 60% low and 80% high. Since the battery pack is $10,000 and needs to last the life of car, five years plus. They use this conservative charge cycle programmed into the controller to maximize battery longevity.

Enjoy your devices, and don't be too stressed over your battery.

 

[HEK]

Few more thoughts. Have you lowered screen brightness. Do you have the screen on when listening in car? How about the notifications and push. Are all your apps auto updating and sending out your location? That really uses the radios a lot. You use wifi at home? At work? If so turn LTE off. Is Bluetooth on all the time? When commuting turn wifi off when using LTE.

Take your charger and cable with you and plug it in for an hour. Li batteries prefer partial charges, staying away from very low and very high. There are numerous articles describing what and how to lower battery consumption by turning some things off. My favorite is limit ad tracking in privacy section.

Lastly, I noticed after a few weeks use battery life has improved. Especially the time between 80% and 30%. Let us know if any of this helps. Happy Holidays!

 

[nburwell]

I haven't owned an iPad since the first generation, so I vaguely remember how the battery was when I owned it. From what I remember, my rMini lasts a little bit less than the original iPad. However, I do a lot more stuff on my rMini that I didn't do on my iPad.

I certainly do not think the rMini battery is awful. Since I use it a lot for watching TV shows and videos, light internet browsing, Facebook and Twitter, and using it as an eReader. I generally only used the original iPad for light internet browsing and some video watching.

 

[Zxxv]

I don't think the iPad mini battery is as good as the iPad. Well my iPad mini battery is not as good as my iPad 4

 

[JackieInCo]

I don't think the iPad mini battery is as good as the iPad. Well my iPad mini battery is not as good as my iPad 4

When I had the original iPad Mini, I could go between 13-15 hrs of usage with 2 days standby. Today is the first since buying my Retina Mini that I have unplugged it so I will see how it goes. I wouldn't expect to be any less going by what I have read.

 

[HankHowdy]

I go from 100% to 99% in 45 mins.

The battery life is outstanding.

I did a full restore on 7.0.4 and set up as new. I have no reloading tabs issues or app restarts. My rMini runs great.

 

[Speedy Gonzalez]

I don't know how you guys use the r mini but using it hardcore like me you don't get 10 hours at all for example I can stream a long movie and use 40% of the battery at full brightness max volume and burn the 60% left playing a game for a few hours that makes the battery life average good but not great

if you guys check the web for 10 min and check facebook for another 10 then let the mini seat for 10 hours there yes you get 10+ hours of battery

 

[JackieInCo]

I don't know how you guys use the r mini but using it hardcore like me you don't get 10 hours at all for example I can stream a long movie and use 40% of the battery at full brightness max volume and burn the 60% left playing a game for a few hours that makes the battery life average good but not great

if you guys check the web for 10 min and check facebook for another 10 then let the mini seat for 10 hours there yes you get 10+ hours of battery

Of course, the 13-15 hrs I mentioned above does not include watching any videos. It does include streaming iTunes Radio or SiriusXM and lots of apps.

Since I mostly use my iPad at home, I plug it in when I want to watch Netflix or other things like that.

 

[Speedy Gonzalez]

Of course, the 13-15 hrs I mentioned above does not include watching any videos. It does include streaming iTunes Radio or SiriusXM and lots of apps.

Since I mostly use my iPad at home, I plug it in when I want to watch Netflix or other things like that.

2 of my sons got a regular mini and they get better battery life than me with the r mini they play long sessions of minecraft and watch netflix for hours

 

[xraydoc]

I don't know how you guys use the r mini but using it hardcore like me you don't get 10 hours at all for example I can stream a long movie and use 40% of the battery at full brightness max volume and burn the 60% left playing a game for a few hours that makes the battery life average good but not great

if you guys check the web for 10 min and check facebook for another 10 then let the mini seat for 10 hours there yes you get 10+ hours of battery

No iPad will get 10 hours of continuous network activity and 100% screen brightness.

 

[shamash]

It's really about the screen brightness. I've owned my rMini for about a week now, and charged it once. Before the first charge, it was on full brightness, and drained really quickly. After I finished charging it, I moved it to about half brightness. It's still at 84% with 3 hours 40 minutes usage, 1 day 2 hours standby, and having wifi connected the whole time.