I've had this burning question for a while; does 5G use more battery power? After some testing, I now know it does, and quite a bit extra: ~25%, when streaming.
So I got my brand new iPhone 15 this last weekend, and after re-installing my home provider eSIM I thought to just leave it on the default 5G-auto to see how it goes. I can now watch a 2 hour movie faster....
For context, I work in a warehouse in Belgium, driving a forklift, and we are each allowed to play our own music. It's often a cacophony of genres from around the world as we move around. There also seems to sometimes be a competition to see who can play theirs the loudest. My Bose Flex does a good job, but some guys have these JBL monsters.
I thought this a perfect place for my 5G test: Same radio stream, same location. 8 hours each test. Also, the 5G in our warehouse is almost full.
1st image, 5G all shift. 2nd image, 4G all shift: (you will see 4G in the top right of the 1st image, because I switched it back to that after I realised the problem, and only took the screenshot when I got home. I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the end of the shift)
Moral of the story; if you're not sure if 5G will make your life better, don't bother with it. 4G/LTE will do the job, and then some. with hours to spare. My 12 mini hated me when I tried 5G, poor thing.
And if this will help the overall life span of my battery, even better. The rest of the time I plan to just use my phone, on 4G. No, I'm not one of those battery fanatics.
On the 3rd day I decided to just play 'My Station' on Apple Music all day, again on 4G. Got home with 70% charge still left. The 3rd image is that.
So I got my brand new iPhone 15 this last weekend, and after re-installing my home provider eSIM I thought to just leave it on the default 5G-auto to see how it goes. I can now watch a 2 hour movie faster....
For context, I work in a warehouse in Belgium, driving a forklift, and we are each allowed to play our own music. It's often a cacophony of genres from around the world as we move around. There also seems to sometimes be a competition to see who can play theirs the loudest. My Bose Flex does a good job, but some guys have these JBL monsters.
I thought this a perfect place for my 5G test: Same radio stream, same location. 8 hours each test. Also, the 5G in our warehouse is almost full.
1st image, 5G all shift. 2nd image, 4G all shift: (you will see 4G in the top right of the 1st image, because I switched it back to that after I realised the problem, and only took the screenshot when I got home. I wasn't sure if I'd make it to the end of the shift)
Moral of the story; if you're not sure if 5G will make your life better, don't bother with it. 4G/LTE will do the job, and then some. with hours to spare. My 12 mini hated me when I tried 5G, poor thing.
And if this will help the overall life span of my battery, even better. The rest of the time I plan to just use my phone, on 4G. No, I'm not one of those battery fanatics.
On the 3rd day I decided to just play 'My Station' on Apple Music all day, again on 4G. Got home with 70% charge still left. The 3rd image is that.
