My job is related with being outside and using the phone. I head out at 7:30 and get back home at around 15:30, and the battery can't get me through the day, typically dies with around 3 hours of SoT..
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone XS New iPhone Xs terrible battery life
- Thread starter johny328i
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My job is related with being outside and using the phone. I head out at 7:30 and get back home at around 15:30, and the battery can't get me through the day, typically dies with around 3 hours of SoT..
I bought a new XS almost 2 weeks ago. For the first few days I thought the battery life was awful but I was using it a lot being a new phone. This last week it has improved dramatically. Yesterday I was still at 50% come the evening and it was charged the day before. Here is my screenshot for what it’s worth.
Attachments
I forgot to ask, with your usage being outdoor, do you have Auto Brightness set to On? Reason being when you’re outside it typically cranks up the Brightness significantly meaning your battery usage will be higher than normal. I sometimes see my XS Max at 100% brightness when outdoors.
I would recommend possibly reducing the White Point in Accessibility to reduce the power usage of the Display, while using it in Low Power Mode.
Why do we pay this price if we have to make compromises when using the phone..like battery saving modes and reducing brightness
Because Apple put tiny batteries and think people live in controlled laboratories where they will do the exact same usage every single day. Lol.
Encouraging report. The phone I'm using at the moment is a HTC10 - it's been totally brilliant - and I typically get to late evening with 70%+ if I haven't been using navigation or had any long calls. No way, I think, the XS will match that, but the battery life should suffice for a retired man who's home much of the time.🤞If not, well, I'm 72 and I've made bigger mistakes along the way!
Because a smartphone is a compromise. Brightness, especially at 100 percent, is a guaranteed killer for any battery of any smartphone. Coupled with an app like Penguin Isle that kills a fully charged iPad Pro 2017 in 2-3 hours you're in for a bad surprise. That's why everyone is asking so many questions about your usage.Why do we pay this price if we have to make compromises when using the phone..like battery saving modes and reducing brightness
When I say I'm a light user I mean I'm a really light user, maybe a couple of short calls and SMS per day, which is why I'm reasonably optimistic the XS will suit me. Certainly I would not consider an iPhone or any 'premium' phone if I was still working, still out and about with customers, managers, and colleagues calling me all day. For someone who needs their phone as a business tool I think a cheap brick with a jumbo battery is going to be much better, but I guess that's getting off topic.
My XS has just arrived, yippee-ki-yay
).Is it possible to return it for an 11? I assume they are about the same price. Non pro 11 obviously
Samsung has just released their first smartphone in as many years with a removable/replaceable battery. I’m secretly intrigued and hoping it sells well. It’s a trend I’d like to see revived although not something I’d ever expect to see on an Apple device but one can dream
A reset for all settings could help. This sometimes would help deal with battery drains caused by restoring backup from a different iPhone or from an older version of iOS.
Well, when not using the phone, there is no drain.
Inside on wifi and screen brightness around 50% gives a pretty solid battery life...like 10% per hour - I feel I can get around 8 hours SoT if I'm at home.
But when I use it outdoors on mobile data, it drains the battery for 3-3:30 hours.
I had a SE back in the days, it reaches 4 hours with the same usage.
Inside on wifi and screen brightness around 50% gives a pretty solid battery life...like 10% per hour - I feel I can get around 8 hours SoT if I'm at home.
But when I use it outdoors on mobile data, it drains the battery for 3-3:30 hours.
I had a SE back in the days, it reaches 4 hours with the same usage.
It looks like your phone is working OK but just doesn’t have the battery for your usage. In reviews the XS has been criticised for battery life since it was launched, so maybe not a total surprise?
With no exchange or refund option - and the obvious 11 Pro alternative is a painful price bump - I guess you’ll just have to manage with power packs and suchlike. In fairness, that’s how countless cellphone users, perhaps especially iPhone users, have got by for years.
For me, being home most days and making/receiving very few calls, XS battery life is looking as good as you predicted earlier in this thread. I charged it yesterday evening and it’s currently at 67%, see screenshot.
I wish you well with the phone and hope you find a way to make it work for you.
My previous phone was one with a 4000mah battery, OLED screen and a latest Snapdragon (855) processors, so maybe I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to battery life - it lasted almost double the Xs outdoors on mobile data. But it was a physically big (6.4") phone, so I've sold it after almost 2 months.
Seems like when it comes to compact phones, there isn't much choice, and phones with good batteries.
Low power mode helps a bit, but overall, it's a lost battle for me.
Maybe 11 Pro would be sufficient, but at 1100$ for what it is sold here, I can't justify the price. Bear in mind that the average monthly salary hovers around 500$ here. I myself run a small retail business and the 11 Pro is gonna cost me one month of work, but the Xs was 700$, so I couldn't justify the price difference.
Seems like when it comes to compact phones, there isn't much choice, and phones with good batteries.
Low power mode helps a bit, but overall, it's a lost battle for me.
Maybe 11 Pro would be sufficient, but at 1100$ for what it is sold here, I can't justify the price. Bear in mind that the average monthly salary hovers around 500$ here. I myself run a small retail business and the 11 Pro is gonna cost me one month of work, but the Xs was 700$, so I couldn't justify the price difference.
Then it’s your usage outdoors. Either your usage is too heavy, the brightness is too high, or both. I can’t see the Xs at full brightness using, I don’t know, maps with LTE lasting more than 5 hours of SoT.
You saying that you get a pretty normal 8 hours indoors with 50% brightness tells me that it isn’t the phone, sadly. It’s your usage.
LTE has always had a heavier impact on battery life. (I’d say that in my experience it lasts around 25-30% less on LTE with the same usage), but ny usage isn’t too heavy, so your mileage may vary.
As someone who had the Xs, yes the battery life is subpar. Also as someone who owns the Xs Max now and uses wireless charging religiously... I can say there's a big difference.
I can easily get 6-8 hours of screen on time on my Xs Max. I love this phone.
Unrelated... I don't like the Apple logo in the middle. Looks weird.
I can easily get 6-8 hours of screen on time on my Xs Max. I love this phone.
Unrelated... I don't like the Apple logo in the middle. Looks weird.
Battery life is not stellar with the XS. It’s hot fast charging tho so it’s been a non issue for me. I also have a smart case.