What a guy at the Apple Store told be about Battery

[AHDuke99]

So I have been pretty pissed about my battery performance on my new iPhone 3G. On most days, I get about 2.5 hours of usage and 11-12 hours of standby before it tells me I have 10% left. Today, I left 3G, Wifi, location services and PUSH all off and got the same amount of usage out of the phone. I also turned the screen down to about 25%.

Anyway, I went to the Apple store to get some questions answered, and one guy told me that that type of usage is normal and that the new iPhone requires more battery to do just about everything. He basically said I shouldn't expect more than about 12 hours of standby and 2 hours of usage in any given day. Today, I talked for about an hour total, visited one web site, and listened to the iPod for about an hour.

Is this true? I am tempted to go back and just return the thing and use my 1st gen iPhone. That would last me a full 24 hours without having to bring a charger with me throughout the day.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I get an average of at least four hours of usage every day doing a lot of different things with 3G on the whole time at 50%-60% brightness. That guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[cheapa55]

LIAR!!!! j/k. you can find on other threads about usage. I have everything off, even 3G off, and I easily get 2 full days of standby and using the phone occasionally. NO problems at all. When I turn everything on and use the phone more, last only morning til night.

 

[Dizle]

the guy at the apple store is full of ****....drain the battery completely a few times and if the batt life isn't getting better I would take it back. I easily get 14hrs standby and 5 hrs usage. heres a screen shot at 10% warning,
3g on
loc off
wifi on
screen at 30% w/ auto

no music or vid played just internet, txts, calls, and apps.

 

[AHDuke99]

Yeah, I should've waited around to talk to a genius, but I didn't feel like sitting there for an hour. I'll go back Monday when I have time to sit with a genius. I've had it since the 13th, so I've drained the battery daily.

He just told me "yeah, it sucks, but the phone uses more juice to do just about everything as compared to the old one."

I did look at the usage thing, and I've never gotten over a day of standby when I've actually used it to do more than talk.

 

[tritonj]

the guy you talked to probably can't even find his way out of the store, that has to be the biggest load of misinformation i have heard in a while

 

[ogdogg]

I'd take it back if you're getting less than 4 hours of use on a charge... I get about 5+ hours of use and 19 hours of standby per day...

Did you condition your battery when you first got it?

Also, I've never turned 3G or GPS off...

 

[droeun]

I can go a full day with heavy usage (10:00am - 9:00pm) with email every hour, wifi & 3G (no edge in my area) and still have over 60% left the next morning.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

I can go a full day with heavy usage (10:00am - 9:00pm) with email every hour, wifi & 3G (no edge in my area) and still have over 60% left the next morning.

really? I get more than the OP but I still have to charge it every night otherwise I'd be worries that I'd run out during the next day and that's just not a good situation to be in with a phone. I'd say battery is poor to ok but I'm hopng my daily charging will not mean I've got a dead battery after a year! I'm horrified by the talk of only 400 charges! That won't even get me to my minimum 18 mnths contract!

By the way, the usage timer is blatantly a complete liar and bears no resemblence to my actual usage!

 

[SandersHokie]

I'd take it back if you're getting less than 4 hours of use on a charge... I get about 5+ hours of use and 19 hours of standby per day...

Did you condition your battery when you first got it?

Also, I've never turned 3G or GPS off...

what do you mean by conditioning it?

 

[extraextra]

I get around 5-6 hours of usage. 3G is off unless I need it (when no wifi is available), brightness is at 30-40%. I surf the web, listen to music, and text. Calls are maybe 30-45 minutes and I don't use location services/GPS.

If I don't use the internet much, I can get a good 8-9 hours (maybe more?). Something sounds wrong with your battery.

 

[shinenjk]

So I have been pretty pissed about my battery performance on my new iPhone 3G. On most days, I get about 2.5 hours of usage and 11-12 hours of standby before it tells me I have 10% left. Today, I left 3G, Wifi, location services and PUSH all off and got the same amount of usage out of the phone. I also turned the screen down to about 25%.

Anyway, I went to the Apple store to get some questions answered, and one guy told me that that type of usage is normal and that the new iPhone requires more battery to do just about everything. He basically said I shouldn't expect more than about 12 hours of standby and 2 hours of usage in any given day. Today, I talked for about an hour total, visited one web site, and listened to the iPod for about an hour.

Is this true? I am tempted to go back and just return the thing and use my 1st gen iPhone. That would last me a full 24 hours without having to bring a charger with me throughout the day.

Definitely not true.

As of now I have 3hours and 50mins of usage with 15hours of standby and my battery is at 50%.

And another thing to note is that my battery seems to have improved a lot the past week since the purchase. It really depends on how you're using your iPhone though. If you are using it like a laptop then yes, you will drain the battery FAST. Today I did mostly GPS/google maps stuff because I was driving out to a conference then biked to a bike shop. Also listened to music, sent some texts, and used Loopt now and then. No hardcore browsing or anything.

 

[yadig22]

that guy is full of bs - swap the phone for a new one

 

[criscris]

I do find it funny people think turning off everthing, not surfing and not using the iPod is cause for celebration. I've discussed these issues with my provider and they've shipped another phone out to me. It should be here by Friday. If the performance does not improve, I've told them I'm sending the 2nd phone back as well! Of course they threw out the policy of 30 minutes usage or 30 days use, after which you cannot return it. I laughed and said I'll be terminating my contract with them if they don't. The threat of unused months left on my contract doesn't worry me, as I've had friends in these situations before. They will only bully those who allow them to. Imagine how QUICK Apple would respond if the backlash from service providers was real big. Instead of doing nothing, if you are unhappy, as so many people on here and elsewhere seem to be, hit them where it matters!! It is a multimedia phone... It should work like one. Not having to turn off everything to watch a damn YouTube video or 2.

 

[bbplayer5]

My battery can last several days on standby witout dropping at all. That guy should be fired!!

 

[marksandvig]

lol

My battery can last several days on standby witout dropping at all. That guy should be fired!!

Punishment might be a little harsh.

 

[dissdnt]

the guy at the apple store is full of ****....drain the battery completely a few times and if the batt life isn't getting better I would take it back. I easily get 14hrs standby and 5 hrs usage. heres a screen shot at 10% warning,
3g on
loc off
wifi on
screen at 30% w/ auto

no music or vid played just internet, txts, calls, and apps.

that picture is a total lie. you can't get that many bars on AT&T

 

[btcutter]

This is with 3G. Wifi for a few hrs. GPS minimal use and 25% Brightness setting.

Lot of surfing and data transfer and emails.

You battery should easily last a full day with 1 charge.

Just plugged in to charge.

 

[criscris]

I can go a full day with heavy usage (10:00am - 9:00pm) with email every hour, wifi & 3G (no edge in my area) and still have over 60% left the next morning.

I doubt that. Unless you've lucked out with the only iPhone that retains battery power on the planet. I think you're exaggerating ally. 60% the next morning??Haha yeh right.

 

[AHDuke99]

Conditioned it - meaning letting it drain all the way down and then recharging it? If so, yes, I've done that as my battery dies every day.

I'll make another appointment and talk with the genius rather than asking the guy who works on the floor. He told me the geniuses would tell me the same thing and that my usage stats were "normal." I told him it was ridiculous for a phone not to last a whole day and it is normal and all he said was "yeah it sucks."

If there is a different method to conditioning it, please tell me. I can't afford to keep having it die on me.


Also, I noticed what looks like a small bubble of some sort on the bottom of the phone on the back. Since I've always had my Incase case on it, I am surprised by this. I know I might seem picky now, but I paid $199 for this and I want it to work, not have to turn off 3G, Location services, Wifi, etc just so I can get 2 hours out of it.

The guy sounded like he was clueless, but I didn't have time to stick around today and they were backed up at the Genius bar.

 

[AHDuke99]

This is with 3G. Wifi for a few hrs. GPS minimal use and 25% Brightness setting.

Lot of surfing and data transfer and emails.

You battery should easily last a full day with 1 charge.

Just plugged in to charge.

Yeah, the most I've ever gotten was 2.5 hrs of usage and 12 hours of standby and then I got the 10% warning. The guy told me an hour of iPod use, and hour of talking, and 10 minutes of web surfing on EDGE and then getting the 10% warning was "normal."

 

[SandersHokie]

Yeah, the most I've ever gotten was 2.5 hrs of usage and 12 hours of standby and then I got the 10% warning. The guy told me an hour of iPod use, and hour of talking, and 10 minutes of web surfing on EDGE and then getting the 10% warning was "normal."

no way. so basically you are using your phone for two hours? That can't be right.

 

[NotFound]

Yeah, the most I've ever gotten was 2.5 hrs of usage and 12 hours of standby and then I got the 10% warning. The guy told me an hour of iPod use, and hour of talking, and 10 minutes of web surfing on EDGE and then getting the 10% warning was "normal."

Did he happen to look like a guy with 60billion in the bank, or the CEO of a rivaling company?

 

[AHDuke99]

Did he happen to look like a guy with 60billion in the bank, or the CEO of a rivaling company?

No, he was a gay guy, or at least he looked flaming to me and I have pretty bad "gaydar." Shaved head, high voice, lisp.

He said this with a straight face even though I started laughing at him and said "so you're telling me it's normal that I only get a half a day usage of my phone? Is Apple lying when they say 5 hours of talk if it's only 2?"

Then I just said I'd be back.

 

[chinl]

I had around 30 hours of standby with 5+ of usage before I got the 20% yesterday. I'm not sure what the usage was exactly (mostly not phone). Completely charge and deplete (until the phone turns itself off) a couple times when you first get it to calibrate the thing.