Having your phone searching for nearby Wi-Fi networks all day is probably the single biggest power drain aside from the display.
I recently had the great misfortune of discovering this is not correct. I just completed a contract in the high desert region of California where I couldn't get a reasonable signal which caused the phone to constantly search for a signal. As a result, my phone had to be charged twice daily.
The biggest thing here is that no matter how great the battery is or how great the OS software is at increasing battery life, if you use a ton of apps for hours every day, you'll be plugging in. There are a ton of Galaxy S3s and S4s and a few S5s at my job...and they're all being used to listen to music and do text and check Facebook (the latter two aren't really allowed but people do them anyway). There are also a bunch of iPhones being used for the same purposes. There are a lot of Galaxy's and iPhones plugged in at some point during the night (graveyard shift). Some people do carry a spare, which is great, but even they go through that one like its candy.
I generally charge my iPhone up to 100% before work and usually only use it for music and some texting (being a machine operator I'm allowed to text maintenance who also use company iPhones) and only ever see a 5% drop in most cases. Depends on where in the building I am and what the signal looks like. Am I the norm? Probably not, but I don't do Facebook and other social networking services. During the day, I text my girlfriend and email my parents occasionally. Otherwise I'm playing the occasional game and/or reading tech sites and listen to music. That usually only chews through about 25% battery all day. Course I should be sleeping most of the day too so that eliminates a lot of usage. When I get home from work, I'm usually hovering around a healthy 90-95%. Then I chop off another 25% for a still healthy 65-70%. I charge up again to 100% and start over. The only exception is when I don't work on the weekends, I'm up longer and doing more on my phone than usual. Still that lasts a lot more than even half a day or less like Samsung would have you believe.
The ad shows the woman with 10% battery life but it claims she has an entire day of standby? Who cares? Where's the nearest outlet? That'll be gone in 20 minutes of Facebook, texting and web browsing. If we're to believe that Galaxy phones have superior battery life, do benchmark tests that reflect real life use cases and see just how great it really is. Don't just do benchmark tests that run through a constant stream of websites at a specific brightness setting. Run through a whole bunch of apps that use CPU power at wildly differing levels. I'm sure different websites might use different levels of CPU power, but I bet a variety of apps will do a better job stressing things out.
Samsung on Thursday took its latest shot at Apple, in a new minute-long advertisement that refers to iPhone users as "wall huggers," suggesting they're constantly tethered to an outlet to keep their handset charged.
Go to LAX and every 10 feet is a Samsung charging kiosk (along with the Samsung displays and rest areas with charging stations & wifi).
iPhone gets great battery life considering how relatively small the battery actually is. Once the 4.7" models come out I predict it will completely blow Android out of the water.
I USED TO BE a wall hugger when I had the Samsung Galaxy S phone. It lasted me from 8 AM until 3 PM. That's a whopping 7 hours before it died and had to go back to the wall. Then I got myself an iPhone 4s and never looked back.
The funny thing is that since the S5 came out, Samsung has made several new smartphones they present as top of the line, so... the 'latest Samsung' isn't the S5.
I easily get through the day on a single charge too. Although I did wake up to a phone that only had a charge of 37% this morning. I had a small wad of pocket lint in my lighting connecter port and never had a good connection on my clock radio dock. I'm at 11% and I'm heading home shortly – no big deal. If Sammy's battery life was so good, why do you need to carry a second battery for your phone?
They've simply taken a page from the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads.
I truly wish Apple's advertising would strap on a pair, instead of the atmospheric, feel-good, aimlessly repetitive efforts of late.
"They've simply taken a page from the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads."
Yep, and that is one of it's biggest issues. Apple invented them and Samsung has proved they are so totally devoid of new ideas and can only follow apple around copying them (albeit their copies are a couple years late and always "then than" the original, as is so in this case)
When you are way, way behind in a market you need to "attack" the market leader (as was the case with Apple's "i'm a Mac" ads, MS had, conservatively, 90% of the "PC market apple was way behind in share but had a significantly higher quality product) If you are a market leader (or even close to a front runner) you don't -ever- mention your competition. (this is advertising 101)
This proves that despite all the blustering and puffery by samsung execs they know they are the trailing dogs in this market and are chasing apple (and are way behind) The fact that they couldn't even come up with an original attack ad and are really attempting to highlight a supposed "weakness" that doesn't affect users 85% of the users 98% of the time is likely the most damming reality of this sad little campaign.
It will likely be a failure, just like almost all of samesung's ads only able to mislead and thereby prey on the uninformed.
Another iPhone user is shown being envious of a Samsung device user who is swapping out the battery on their handset.
I have never seen an envious iPhone user of a Samsung product. Heck, even the personalities that Samsung hires or uses boast of their Samsung device then go tweeting on their iOS device.
And if you think about it, the Samsung ad has their phone requiring a second battery. What does that say for the power saving Samsung device if you forgot that second battery?
The only reason that Samsung's battery lasts (well doesn't because they have to change it all the time) is the fact that no one actually uses a Samsung for... well anything according to the research.
I charge my iPhone 5S once every night and it lasts all day long, even after streaming music and watching videos. Once you know how to adjust the settings it's battery power is more than adequate for the average consumer. Once again Samsung is praying on the uneducated iPhone user.
WRONG! There's no such thing as an uneducated iPhone user. Uneducated people use shamesung phones. Educated people use iPhones. Get that straight!
Looool. I love my Samsung Note 3. Battery life is beyond awesome. My friends iPhones they constantly looking for a wall is true. Of course there must be the exception to the rule but the S5 has a mode where you can go with 10% battery for a full day.
I was given a brand new Samsung S4 Mini as my new work phone 4 weeks ago. On the 1st Friday evening, I switched it into flight mode with 85% battery remaining and put it to one side. On the Sunday evening I went to check that the alarm was set for the correct time and the battery was completely discharged.
I had spotted that Google Music Play seemed to have started up every time I picked up the phone even after I had tried to kill it a few times. I spoke to my Android expert in the office on the Monday and he said this kind of thing would be a problem unless I fully disabled all of the Samsung & Google cr&p that I don't use & cannot uninstall. Having done this, music play remains switched off & battery life is better.
It's not measured in any way but my 2.5 yr old iPhone 4s seems to do as well as the brand new S4 re battery life for similar tasks!
Comments
I recently had the great misfortune of discovering this is not correct. I just completed a contract in the high desert region of California where I couldn't get a reasonable signal which caused the phone to constantly search for a signal. As a result, my phone had to be charged twice daily.
no panty lines.
Of course the Samsung's battery lasts longer! It's normal for unused devices to leave the charge in the battery.
Despicable, lowlife entity !
I am reminded of a comment from a Professor, long ago ...
"Proof by repeated assertion".
That's Samsung!
I generally charge my iPhone up to 100% before work and usually only use it for music and some texting (being a machine operator I'm allowed to text maintenance who also use company iPhones) and only ever see a 5% drop in most cases. Depends on where in the building I am and what the signal looks like. Am I the norm? Probably not, but I don't do Facebook and other social networking services. During the day, I text my girlfriend and email my parents occasionally. Otherwise I'm playing the occasional game and/or reading tech sites and listen to music. That usually only chews through about 25% battery all day. Course I should be sleeping most of the day too so that eliminates a lot of usage. When I get home from work, I'm usually hovering around a healthy 90-95%. Then I chop off another 25% for a still healthy 65-70%. I charge up again to 100% and start over. The only exception is when I don't work on the weekends, I'm up longer and doing more on my phone than usual. Still that lasts a lot more than even half a day or less like Samsung would have you believe.
The ad shows the woman with 10% battery life but it claims she has an entire day of standby? Who cares? Where's the nearest outlet? That'll be gone in 20 minutes of Facebook, texting and web browsing. If we're to believe that Galaxy phones have superior battery life, do benchmark tests that reflect real life use cases and see just how great it really is. Don't just do benchmark tests that run through a constant stream of websites at a specific brightness setting. Run through a whole bunch of apps that use CPU power at wildly differing levels. I'm sure different websites might use different levels of CPU power, but I bet a variety of apps will do a better job stressing things out.
Samsung: The Next Big Lie...is already here.
Samsung on Thursday took its latest shot at Apple, in a new minute-long advertisement that refers to iPhone users as "wall huggers," suggesting they're constantly tethered to an outlet to keep their handset charged.
Go to LAX and every 10 feet is a Samsung charging kiosk (along with the Samsung displays and rest areas with charging stations & wifi).
I USED TO BE a wall hugger when I had the Samsung Galaxy S phone. It lasted me from 8 AM until 3 PM. That's a whopping 7 hours before it died and had to go back to the wall. Then I got myself an iPhone 4s and never looked back.
I easily get through the day on a single charge too. Although I did wake up to a phone that only had a charge of 37% this morning. I had a small wad of pocket lint in my lighting connecter port and never had a good connection on my clock radio dock. I'm at 11% and I'm heading home shortly – no big deal. If Sammy's battery life was so good, why do you need to carry a second battery for your phone?
In all objectivity, I thought I'd have a terrible battery with my 5S. It's actually pretty good and lasts from 8am to 10 pm with normal usage.
A collegue of mine told me just today the he has less than 1 day with his pretty new S3.
They've simply taken a page from the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads.
I truly wish Apple's advertising would strap on a pair, instead of the atmospheric, feel-good, aimlessly repetitive efforts of late.
"They've simply taken a page from the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads."
Yep, and that is one of it's biggest issues. Apple invented them and Samsung has proved they are so totally devoid of new ideas and can only follow apple around copying them (albeit their copies are a couple years late and always "then than" the original, as is so in this case)
When you are way, way behind in a market you need to "attack" the market leader (as was the case with Apple's "i'm a Mac" ads, MS had, conservatively, 90% of the "PC market apple was way behind in share but had a significantly higher quality product) If you are a market leader (or even close to a front runner) you don't -ever- mention your competition. (this is advertising 101)
This proves that despite all the blustering and puffery by samsung execs they know they are the trailing dogs in this market and are chasing apple (and are way behind) The fact that they couldn't even come up with an original attack ad and are really attempting to highlight a supposed "weakness" that doesn't affect users 85% of the users 98% of the time is likely the most damming reality of this sad little campaign.
It will likely be a failure, just like almost all of samesung's ads only able to mislead and thereby prey on the uninformed.
Another iPhone user is shown being envious of a Samsung device user who is swapping out the battery on their handset.
I have never seen an envious iPhone user of a Samsung product. Heck, even the personalities that Samsung hires or uses boast of their Samsung device then go tweeting on their iOS device.
And if you think about it, the Samsung ad has their phone requiring a second battery. What does that say for the power saving Samsung device if you forgot that second battery?
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I charge my iPhone 5S once every night and it lasts all day long, even after streaming music and watching videos. Once you know how to adjust the settings it's battery power is more than adequate for the average consumer. Once again Samsung is praying on the uneducated iPhone user.
WRONG! There's no such thing as an uneducated iPhone user. Uneducated people use shamesung phones. Educated people use iPhones. Get that straight!
I had spotted that Google Music Play seemed to have started up every time I picked up the phone even after I had tried to kill it a few times. I spoke to my Android expert in the office on the Monday and he said this kind of thing would be a problem unless I fully disabled all of the Samsung & Google cr&p that I don't use & cannot uninstall. Having done this, music play remains switched off & battery life is better.
It's not measured in any way but my 2.5 yr old iPhone 4s seems to do as well as the brand new S4 re battery life for similar tasks!
The Pontiac Aztec gets better fuel economy than a BMW M3.
Guess that automatically makes it the better and more desirable of the two.
Pontiac Aztec
19 city / 26 highway
BMW M3
14 city / 20 highway