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4 Replies Last post: Jul 20, 2008 8:34 PM by KPO'M

DrewAZ

186 posts since
Dec 8, 2002

Jul 18, 2008 5:57 PM

3G battery charge

I just spent my first day with my new phone and by the end of the day, the battery was dead. I had turned off Location Services, fetched emails every 15 minutes and didn't surf much at all. Maybe talked 10 minutes. My blackberry handles this sort of use and is nearly fully charged by the end of the day.

Is this typical experience or should I try to get the phone replaced.

Drew

KPO'M

1,290 posts since
Nov 29, 2001

1. Jul 18, 2008 6:30 PM

in response to: DrewAZ

Re: 3G battery charge

I can't speak from personal experience with the iPhone 3G, but as the owner of a 3G Nokia N95, I can say that 3G data and voice services do drain the battery. If you don't need push e-mail from MobileMe, then turn it off and stick with "pull" e-mail. If I run my N95 in 2G mode, it can easily go 2 days between recharges. If I leave it in 3G, a 1 hour call will leave the phone about 1/2-2/3 drained. An hour of web browsing will drain about 1/4-1/3 of the battery. The iPhone battery is better (at least according to the specs), but still a lot worse than 2G. The difference is that a 2G signal pulsates (that's what causes the infamous GSM "buzz"), while a 3G signal is a constant stream.

DrewAZ

186 posts since
Dec 8, 2002

2. Jul 18, 2008 7:51 PM

in response to: KPO'M

Re: 3G battery charge

Thanks for the comments. I don't use 'push' but it seems a little odd that I would need to get off the 3G service to be able to operate the phone for the whole work day. I suspect if I used voice much it wouldn't last half the day. I am curious if others are finding the battery issue a major problem. If not I wonder if I have a defective unit.

Thanks again ...

Drew

pdiddy

56 posts since
Mar 8, 2004

3. Jul 20, 2008 8:18 PM

in response to: DrewAZ

Re: 3G battery charge

I've noticed the same with my 3G... I cannot believe how quickly the battery loses charge.
Length of charge wasn't a huge issue for me in a phone but this is really pushing the limits.

(Blackberry could go days to a week before needing a recharge, not that I would take it back or anything)

Please chime in if others are having this issue or if you feel this is normal.

KPO'M

1,290 posts since
Nov 29, 2001

4. Jul 20, 2008 8:34 PM

in response to: pdiddy

Re: 3G battery charge

pdiddy wrote:
I've noticed the same with my 3G... I cannot believe how quickly the battery loses charge.
Length of charge wasn't a huge issue for me in a phone but this is really pushing the limits.

(Blackberry could go days to a week before needing a recharge, not that I would take it back or anything)

Please chime in if others are having this issue or if you feel this is normal.

It's normal. Remember, the Bold will be the first 3G GSM BlackBerry. All others have been EDGE or below. Here's the specs for my Nokia N95:

Battery: Nokia Battery (BL-6F) 1200mAH
Talk time: up to 2.7 hours (WCDMA), up to 4 hours (GSM)
Stand-by time: up to 8.3 days (WCDMA), up to 9.4 days (GSM)

Look at the difference in talk time between 3G (WCMDA) and 2G (GSM). I'd say 2.7 hours on 3G is pushing it on the N95. If I talk for an hour straight, the battery is usually about half drained. The standby time is also inflated (under both, but particularly under 3G). But even with the "official" specs you can see that it's mostly 3G causing the difference, not Nokia or Apple's exaggeration.

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This Question is Possibly Answered

Jul 18, 2008 5:57 PM

3G battery charge

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