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Android with long battery life

R

rui-no-onna

Android Enthusiast
Any recommendations for an Android phone with long battery life? My parents both have the LG Thrive (Optimus One) and it needs to be charged nightly despite being fairly low use. Unfortunately, they need 3G data on all the time (for Google Voice SMS) so Juice Defender wouldn't work.

Or is an Android with long battery life an oxymoron?
 
rui-no-onna said:
Any recommendations for an Android phone with long battery life? My parents both have the LG Thrive (Optimus One) and it needs to be charged nightly despite being fairly low use. Unfortunately, they need 3G data on all the time (for Google Voice SMS) so Juice Defender wouldn't work.

Or is an Android with long battery life an oxymoron?
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Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Of course, you can get an extended 3200 mAh battery.
 
Is wifi not available? 3G can be bad for your battery life, especially when something is constantly pinging a server checking for new messages.

Also, make sure Google Talk (aka 'Talk' in the app list) is set to not auto sign in and log out of the app to make sure that's not pinging the server. Other apps, like Facebook, will also ping the server.

But if you're looking for an Android that can last more than 2 days without charge, then you're not going to find one. No smartphone, even iPhones, will last that long with any real usage. Probably the best battery phone available on the market, ATM, would be the Galaxy S2. Then there's the root path where you can install a ROM and custom kernel that would use less power than stock.

Also, as a side note, Google Voice works with tablets, too. I've gotten text messages and voicemail on my tablet. Tablets can last a lot longer, because of their bigger batteries. My tablet will last 6 days without charge if I neglect it and let it sit in the corner.
 
If you are getting a full day out of one charge then you are doing better than most. I always use WiFi when every available.

You can also turn of the GPS if you do not need it. You can also adjust how often apps update themselves (i.e weather apps, email, etc.)
 
jerofld said:
Is wifi not available? 3G can be bad for your battery life, especially when something is constantly pinging a server checking for new messages.
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Nope. No wi-fi available. At least not all the time and my parents would sooner throw their Android if I were to make all these rules about turning off 3G data, etc.

jerofld said:
Also, make sure Google Talk (aka 'Talk' in the app list) is set to not auto sign in and log out of the app to make sure that's not pinging the server. Other apps, like Facebook, will also ping the server.
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Google Talk isn't set to automatically sign in. Facebook, however, is considered one of the must haves so no other choice but to leave that pinging the server.

jerofld said:
But if you're looking for an Android that can last more than 2 days without charge, then you're not going to find one. No smartphone, even iPhones, will last that long with any real usage. Probably the best battery phone available on the market, ATM, would be the Galaxy S2. Then there's the root path where you can install a ROM and custom kernel that would use less power than stock.
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Actually, the iPhone's battery can last pretty long given my parents' usage. If I give them an iPhone 4, I reckon it can last up to 3-4 days without charging as they're not really the type to do much web browsing. However, since the only reason I'm opting for Android (instead of a dumbphone with no data plan) is Google integration, the iPhone isn't really an option.

jerofld said:
Also, as a side note, Google Voice works with tablets, too. I've gotten text messages and voicemail on my tablet. Tablets can last a lot longer, because of their bigger batteries. My tablet will last 6 days without charge if I neglect it and let it sit in the corner.
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I think it'll be pretty darned difficult to get them both to carry a tablet. It's just plain unwieldy for simple text messaging and phone functions.

valorian said:
You can also turn of the GPS if you do not need it. You can also adjust how often apps update themselves (i.e weather apps, email, etc.)
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Automatic email, contact and calendar syncing has already been disabled and the weather app has been set to refresh every 6 hours. Need the GPS for Lookout, though, so can't turn that one off. I've pretty much stripped the running apps/services to the bare essentials so at this point, the only option is to find a phone with better battery life.
 
Ah, ok...I had some misconceptions.

So, I think the general consensus is that the Galaxy S2 is the best with battery life, ATM. And if you want to root, you could probably squeeze more out of it with a good ROM / Kernel. With little use of my EVO 3D, I could get about 2 days with my current ROM / Kernel set up.

Or you have to get an extended battery. Unfortunately, there is usually only slightly bigger than stock or gargantuan. No medium.
 
I can get a day and a half on my DInc 2 w/the stock battery. Personally I don't find having to charge at night to be a big deal. It does wireless charging so if I wanted to, it could be as simple as setting the thing down at night.
 
After 6 months, I'm revisiting this topic. Are there still no Android phones available with long battery life on AT&T? Contract is up for renewal but I'd prefer something that costs less than $200 on contract. How is reception on the new Samsung phones? Because it will be used in an area with very poor reception and my experience with the Samsung Galaxy S and Nexus S have not been good.
 
Whatever you get, look into using Quick Settings and possibly using airplane mode. If you're not using the phone (driving or whatever) there's no need to have everything on and synching. I use Quick Settings all the time.
There's also far better options than relying on voip on contact AT&T.
 
bob60626 said:
Whatever you get, look into using Quick Settings and possibly using airplane mode. If you're not using the phone (driving or whatever) there's no need to have everything on and synching. I use Quick Settings all the time.
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While I do turn off unneeded services, neither of my parents can be bothered. Would've gotten them the Droid RAZR MAXX if it was available on AT&T.

bob60626 said:
There's also far better options than relying on voip on contact AT&T.
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That made no sense... VoIP is not an option. Can't really use VoIP when there's no wifi available. In fact, I regularly use my phone as hotspot because a lot of the places I go to don't have free wifi.
 
I have the zte warp with a 3800maH extended battery stock battery lasted 3 hours with 3g on extended battery lasts me 12 to 16 hours with 3g on :D
 
None of the original post makes sense. You asked a question but are shooting down every possible answer. More details would help.
 
Currently there are no phones that will last several days. If you get a day to a day and a half with a smart phone, you're doing good. A few of the newer phones that were just released seem to have decent batteries. However if you want long battery life, you'll have to look at a double sized battery till the technology changes. Current life size of a Lithium Ion is at it's peak. If you can wait, by what I was reading, they found a technique using tin nano threads in Lithium Ion batteries to make them last 3 times longer. Estimated release time 1-5yrs depending on who decides to buy and produce it. The way technology is now, it probably won't take long for one of these big companies to do it.
 
Weaksid said:
Currently there are no phones that will last several days. If you get a day to a day and a half with a smart phone, you're doing good. A few of the newer phones that were just released seem to have decent batteries.
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Razr Maxx will last a day and a half easy and that's on LTE. turn LTE off and two days is no problem.
 
bob60626 said:
None of the original post makes sense. You asked a question but are shooting down every possible answer. More details would help.
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I asked if there was an Android phone with long battery life (with the addendum that it should work on AT&T in later posts). I think that was pretty clear. I didn't ask for tips on how to prolong battery life or alternatives to using cellular voice/data services. Basically, is there a Droid RAZR MAXX equivalent for AT&T?

Weaksid said:
Currently there are no phones that will last several days. If you get a day to a day and a half with a smart phone, you're doing good. A few of the newer phones that were just released seem to have decent batteries.
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I think it's possible given my parents' use case (very light usage). Their daily cellphone use consists of 10 minutes worth of calls, 3-5 texts and a quick check of Facebook messages (10 mins tops since they'll move to the PC if they need to reply). Oh yeah, occasional GPS use with Where's My Droid and/or Lookout as we tend to misplace our phones at least once a day. With their usage, I believe the iPhone 4 can last 3-4 days (I've had mine last a week without charging with low use). However, I'd really prefer to get them Android. At this point, though, I'm considering the iPhone if no good Android options come up.

I'm looking for an Android phone that works on AT&T, has excellent standby time and comes with good radios (for poor reception areas). Oh yeah, one that doesn't come with Carrier IQ. Apparently, that's what keeps draining the battery life on my mom's LG Thrive so quickly (can't even last 12 hours) not to mention using up a lot of data. I'm thinking an LTE phone would be good since they tend to come with bigger batteries. I can just disable LTE since the 'rents don't need it anyway.
 
Okay, I wasn't looking at very light usage. Now I know ;)

You could just buy the Droid RAZR MAXX and unlock it. That will allow you to use it on any network. I think even some cell companies will unlock it for you if you call their support. Even though it wasn't bought through them, they usually won't turn away a customer that has a plan through them.
 
Don't want to take a chance with the RAZR MAXX. Besides, it's mighty expensive without a contract ($650-800 unlocked).
Verizon Wireless is activating GSM roaming capability for the first time on LTE handsets, turning on radios that were already built into the Motorola Droid Razr and Droid Razr Maxx.

Now, along with an upgrade to Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, Verizon is pushing out software that activates the GSM radios in the two Motorola smartphones. As soon as subscribers get the update, which started going out Friday, they can use international roaming in about 150 countries.

Occasional travelers can talk on foreign carrier networks at rates ranging from $0.69 per minute in Canada to $4.99 per minute in Kenya, Sri Lanka and several other countries. A $4.99-per-month Value Plan reduces those rates. Data roaming, on networks with speeds up to 3G, costs $0.02 per kilobyte or $20.48 per megabyte in most countries, or $25 per month for 100MB.

Subject to restrictions, Verizon can also allow subscribers to go to a foreign carrier and buy a new SIM card to replace the one in their Razr or Razr Maxx, spokeswoman Brenda Raney said. They would then pay the foreign carrier's rates, while also relying on that carrier for support, she said. Verizon subscribers can't use the phones on GSM-based carriers in the U.S., she said.
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Yeah, the price is the only downfall. I've been looking at buying a possible used one on Ebay right now till the Tegra 3 + LTE phones come out. I was hoping in December to get one, but it looks like it will be Q1 2013 by what I last read. I wasn't planning on renewing my contract till then with Verizon. If you want to get one with a new two year contract through AT&T, I'll have to look more into which ones they are offering. I just sort of know what Verizon has. Wish I could be more helpful.
 
Weaksid said:
Yeah, the price is the only downfall. I've been looking at buying a possible used one on Ebay right now till the Tegra 3 + LTE phones come out. I was hoping in December to get one, but it looks like it will be Q1 2013 by what I last read. I wasn't planning on renewing my contract till then with Verizon. If you want to get one with a new two year contract through AT&T, I'll have to look more into which ones they are offering. I just sort of know what Verizon has. Wish I could be more helpful.
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Thanks. I'm researching my options. Unfortunately, none of the review sites tackle standby time and the manufacturer specs are a load of crap. I mean really, 24.0 days (576 hours) 3G standby time for the Galaxy S? How the heck do they come up with those values? Because even on airplane mode with cellular, wi-fi, bluetooth and GPS disabled (just sitting at home for the weekend, not being used), my Galaxy S still dies within 3 days.

Phones I'm considering right now are:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus: 1750 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S III: 2100 mAh
HTC One X: 1800 mAh
Sony Xperia Ion: 1900 mAh
iPhone 4: 1420 mAh (but it seems it's more aggressive when it comes to power saving options compared to Android)

Leaning towards the Ion. It's the cheapest among the above options (on contract) and I've had pretty good experience with my Xperia Ray. Right now, the Ray is at 48% battery after 3d 5h 30m of light use. Alas, the parents would prefer a bigger phone. All of the above (bar the iPhone) are LTE enabled so I think disabling LTE should help boost battery life.
 
The Razr Maxx has the best battery life out of the box. Even You could put in an app killer app and a start up monitor app. They help a little.
 
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