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Help Battery life and battery management

So for those of you with the Seidio 4000, how long does it take for the initial charge to reach 100% (or thereabout)?
 
My 4000mAh Seido will take anywhere from 4-6 hours. Looking at my battery monitor history, the first 2-3 hours will take it to 100% and it will stay up there for another 2-3 hours then do the whole float charge see-saw until I take it off the charger.
 
4-6 hours is relatively quick for something two and a half sizes bigger than the stock battery to charge to 100% right out of the Seidio box. Are you sure that's accurate?

Or, does it come precharged already? If that's the case, then I guess 4-6 hours is reasonable.
 
They probably ship the battery with a half-charge. It's an industry standard thing to do with li-ion batteries.
 
jerofld said:
They probably ship the battery with a half-charge. It's an industry standard thing to do with li-ion batteries.
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I figured as much... And since mine will be arriving at work in the next few days, and I already have a charger setup there, it'll probably be fully charged by quitting time.
 
So I just got the 4000 battery today. It comes precharged, indicator read 60 percent. Have really had time to put it through it's paces but I will say this: the extra girth feels better in the hand.
 
^ Let us know how you like it in the coming days and weeks. I'm sure I'll be right there with you with my assessment of my 4000mah battery and case as well.
 
Got an EVO 3D yesterday. I noticed today that battery life was horrendous when making a call. With the phone idle, drain was about like my EVO4G. The phone was at about 40% and I made about a 5 minute phone call. It dropped to about 20%. I charged for a bit (didn't have a lot of time) but got it back up to 50%. I made another 6 minute phone call and the phone dropped down to 16% and then a couple of minutes after I hung up it dropped into "saver mode". I charged again during another break and got back to about 50% and made a call on the way home... This call was 16 minutes and dropped my battery to 24%.

These are all according to battery monitor widget.

In looking at my battery use, everything looks normal but I can CLEARLY see when I made the phone calls as the battery drain on the graph looks almost like a cliff.

Any suggestions? Radio Issue?
 
kenn said:
Got an EVO 3D yesterday. I noticed today that battery life was horrendous when making a call. With the phone idle, drain was about like my EVO4G. The phone was at about 40% and I made about a 5 minute phone call. It dropped to about 20%. I charged for a bit (didn't have a lot of time) but got it back up to 50%. I made another 6 minute phone call and the phone dropped down to 16% and then a couple of minutes after I hung up it dropped into "saver mode". I charged again during another break and got back to about 50% and made a call on the way home... This call was 16 minutes and dropped my battery to 24%.

These are all according to battery monitor widget.

In looking at my battery use, everything looks normal but I can CLEARLY see when I made the phone calls as the battery drain on the graph looks almost like a cliff.

Any suggestions? Radio Issue?
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Go to your "Quick Settings" and look under your "Total Memory". If there's something open under "All Applications", then you need to Kill All. That might help a little. I've discovered applications still running after it's been a week since i've used them. You might also look into eliminating apps that you're not using or hardly think you'd ever use. Oh, and make sure you've got 4G, Hotspot and Bluetooth turned off if you're not using them. See if those things help.
 
ProfeZZor X said:
Go to your "Quick Settings" and look under your "Total Memory". If there's something open under "All Applications", then you need to Kill All. That might help a little. I've discovered applications still running after it's been a week since i've used them. You might also look into eliminating apps that you're not using or hardly think you'd ever use. Oh, and make sure you've got 4G, Hotspot and Bluetooth turned off if you're not using them. See if those things help.
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Thanks, but really the problem is just while talking. I sat in a room with a poor signal for 2 hours and the phone went down about 5%. I stepped outside for a strong signal to make my call and thats when the battery plummeted (during the call).
 
ProfeZZor X said:
^ Let us know how you like it in the coming days and weeks. I'm sure I'll be right there with you with my assessment of my 4000mah battery and case as well.
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I posted my initial impressions of the Seidio 4000 battery here:

http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-3d/343527-extended-battery-evo-3d.html#post2950955

After that, I used it on a three-day local trip. Comments from the trip would include:

The size just feels a bit too bulky for me, and holding it isn't comfortable. It works, and is tolerable, but I don't like it as well as I liked the EVO 4G with the big extended battery. As a result, I took the big battery out when I returned home. In my day-to-day stuff at home, I usually have a charger accessible to give a boost when needed, and I like the size a lot better.

I'm not quite as pleased as I was initially with installing/removing the enlarged back, but it is doable and it fits well once it is on.

I still found it made the "power" button on my EVO require considerable pressure to turn on and off. Doable, but not pleasing.

I didn't really give a reliable test to the battery life claims, since I was out of my normal usage patterns, but battery life is definitely extended substantially. My experience in the past has been that Seidio batteries have about 80% of the claimed capacity, and I suspect that's true here as well. A major improvement in battery life.

I'm content with it for the money, but I am not as tickled as I was with the big battery on the original EVO.
 
OK, I've been watching threads like a hawk for a wk or so now regarding extended batteries for the 3d. I actually have 2 cheap ebay spares from HK that work fine, probably about 75-85% of OEM, but I'm just sick of opening this guy up twice a day to change them, and figure with an extended battery, I can just plug it in at bedtime and never otherwise have to obsess with battery levels again. Herein is the dilemma for me, and feel free to tell me if my reasoning makes sense, or if I sound like a crackhead, feel free to tell me that too, LOL.

1. Seidio--no friggin way and here's why. My golden litmus test is obviously reviews, one of the most obvious and enriching sources of which is Amazon. Since reviews of 3d batteries are nonexistent, or few, more accurately, I go to reviews of their EVO 4g ext battery, which is not the same, but hey all I got for now. At first glance, reviews seem awesome, averaging half a star from a perfect score. Take a closer look at the convenient breakdown of reviews, though and I noticed a disturbing trend. About 10% of the reviews (accounting for lack of perfect rating), give it 1-2 stars, read some of those and universally, they say their batteries crapped out after wks or months. Worse, according to those reviews, seidio doesn't refund beyond 30 days. I do believe that seidio makes the best product out there, but the premium they charge is just too high considering that after plunking down almost half the cost of a new phone, I have a greater than 10% chance of my battery crapping out and not getting refunded (I say greater cuz I believe those reviews likely under-report such lemons, not everybody goes to the trouble).

Vs. The opposing side of the cost spectrum

EBay cheap extended batteries. Probably not, just cuz the few reviews out there indicate these are hit or miss. Hey, if I'm paying 15-30 bucks for 1-3 batteries, and waiting 3wks for them to come from HK, Id still be pissed if these were duds. Not as pissed as if I paid $80 for a seidio, but still pissed! More reviews to confirm or refute this perspective, though, would be appreciated.

Is there a happy medium here? I thought I found one from a site on one of these threads called accessoryswamp.com, price is half a seidio ($40). But I have my doubts about this too. First, the only reviews on this are on the site itself, which just seems shady. Second, up till today, they had this blurb on the site saying "to get the most of your seidio, charge it blah blah." Seidio? Wtf? They copied that from seidios site and just today I noticed they changed it to generic "extended battery.". Still, that plagarigized excerpt turned me off--just sloppy and teens of cheapness. Any reviews on this too, though, also appreciated.

What am I gonna do? I think I'm gonna wait for gotlrillagadgets to come out with their version. I called them and they said they're gonna have it mid to late this month. $30 I can live with for a 90% chance at a lasting well reviewed product. I welcome anybody to convince me otherwise though, thanks!
 
^ Thanks for your lengthy post. I found it quite humerous...

On to business, it's too soon for me to assess how the battery performs, considering this is my first night at home with it. But from the moment I snapped it on until now, I've had it plugged in (at work) and replugged again (my car), and finally plugged in yet again here at home. But in between those times the Seidio seemed to have kept a pretty decent charge. I mean after all, I can't realistically expect it to perform like a true champion without at least giving it a good nights rest to recharge (metaphorically speaking).

Admittedly, the size is a bit of a throwback to my previous phone, the bulky Touch Pro2, so it's not that big of a deal to me to have a thick phone. It does give a sense of masculinity with all that girth, but knowing that it packs a punch both in form, function, and power, I'm okay with it. Some of you may prefer stealth, but with the Seidio, that's not gonna happen... And believe me, I'd trade in stealth for function and longevity any day of the week. As for carrying it around in my pocket, it's not all that bad. Thre is a little more added weight to it, but it's not to the point of it making my pants sag.

Since I'll have a full day off work, I'll be sure to put it to the test and see how far I can get throughout the day without charging it. Wish me luck.
 
I say to each their own with regards to the battery options out there. Some folks will opt for the el cheapo 3 for 12 bucks off e-bay deals, others will spring for the Seido, a bunch will wait for Gorilla Guys or other extended batteries that will come out, and the rest will just complain at how bad their battery life is on their 3D dead stock compared to their Motorola Razor they had 12 years ago.

Some will be happy with their purchase and preach to the choir, others will not, and let their voice be heard, but most will just silently sit in the background as long as nothing goes wrong with the product they have. Honestly I think that Seido's negative review percentage is much lower if you take into count all the folks that are happy with the product but elect to remain silent.

Seido's extended battery has been good on my wife's Evo over the last 8 months and is still going strong, and I picked up one for my 3D a few weeks ago and I have nothing but good things to say about it so far.
 
I just ordered a 3500 mah battery from Hand Held Items for $14. I've been using the 3 pack 1800 mah batteries from Ebay for the past couple of days and am already getting tired of switching them out when one runs low. Can anyone recommend a good inexpensive case to go with a 3500 battery?
 
I'm glad I didn't invest in multiple batteries, because in the end they're an even bigger headache to deal with than just spending the extra money to get one big battery. This way I'm not charging multiple batteries or carrying around lots of accessories in my pocket just to keep my device operable. One big battery should be able to take care of that problem, and that's it. Although I do have the advantage of having 4 different chargers (2/home, 1/work, 1/car).

Chances are, I'll get more longevity out of the one big battery, than the smaller ones. Not only that, but I run the risk of breaking the back cover and contaminating the insides with dust or water, by changing out these smaller battery replacements. And if the bigger 4000mah battery doesn't last twice as long as some might claim that it does, oh well. At least I have the comfort knowing that the charge will eventually increase over time.

This methodology might not be for all of you, but it's certainly something to consider when making your decision on upgrading your device's battery. And not that I'm endorsing any particular product perse, because I'm not - it just makes more logical sense to me to chose a more practical and convenient product.
 
well thought id drop this off in this thread to show off the great battery life im getting now that iv messed around with some things and found a good setup for me.

I just installed viperROM 1.3 now so just gatta watch it and se if anything changes but iv been using viperROM and the overclock kernel. iv also obviously using the OC deamon with viperROM and have it on powersave while screen off and performace at 1728000 while screen on. Also, i use juice defender to manage when i connect to my wireless networks everywhere i go and have it turn off radios while screen off. what yall think?

p.s. its the stock battery
 

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This Seidio 4000mah battery is INSANE... I charged it overnight like I have for the second day since I've had it, and I've texted, made well over a dozen calls, played Angry Bird at least 3 times for about 15 minutes each, took 4 3D pictures, watched a half hour of Avatar 3D, and 10 minutes of Alice In Wonderland 3D all in one day today... And the kicker is that it still reads as fully charged.

Wow. Just... Wow.
 
I really was just counting the days till gorillagadgets releases their extended battery, but I just saw another thread where someone states these are actually just repackaged cheapo eBay batteries....aagh! Can anyone confirm or deny this? I might just give in for a seidio...but i wanna be convinced not to!
 
ProfeZZor X said:
This Seidio 4000mah battery is INSANE... I charged it overnight like I have for the second day since I've had it, and I've texted, made well over a dozen calls, played Angry Bird at least 3 times for about 15 minutes each, took 4 3D pictures, watched a half hour of Avatar 3D, and 10 minutes of Alice In Wonderland 3D all in one day today... And the kicker is that it still reads as fully charged.

Wow. Just... Wow.
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Well dang I may have to order one and in combo with the awesome battery life I'm I'm getting with just the stocker think what I'd get with that thing lol So would you say its worth the big price tag and the fact it makes the phone bigger?
 
Skullbussa said:
Have there been any reports about battery life published for this phone yet?

Easily the Achilles heel of its predecessor, Sprint/HTC marketing needs to go into overdrive to help reassure people that this phone won't fail in the same way as the old phone did if they hope to lure many of us back.

Handicapping the phone by disabling features or bump charging is not an acceptable answer to the problem. I really hope the battery upsize and dual-core processor gives us a little more time.

I returned my Evo after 27 days of frustration. I was forced to go to the iPhone 4, the only viable alternative last summer, and consequently having to deal with AT&T's ridiculous data caps. I'm anxious to come back to Sprint but I'll not give up the completely hassle-free and adequate battery life I've enjoyed with the iPhone. For my use patterns (heavy texting, moderate web use, light phone use) I'd say the iPhone gives me at least 2x-3x as much juice as the Evo ever did, and that was with GPS/4G and all that other crap turned off.
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4G, WiFi, and other drainers all turned off a couple of days ago (From my understanding)... Yet after 3 solid hours of Angry Bird, my stock battery power was in the low yellow.
 
ProfeZZor X said:
This Seidio 4000mah battery is INSANE... I charged it overnight like I have for the second day since I've had it, and I've texted, made well over a dozen calls, played Angry Bird at least 3 times for about 15 minutes each, took 4 3D pictures, watched a half hour of Avatar 3D, and 10 minutes of Alice In Wonderland 3D all in one day today... And the kicker is that it still reads as fully charged.

Wow. Just... Wow.
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I'll second this. Mine is ridiculously awesome. I got back to the place we're staying on vacation today around like 6pm and looked at my phone after using it all day and it was at maybe 75%. I few minutes after that I realized I hadn't even plugged it in the night before. That's two days of playing on it constantly on vacation (uploading lots of photos to facebook etc) and it still had 3/4 of the battery left. Elitery.
 
Spartanzz said:
Well dang I may have to order one and in combo with the awesome battery life I'm I'm getting with just the stocker think what I'd get with that thing lol So would you say its worth the big price tag and the fact it makes the phone bigger?
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It's worth it, trust me... Many people here prefer going the cheap route and buying those inexpensive ebay/amazon batteries as extras, but to me that doesn't make sense, because you're having to carry around all of that hardware just to keep a charge. Why bother, when you can get one big battery to handle your demands. Sure it makes the device a little more bulkier, but that's the only tradeoff you're dealing with. The benefits alone outweighs that minor inconvenience.
 
I'm not giving up a kickstand case. Charging when I need to isn't a problem. I just use the kickstand too much to not have it.
 
jerofld said:
I'm not giving up a kickstand case. Charging when I need to isn't a problem. I just use the kickstand too much to not have it.
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I fully agree with you on that. And that's the other downside of this battery & case setup. I begrudgingly bought the case for this battery for the sole intent on vamping up my power supply, knowing that there wasn't a kickstand to come along with it. However, acording to Seidio, they plan on coming out with a kickstand case for the extended 4000mah battery later on this month. I certainly hope so. In the mean time, I have devised temporary kickstands out of everyday office supplies (paperclips), which seems to get the job done just as well.

So if you're out there reading this Seidio, I hope something is currently in the works for us kickstand-less extended case owners. Maybe some sort of attachment, or replacement cage (made of metal) that includes a built-in kickstand.
 
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