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Battery Life - The Good The Bad and The Ugly
- Thread starter twospirits
- Start date
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- htc evo 4g
JunBringer
Android Expert
Yeah I don't mess with any task killers and my battery life is the shiznit.
Scorpianf5
Newbie
DISCLAIMER: I am not doubting all methods.
I am in-taking all the feedback us Evo users have came up with. And we all seem to think this is the only final solution.
That is, until HTC ships out new phones, or SOMEHOW do a firmware update. (Which from what I hear the Sprint update to 3.70, made the battery suck even more) - Can't say anything here, I got my Evo New Years. So I already had the update.
First of all, - Get the Seidio 3500 maH extended battery from Seidio.
(It's cheaper on Amazon) - And quicker shipping.
Now, the thing is - The Evo WILL not recognize the batteries full capabilities, and will only charge it to 1500+ Mah, It may get up to 2600 Mah (After several calculations)
So, that's where the Seidio Extended Battery Charger comes in.
You can fully charge up to 3500 Mah power, and slap it in the evo, and go two days.
All other methods will not work.
This include but not limited to:
"ROOTING" - You can root, select a different kernal and it may be better. But you better be somewhat tech savvy, and know what you are doing when you root. You also void all warranties when you root. So if you break it, your shit outta luck. Also with Apps, its more of a security risk getting your info.
^ I won't root I DONT THINK (Future, who knows) So if my if my Evo acts bad, I can throw it at sprint and say gimmie a new one.
"Trickling Charge" - HTC made it this way so Li-Po batterys dont overheat and explode.
"Formatting SD" - May work for one day, but then back to same problem.
"Removing SD While Charging" - Nope
"Phone On/Phone Off" Its always better if phone is off, but for the Evo - It's still going to drain quick.
"Battery Calibrating" - Charging, then uplugging, charging again.
^^ It does do a little help, but in the long run it does nothing.
^What it did was, it slow down the drain rate Instead of going from 99% to 85% in a matter of 1/2 hr. It went from 99 to 96, to 95 to 90, to 86% within a hour. So yes, it still sucks.
"Phone Exchange" - Not worth the time, or MONEY. If your over your 30 days, you will get a refurbished phone from sprint. So yes, once used. But the good think about it is, that refurbished phones are the phones that have went through complete diagnostic testing. So chances you getting a better battery life are much higher w/ refurbished. - I'm not going this route. Chances are some other things are messed up, and batter still sucks. So this is a major gamble - I would advise everything else but this.
So once again, even with an extended battery - the Evo will NOT, recognize a full 3500 Mah Capacity.
I am ordering my External Charger today. This is ridiculous.
And A BENEFIT of this CHARGER is it can charge a phone and a separate battery at once. So.. Think about it.
I will be charging my 3500 Mah in my External Battery to finally be relived of a dying Evo.
I believe the HTC Evo is the best smart phone known to man, Call me a Android Fanboy.
But why have it, if you cannot use it to its full capacity.
So Extended Battery + External Battery Charger = GURANTEED Full Day up to 3 days or more without charging. Depends on how to use it. Also seidio guarantees that after 6 chargers, battery will improve. And as far as the forums go it seems to be true.
I won't leave the rest of you hanging. I will update you.
Listen to me, cause what I say is true.
Ive spent hours days, reading forums too.
Trying other methods is at the expense of you.
Listen to me, and see what wonders do.
Hear the others out, the rest of the Evo crew.
I am in-taking all the feedback us Evo users have came up with. And we all seem to think this is the only final solution.
That is, until HTC ships out new phones, or SOMEHOW do a firmware update. (Which from what I hear the Sprint update to 3.70, made the battery suck even more) - Can't say anything here, I got my Evo New Years. So I already had the update.
First of all, - Get the Seidio 3500 maH extended battery from Seidio.
(It's cheaper on Amazon) - And quicker shipping.
Now, the thing is - The Evo WILL not recognize the batteries full capabilities, and will only charge it to 1500+ Mah, It may get up to 2600 Mah (After several calculations)
So, that's where the Seidio Extended Battery Charger comes in.
You can fully charge up to 3500 Mah power, and slap it in the evo, and go two days.
All other methods will not work.
This include but not limited to:
"ROOTING" - You can root, select a different kernal and it may be better. But you better be somewhat tech savvy, and know what you are doing when you root. You also void all warranties when you root. So if you break it, your shit outta luck. Also with Apps, its more of a security risk getting your info.
^ I won't root I DONT THINK (Future, who knows) So if my if my Evo acts bad, I can throw it at sprint and say gimmie a new one.
"Trickling Charge" - HTC made it this way so Li-Po batterys dont overheat and explode.
"Formatting SD" - May work for one day, but then back to same problem.
"Removing SD While Charging" - Nope
"Phone On/Phone Off" Its always better if phone is off, but for the Evo - It's still going to drain quick.
"Battery Calibrating" - Charging, then uplugging, charging again.
^^ It does do a little help, but in the long run it does nothing.
^What it did was, it slow down the drain rate Instead of going from 99% to 85% in a matter of 1/2 hr. It went from 99 to 96, to 95 to 90, to 86% within a hour. So yes, it still sucks.
"Phone Exchange" - Not worth the time, or MONEY. If your over your 30 days, you will get a refurbished phone from sprint. So yes, once used. But the good think about it is, that refurbished phones are the phones that have went through complete diagnostic testing. So chances you getting a better battery life are much higher w/ refurbished. - I'm not going this route. Chances are some other things are messed up, and batter still sucks. So this is a major gamble - I would advise everything else but this.
So once again, even with an extended battery - the Evo will NOT, recognize a full 3500 Mah Capacity.
I am ordering my External Charger today. This is ridiculous.
And A BENEFIT of this CHARGER is it can charge a phone and a separate battery at once. So.. Think about it.
I will be charging my 3500 Mah in my External Battery to finally be relived of a dying Evo.
I believe the HTC Evo is the best smart phone known to man, Call me a Android Fanboy.
But why have it, if you cannot use it to its full capacity.
So Extended Battery + External Battery Charger = GURANTEED Full Day up to 3 days or more without charging. Depends on how to use it. Also seidio guarantees that after 6 chargers, battery will improve. And as far as the forums go it seems to be true.
I won't leave the rest of you hanging. I will update you.
Listen to me, cause what I say is true.
Ive spent hours days, reading forums too.
Trying other methods is at the expense of you.
Listen to me, and see what wonders do.
Hear the others out, the rest of the Evo crew.
CriticalCritic
Android Expert
Welcome to the forum Scorpion. Yeah, I'm enjoying the 24hrs+ of battery life that I get from rooting and using this particular version of Fresh, combined with my minimalist syncing schedule, and elimination of the 4G bug. I haven't bothered with an extended battery, nor have I bothered with the most recent update from Sprint, because my phone functions beautifully as it is.
IMO, the best option, if you are ok with "voiding" your warranty (though you can always unroot later) is to, instead of spending days researching so many forums for minimally effective tips and tricks, instead spend a couple hours reading up on how to root, and then do it (*at your own risk* of course).
It's cheaper, it's effective, and it has many more uses beyond the battery saving abilities (ex. No bloatware, and no bloated battery).
But that's just my opinion on the matter.
IMO, the best option, if you are ok with "voiding" your warranty (though you can always unroot later) is to, instead of spending days researching so many forums for minimally effective tips and tricks, instead spend a couple hours reading up on how to root, and then do it (*at your own risk* of course).
It's cheaper, it's effective, and it has many more uses beyond the battery saving abilities (ex. No bloatware, and no bloated battery).
But that's just my opinion on the matter.
Scorpianf5
Newbie
Thanks for the welcome, this seems to be a good, solid forum.
Well, depending on which way you root- I dont believe you can ALWAYS unroot - However, I am not sure.
Yes its cheaper and effective.
But to be honest, the pics on the net make the battery seem huge.
Its not huge at all.
IMAGINE.... only the size of only HALF your thumb nail, thats the bulge.
It only adds an exta 5-6 millimeters. Which is damn good IMO. It fits more comfortable, like a controller.
Also with this, the camera lens, now the led touch any surface.
But hey, to each its own.
CriticalCritic
Android Expert
That's actually a great point! My lens is broken because of that damn protrusion... I'm just glad that the crack does not run through the center.
Palmetto Fellow
Android Expert
One way I've found to increase battery life is to treat my phone like a phone, instead of a device that I use constantly.
Basically, if I work, and do my job while at work, my battery lasts a long time. Hell, I can browse all I want to at work on a PC...so why not do it.
I can also run Pandora from my PC at work.
So, to sum up, I have extended my battery by not living my life around my EVO. My EVO revolves around me, it's not the other way around
Basically, if I work, and do my job while at work, my battery lasts a long time. Hell, I can browse all I want to at work on a PC...so why not do it.
I can also run Pandora from my PC at work.
So, to sum up, I have extended my battery by not living my life around my EVO. My EVO revolves around me, it's not the other way around
Scorpianf5
Newbie
One way I've found to increase battery life is to treat my phone like a phone, instead of a device that I use constantly.
Basically, if I work, and do my job while at work, my battery lasts a long time. Hell, I can browse all I want to at work on a PC...so why not do it.
I can also run Pandora from my PC at work.
So, to sum up, I have extended my battery by not living my life around my EVO. My EVO revolves around me, it's not the other way around
And once again, if we are paying an extra 10 bucks a month with sprint, then why not go the full way.
EVEN THOUGH, 4G is not 4G. Its a enhanced 3g. Watch faster 4G will be out by the end of this year. 4G should be INSTANT. No loading, no buffering.
Well, once I got the Evo. It was like crack, a horrible addiction. Im getting the full capabilities out of it.
But think about it, cell phones today are no longer phones.
They are portable computers with telephone capabilities.
Ok--so I am new to the forum, and this is my first post. 
I am experiencing something that has gotten quite annoying with my HTC EVO 4G battery...it is the time the thing takes to charge.
It is weird..sometimes it seems to charge quickly, and others, it seems to take a really long time...like hours.
Coming from numerous Blackberrys, this is very odd to me. I have tried it with the wall unit that comes with the phone, and also via the USB port on my work computer. Still get the randomly long times to charge.
Additionally, I am in a 3G area, and I never run the WiFi, 4G, GPS, or Bluetooth settings, if that matters.
I have noticed that it will charge faster if I turn it off....but it drains so much more quickly that way as well.
Any tips? Thanks in advance!
I am experiencing something that has gotten quite annoying with my HTC EVO 4G battery...it is the time the thing takes to charge.
It is weird..sometimes it seems to charge quickly, and others, it seems to take a really long time...like hours.
Coming from numerous Blackberrys, this is very odd to me. I have tried it with the wall unit that comes with the phone, and also via the USB port on my work computer. Still get the randomly long times to charge.
Additionally, I am in a 3G area, and I never run the WiFi, 4G, GPS, or Bluetooth settings, if that matters.
I have noticed that it will charge faster if I turn it off....but it drains so much more quickly that way as well.
Any tips? Thanks in advance!
Welcome to the forums!
I found when my battery started acting that _same_ way (long to charge) it was a case of leaving Background Data on and the News reader was stuck babbling to a couple of feeds that wouldn't sync with it.
Turned off Background Data, killed schizophrenic News (restarted later) and those troubles went away.
Probably, you have some process with a similar screw-up going on, not helped by a reboot.
Check my idea out, get back to us - and - how long have you had your Evo if I may ask? I'm curious because I've had mine since 6/6 and was getting concerned over maybe this being battery life, but that proved not so in my case.
I found when my battery started acting that _same_ way (long to charge) it was a case of leaving Background Data on and the News reader was stuck babbling to a couple of feeds that wouldn't sync with it.
Turned off Background Data, killed schizophrenic News (restarted later) and those troubles went away.
Probably, you have some process with a similar screw-up going on, not helped by a reboot.
Check my idea out, get back to us - and - how long have you had your Evo if I may ask? I'm curious because I've had mine since 6/6 and was getting concerned over maybe this being battery life, but that proved not so in my case.
I have actually had the Evo since the first day it was out--June 4 or 5 or whatever it was. Like most people, I haven't been blown away by the EVO's battery performance, but this weird charging time is a relatively new thing for me.
I appreciate the advice on the background data and news updates--I will give that a try and report back ASAP.
Thanks
SamuraiBigEd
Under paid Sasquatch!
I did all of EarlyMon's suggestions which seemed to help for a while, but I went back to bad battery life after a while. I would have to put it on the charger within 4 or 5 hours with low usage and 2-3 with heavy. Even at it's best I never made more than 8-10 hours (without Pandora) before needing a charge.
I rooted Saturday and loaded Fresh 3.5.0.1, all I can say is WOW! I unplugged at around 8:30 am and at 4:00 am (couldn't sleep) it was still at just under 50%! This was with limited usage, but Monday saw heavy phone usage, email sending and receiving, Pandora for a good 3 hours, downloading and installing apps (some of my apps where having issues and needed to be reloaded), plus being on the road going through a lot of poor signal areas and it went from 8:00 am till about 3:30 before it went yellow. I did not try to see how far it would go before it needed charging, but I would guess another 3-4 hours.
All in all, I am very happy I rooted. I was holding off because of my speaker being blown, but I was afraid of getting a refurb, now I will just live with it. I wish I had done it sooner!
I rooted Saturday and loaded Fresh 3.5.0.1, all I can say is WOW! I unplugged at around 8:30 am and at 4:00 am (couldn't sleep) it was still at just under 50%! This was with limited usage, but Monday saw heavy phone usage, email sending and receiving, Pandora for a good 3 hours, downloading and installing apps (some of my apps where having issues and needed to be reloaded), plus being on the road going through a lot of poor signal areas and it went from 8:00 am till about 3:30 before it went yellow. I did not try to see how far it would go before it needed charging, but I would guess another 3-4 hours.
All in all, I am very happy I rooted. I was holding off because of my speaker being blown, but I was afraid of getting a refurb, now I will just live with it. I wish I had done it sooner!
welcome to the dark side!!!!!
what is wrong with your speaker???
and why would you live with it? Refurb.. is a good as your (not new anymore) used phone.
In addition, I am starting to see some other weird things...I wonder if it is all because of the update that I downloaded about 2 weeks ago...
My date and time, set to automatic, is changing randomly to a city in India or Russia. I am in Indiana.
Obviously, this isn't good.Also, I had set the weather update icon to automatic, and each time I go into the settings menu, this option is unchecked.
Needless to say, with the combination of the weird battery issues, I am having more trouble with my Evo in the last 3-4 weeks than I had in the previous 6 months combined.
Sigh...
SamuraiBigEd
Under paid Sasquatch!
welcome to the dark side!!!!!
what is wrong with your speaker???
and why would you live with it? Refurb.. is a good as your (not new anymore) used phone.
My speaker crackles bad, speakerphone is absolutely useless. As far as a refurb being just as good, if you have a relatively problem free Evo, stick with it. So many people report problems with the refurbs it is not worth rolling the dice, I can live without a speakerphone if it means not ending up with a phone that spontaneously reboots.
As far as root, did it with my Hero and loved it, was just going to wait a little longer on the Evo.
That 4G functionality ought be a function of which rom you're using and if it has particular wimax radio update required.
Root in itself doesn't kill 4G. Best ask in root section and also consult -
HTC Supersonic/ROMs - XDA-Developers
Root in itself doesn't kill 4G. Best ask in root section and also consult -
HTC Supersonic/ROMs - XDA-Developers
SamuraiBigEd
Under paid Sasquatch!
Problem already fixed itself, edited post within a few minutes but apparently you saw it before then.
Thanks for the quick response.
dswatson83
Newbie
One way I've found to increase battery life is to treat my phone like a phone, instead of a device that I use constantly.
Basically, if I work, and do my job while at work, my battery lasts a long time. Hell, I can browse all I want to at work on a PC...so why not do it.
I can also run Pandora from my PC at work.
So, to sum up, I have extended my battery by not living my life around my EVO. My EVO revolves around me, it's not the other way around
I used to think that, but since the update, i'm getting about 10-14 hours of standby use. Not sure what the heck is going on. I used to get that amount if I used the phone and about 15-20 hours of standby. This is rediculous. Plus the news widget is always screwing up now & my phone has randomly rebooted a couple times. None of this happened till recently either
I am having the same issue with the weather widget--it works sometimes, but not others.
Frustrating to say the least...
Vipfreak
Android Enthusiast
Good point to reiterate is that CDMA phones use more juice than GSM. I downloaded the update when I flew from Afghanistan to Iraq on 28 December. Could not download the update in Afghanistan thanks to the slow internet provided by the Air Force on base. I charged my phone before returning from Iraq to Afghanistan on 2 January. The phone has been sitting for 12 days/unplugged for 287 hours and the phone has 39% left on the battery. If there was something wrong with the update my phone would have drained out by now. Also, using auto brightness does take a nice bite out of the battery.
