Discrepancies between reviews of EVO (Engadget & PcMag): Battery Life

[cabbie]

PCMag: HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) - Full Review - Reviews by PC Magazine

4G utterly hoses the EVO's battery. While I got more than 7 hours of talk time on 3G, I managed to kill the EVO's battery in three and a half hours of heavy 4G use, including lots of streaming media and hotspot usage (sometimes at the same time.) Fortunately, it's easy to switch between 3G and 4G, thanks to a convenient home-screen widget. We'd suggest sticking with 3G most of the time, and powering up 4G when you need an extra boost.

Endgadget: HTC EVO 4G review -- Engadget

We know what you're thinking, though: what about battery life? Amazingly, we got some three hours and 13 minutes of run time while using the EVO continuously as a 4G hotspot -- and when we say "continuously," we mean we were streaming high-quality audio the entire time. What's more, the phone wasn't even fresh off the charger when we started; it had been on and in heavy use for two hours and four minutes prior. Bottom line, this thing seems to be a champion on a 1500mAh battery; we can't even begin to fathom what a massive aftermarket pack would do to it.

That's two very different experiences. Is it possible that given the spotty Philadelphia coverage that PCMag guy was in:

In Philadelphia's city center, I had periodic 4G dropouts, and Sprint execs have publicly disparaged the quality of Clearwire's WiMAX buildout here

was having the 4G radio searching for a signal more often than not? I remember from one of the CTIA videos, someone showing the EVO said that battery life would be drastically affected if 4G was on but searching. So assuming that the Endgadget guys did most of their 4G work while in a well-covered area, that might explain the different in battery life. That also assumes that the PCMag guy had just brought it off the charger and it died in 3.5 hours, whereas the Engadget guys had it on 3G for about 2 hours then 4G for another 3 hours 15 minutes.

Thoughts?

Another note: the PCMag guy really didn't like the call quality could a radio firmware update fix that?

 

[RiverOfIce]

PCMag: HTC EVO 4G (Sprint) - Full Review - Reviews by PC Magazine

I have yet to read anything form pc mag in the last 3 years that was remotely factual. They have been on the if it sales we will say rant. And sold out for money. But so has pc world. We are watching the death of print and life of web, during that process, alot of companies are going to have to get money somehow.

 

[jadoe05]

I just hope my experience in baltimore is closer to the Engadget review. lol

 

[devobail]

I managed to kill the EVO's battery in three and a half hours of heavy 4G use, including lots of streaming media and hotspot usage (sometimes at the same time.

Let me get this straight, they're streaming media & using the hotspot, and got 3 1/2 hours and they think thats a bad thing? Give me a break what the heck, do they expect it to last all damn day as a hotspot? I barely get 3 1/2 hours of heavy use on my iphone, and thats on 3G WITH NO HOTSPOT!

Some of these review guys are asking way to much out of the battery on this thing hell the Overdrive only lasts 3 hours and it's ONLY job is to be a hotspot, no screen, no O/S, no nothing just wifi. How long do they expect the thing to last? smh

 

[drksilenc]

o and thats not all... get the hole segment not just a clip... that was a 50% battery they did it

 

[mcbtrain929]

honestly, engadget is the only place where i saw positive reviews of the battery. i'm expecting it to drain quickly. i'll either deal with it or buy an extended battery. meh.