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Help You guys leaving 4G on?

may sound like a stupid question, but does it take more battery power to keep it on 4G the whole time? i'm hearing from some people that this phone will actually put 4G on "idle" when not in use...

also, most of you guys leaving 4G on? just wanted to hear your opinions.
 
I don't live in a 4G network area, so I don't ever have it on. Even if I did, I would turn it off when I'm idle.

I got this program called JuiceDefender. When I shut off the screen, it disables 3G and WiFi for me. When I turn on WiFi, it disables 3G. I haven't had any issues with it, but I only got it yesterday, so we'll see how it goes.
 
I'm in an area that has had 4G since the EVO launch and always left 4G off on my EVO because it was a pretty big battery drain. I havent even turned 4G on since I've had my NS4G as I use wifi at home and work and 3g is fast enough for me when on the go. The battery impact isn't worth it to me. Though I can't say if the NS4G 4G is easier on the battery than using it on the EVO.
 
I typically keep 4G off because I like to stream live music while moving around.

Sprint 4G is spotty and always drops when handing off between towers, so I keep it off.
 
I only turn 4g on in places where I know I'll get a decent 4g signal.. And then only when I need to upload or download something. Then I turn it right back off
 
I've been keeping my 4G on. I've found it isn't as much of a power drain as other 4G or LTE phones.

You could always set up a profile in Tasker too so depending your location you could have it turn on or off 4G (as well as wifi, bt, or gps)
 
When I'm in a 4g area I keep mine on the whole time. I don't see much difference in battery life as it only runs the 4g radio when the phone is awake or periodically polling data. Much easier on the battery than the evo was. If I lived there I would be keeping mine on all the time.
 
Well according to Gizmodo:

Unlike other 4G Android phones, the Nexus S 4G has a nifty trick up its sleeve: When you're not actively using WiMax, the radio idles, conserving your battery life. When you call upon it to deliver super-speedy 4G internet, it kicks back on in a matter of seconds.

Gizmodo Article
 
I tried leaving my 4G on for about a week and my battery life was about the same. Now I am going to turn it off for a few days and see if my battery life is longer.

NOTE: 4G is somewhat spotty for me. When I used my phone it was never at full bars, or even half bars for that matter.
 
I don't live in a 4G network area, so I don't ever have it on. Even if I did, I would turn it off when I'm idle.

I got this program called JuiceDefender. When I shut off the screen, it disables 3G and WiFi for me. When I turn on WiFi, it disables 3G. I haven't had any issues with it, but I only got it yesterday, so we'll see how it goes.


juicedefender works on 2.3 ? Not really 100% on that. You can't toggle the cell data usage on and off like. All the other functions work fine. But the cell data usage is where the bulk of the battery savings were, so it is essentially like JD doesn't work. I had the PRO version on my EPIC 4G and have zero luck. Green Power works fine.
 
I've mostly been leaving it on.

In fact I left it on all day today, and after 10 hours my battery was down to 47%. That's with phone calls, lots of internet, and Pandora.

The Nexus S 4G battery life is very good. Easily the best of any android phone I've encountered.
 
I leave mine on, my theory is if I'm going to pay for the extra $10 a month, I'm going to leave it on!

Just to note that with Sprint now, regardless of having a phone with 4g, if it is a smartphone, you'll still pay the extra $10.
 
OK, the only problem I've found with the 4G gooing idle on the nexus S, is that you will NOT receive ANY gtalk messages, emails, or anything that requires an internet connection.
It DOES NOT kick back in when there is a need to push data, you have to wake it up manually.
I have no idea how to change the polling time, but this is a bit issue for me.
 
juicedefender works on 2.3 ? Not really 100% on that. You can't toggle the cell data usage on and off like. All the other functions work fine. But the cell data usage is where the bulk of the battery savings were, so it is essentially like JD doesn't work. I had the PRO version on my EPIC 4G and have zero luck. Green Power works fine.

Just went to download Green Power. In their description it says that due to the 2.3 API, it can't toggle cell data.
 
OK, the only problem I've found with the 4G gooing idle on the nexus S, is that you will NOT receive ANY gtalk messages, emails, or anything that requires an internet connection.
It DOES NOT kick back in when there is a need to push data, you have to wake it up manually.
I have no idea how to change the polling time, but this is a bit issue for me.


My NS4G has had 4G since launch and I always get my notifications Gmail, Gtalk, FB, Tango and now G+. I get about 10 hours without plugging it to a charger at all and 15 hours if I charge it for at leas 30 minutes.
 
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