iPad 2 vs. iPad 1 battery

Question

Level 2

165 points

iPad 2 vs. iPad 1 battery

I have an iPad (32GB AT&T) and an iPad 2 (16GB Verizon) and have generally noticed/felt the iPad 2 is using up its battery significantly faster -- even just on wi-fi. My usage is eReading and web browsing, not much gaming or photography/video.

Anyone else notice this difference?

iMac 27" Core i5 2.8Ghz, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Mar 31, 2011 8:53 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 31, 2011 9:14 PM in response to Alfarmer

Nope

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Answer 2

ClayG

Level 4

1,416 points

Mar 31, 2011 9:20 PM in response to Alfarmer

I noticed the percentage counter seemed to be going down more quickly than on my old iPad 1. So, I did a real-world use test with a stopwatch. I did plenty of web browsing on wifi, about 3 hours of video through the video app, some streaming from Hulu Plus, some games, some reading, and I got over 10.5 hours before the battery died. This is good. I think there might be a bug with the way the percentage is reported in the current version of iOS, but the actual battery life seems to be good.

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Answer 3

Alfarmer Author

Level 2

165 points

Apr 1, 2011 11:59 AM in response to ClayG

I just switch from using #1 to #2 for daily use, with the same usage pattern as before. With iPad 1 my battery lasts about a week. With iPad 2 it was only about three days.

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Answer 4

pvonk

Level 6

13,857 points

Apr 1, 2011 12:20 PM in response to Alfarmer

I asked about the batteries some time ago; I was told the battery in iPad 1 is the same as in the iPad 2.

Comparing two iPads (1 & 2) is not a good test, since a lot depends on whether they were both recalibrated at the same time, whether each has the same multitasking apps currently running at the same time and doing the same thing, whether push is working on each identically, etc.

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Answer 5

Apr 1, 2011 1:42 PM in response to pvonk

I asked about the batteries some time ago; I was told the battery in iPad 1 is the same as in the iPad 2.

Just curious who you asked. This article indicates that the iPad 2 definitely uses a different battery.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20043933-64.html

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Answer 6

May 1, 2011 9:22 AM in response to Alfarmer

Got my iPad2 on Friday. Definitely seeing a faster decrease on battery percentage over my iPad1. It never dropped past 90% and this one is already at 80% after minor web browsing this morning (now at 78% just writing this - now 77).

Plus the other big thing I am noticing is the new one gets warm where my original always stays cool to the point being amazing. I am thinking that thinner is not better and changing just to change is not necessarily a good thing. Cameras are useless. Speed is nice but iPad 1 was never slow.

Only bought this one cause we needed 2 for separate travel schedules in our household. Hoping 3 is better. :-(

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Answer 7

Jul 17, 2011 4:48 PM in response to Alfarmer

I have not tested it, but I definitely notice a difference. I have both and use them similarly. The IPad2 runs out more quickly. What's more, it seems to recharge more slowly? One thing I love about the 1 is the excellent battery life. The 2 is just average at best.

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