Q: iPhone 4s Battery Life?

I am getting a new iphone, the "old" 4s draines to much battery, and apple is chipping me a new iphone. What should a do, sett up as new phone ore import from the old? What hade you done?

Kiasportwagon- Set it as new...older files can be "corrupted".

dkalchev wrote:

 

The iPhone 4S *does* last more than two full days (48 hours) on standby and light usage. I use mine with almost all settings on default (Disabled are: Siri, few location services, few notifications have disabled lock screen activation, brightness is 40% with auto brightness off). Everything is on, 3G, WiFi, iCloud, I am logged into App Store, FaceTime etc. I am also experimenting especially with the battery lifetime with an VoIP always on connection (I don't actually make calls via the builtin phone, during this experiment -- all my incoming and outgoing calls are via VoIP). Why I am mentioning this: VoIP keeps an constant network connection with it's server, which in turn keeps 3G/WiFi ON at all times. VoIP is also requiring much more processing from the CPU during call, thus wasting more battery. I understand this is not typical, but a typical setup would consume much less battery.

 

I am also recently using the phone more, for various apps, browsing, email. I set it up to pull mail every 15 minutes, and I let it download up to 1000 messages (my Inbox is much larger). This is again important, because after each download, the iPhone would sort the messages by conversations etc, which too, consumes battery power.

 

Here is what I had last night:

 

 

Without much other use, the Usage is under one hour for the same period.

What is your ratio Usage/Standby? If Usage is relatively high if you don't do much with the phone, then either something is running in the background, or you have some 'damaged' setting. You may wish to reset your phone. You may start with Network Settings Reset, as this has least "damage" and usually has the greatest effect.

What are your settings?

 

I have "Phantom Usage" and I did pretty much EVERYTHING you can think of....it just does not goes away. None of the "reset this and that" solved anything. Keep waiting on the 5.1...

First, you can state that "my usage with my iP4S is comparable to the iP4 it replaced" but you cannot state that "so far the iP4S behaves about the same as the iP4 that it replaced"... because comparable "usage" and comparable "behavior' doesn't mean the same thing. One reason for this is that you didn't have to do a settings reset periodically on your 4 to achieve such results, nor turn off diagnostics and what not. I'm not repeating my arguments about marketing and the type of experience one expects from Apple.

Secondly, Anandtech's review is not "proof" of anything. The review provides data and analysis. You can cling to the bolded "potential" statement they make,  but Apple didn't make a "mistake" when they printed the standby specs of 200hrs for the 4S vs. 300 for the 4. And herein lies the "enigma" which the engineer that you are should try to decipher. And if you disclosed you precise usage and setup, and qualify your activities on the phone, we could all try together. But assuming all devices have perfect hardware (and that's already a big "if"), you only really attract attention to the following question: "if Anandtech's power consumption numbers are correct - and they basically state that for basically everything but gaming the 4S consumes the same or less than the 4 in terms of power - then why is the device rated for a full 100hrs less of standby than the 4?". Could it be iOS? Within Anandtech's review paradigm, you closely have to look at their wifi hotspot test. They tested just before the power consumption of the device under 3G with downstream data - and in that case it's less than the iP4 by 0.4W which is quite a lot and the greatest difference between the 4 and 4S. Then they use the device as a hotspot and get 0.02 hours less use than with the 4 - ok, that's negligeable because it's like what, 1 minute or whatever. But then they wonder and speculate "It is surprising that despite the peak power advantages above, we didn't see any improvement in our WiFi hotspot test. The only explanation I have is that the power advantage may not be as pronounced if we're not pushing the limits of the wireless interfaces." - as before they had pointed out "Under load however, Apple is bound by the same physical realities as its competitors and the question of battery life becomes one of battery capacity divided by peak power draw." One can speculate that the last 700 pages explain the difference between the 4 and the 4S and that iOS explains the difference between what's expected from peak power calculations of the device vs. real life device usage. I would coin it as a "failed balancing act".

Consequently, side by side under heavy non stop (non 3D intensive) use from 100%, the 4S may even yield slightly better results than the 4, granted*, but as usage spreads over time, the "leak" (conceptually, for the lack of a better term) becomes obvious (and thanks for really allowing me to reflect on this further) and so much so Apple actually accounted for it in their specs.

(*) periodical maintenance required with some options off.

You want to reference Anandtech when it suits you. Refute the following:

From Anandtech:

 

Power at idle and during application launches was pretty much unchanged between the two devices, which is to be expected. The 4S did draw measurably more power loading web pages. As we've already seen however, the average performance gain in our web page loading tests was over 30%, easily making up for the increase in power draw here. Maps however pulled more power on the 4S.

 

What does all of this mean? The iPhone 4S has the potential to have slightly better, equal or much worse battery life than the iPhone 4. It really depends on your workload. If you're mostly browsing the web, the 4S should be about equal to if not slightly better than the 4. Our numbers seem to back that up:

No amount of proof will satisfy your demand that for me, my iP4S behaves about the same as the iP4 that it replaced. Even I use a stopwatch to measure exactly how long I'm using the web over wifi or measure how long I use my phone during a text message, they would still be labeled false. You can keep trying to focus only on 3D performance as if that's the only thing I'm doing with my phone.

Anand, himself, wrote that review. He who has used and reviewed many phones. Unlike you, who doesn't use a smartphone. Who are we supposed to trust when this can best be described as Anand >> 1AppleADayNoWay?

It's sounds like you need a timeout under your bridge with the rest of the trolls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Grapes still applies to your "analysis".

It is amazing, that you both a) don't have first hand knowledge of any of this and b) apparently lack the technical background (in engineering) to make educated guess as to why someone might have seen certain behavior.

iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are similar only on the outside. Inside, these are two completely different devices. They use different components, assembled in different way and of course different software (drivers). There is absolutely no way you can expect these to have the same technical spec. And they don't.

You compare only the stated (that is, promised) standby time of both phones. But nothing prevents the iPhone 4S to have standby of 400 hours, ok? If it has better hardware, it is all matter of properly managing that hardware via software.

My iPhone 4S does not require any periodic maintenance, other than plugging it to charge every two days or so.

What periodic maintenance does your iPhone 4S require?

EdiMC do you have any additional apps? There might be some application that doesn't quit, and just runs all the time. There is a restriction in iOS, that only VoIP, Music and fe wother types of apps can run "undisturbed" in background -- all other applications are given short runtime after you "stop" them and then cannot wake up for at least 600 seconds. But you may have an ill behaving application of the "marked" type and it just sits there and runs all the time.

Have you done ful Restore "as new" via iTunes? This is different from the various "reset" variations in the iPhone Settings, as it completely wipes your device. Makes it "virgin" again.

I think I simply made an argument which is too complex for your to grasp. There was no focus whatsoever on 3D - the core of the argument is  if the 4S uses =< power than the 4, even idling, then why is it rated at 200hrs and not 300 even taking into considerations race to sleep conditions etc. Answer: iOS 5+ - an immature and half-baked OS (at launch clearly, most likely less now, but not to the point of making this a 300-400 hrs standby hours handset) which upsets race to sleep conditions amongst other things (like being corruption prone with the need to reset periodically and all things that have popped up in this thread and that sensible people have witnessed and acknowledged). So I'm a troll because of that. You may enjoy the benefit of being on the side of people who love the iPhone on an Apple forum, but you've only made a fool of yourself, desperately holding to your favortite Anandtech quote, while making me look like an engineer next to you. The first paragraph I wrote made you change your statement and now you claim "my iP4S behaves about the same as the iP4 that it replaced". Who cares - it's just your phone is not everyone's phone and your usage pattern is not everyone's usage pattern. For you the 200hrs standby spec for the 4S is just a typo Apple made. Lots of people here who love the iPhone have more sense into them than you can ever have. It was never a contest between Anandtech and me - I just build sound arguments on their data and analysis - it was so ridiculous to leverage the "trust Anandtech or this guy argument", which simply shows what type of engineer you are. You don't need to think, you don't need a valid sample, you don't need to read specs or take into account empirical evidence, all you need is your phone and your a-retentive stance and title and that makes you right. Man you're such a loser. I hope this concludes our discussion once an for all.

Listen pal, the day you make your device last 400 standby hours I'll leave this forum once and for all - or any combination thereof i.e. 50% usage + 200hrs of standby for instance. It doesn't take an engineer to know they are 2 different devices with different hardware. I fail to see how this rescinds the argument I made and which left Anandtech wondering. Blame them for comparing the 2 devices. All your engineering skills have succeeded at doing is coming up with some of the tweaks which were found out 500 pages ago here by trial and error and rambling on 3G technology which serves absolutely nothing in terms of support. You're the king of nothing, One day you allude to how restores might carry problem settings, so setting to new is the way to go, another day one should reset network settings - but none of this is maintenance - it's all part of the intended experience. You're a condescending revisionist of the worst kind. Yeah, go eat grapes.

dkalchev wrote:

 

[...]But nothing prevents the iPhone 4S to have standby of 400 hours, ok? If it has better hardware, it is all matter of properly managing that hardware via software.[...]

For the record, this is the last time I'm having any exchange with you or Ricky. But it's a common point between you guys that you fail to understand that what happens in the future when Apple figures it out entirely will never undo the - often less than stellar - experience many users have had since the 4S launch. The potential the device has is meaningless. What matters is merchantability and immediate out of the box value without engineering level tinkering and maintenance - and while I acknowledge that there might be more of it now than before - I was a witness that what happened here when I joined at page 128 or whatever. And this will not be revisioned by authority based arguments not made in good faith.

In fact, wait, I'm out now as I've gone full circle as to what I wanted to say here, which will spare you both the decency of having to make a valid argument based on good faith.

Cheers to sbailey4, jameson!, enx23, snif123, rphunte42, EdiMC and al. - including Apple I guess for allowing me to extend my joyful stay.

Enjoy your iPhone and good luck!

1AppleADayNoWay

The first paragraph I wrote made you change your statement and now you claim "my iP4S behaves about the same as the iP4 that it replaced". Who cares - it's just your phone is not everyone's phone and your usage pattern is not everyone's usage pattern

I didn't change any statement. This has always been about my iP4S and my iP4 that was replaced. You said I can't make the claim above and I provided Anandtech's conclusion. You want to use Anandtech's data, but then throw out his conclusions? No one here should trust your conclusions over Anand's.

And then you lost me halfway through... you called yourself a possible troll... something about me loving my iphone, which I don't, and something about 300-400 hours of standby. Where did that come from? Did you just get out of bed?

You don't need to think, you don't need a valid sample, you don't need to read specs or take into account empirical evidence, all you need is your phone and your a-retentive stance and title and that makes you right. Man you're such a loser. I hope this concludes our discussion once an for all.

You lost the argument and then resorted to calling me loser. Where is your phone? What is your usage?

1AppleADayNoWay wrote:

 

Listen pal, the day you make your device last 400 standby hours I'll leave this forum once and for all

First of all, your claim is void. Not only you will not go away, you will stick here forever, expecting more 'wonders'. Also, I don't care if you post in this forum or not. Just don't try to pretend you have experience with an device that you don't have, don't own and don't even want. If you buy an iPhone one day and don't like it, don't blame me either.

Then, how would you know I did not fake my results? You don't own an iPhone to check it (and even if you did, it is aparently not as divine as mine, which lasts more than two days of normal use, despite having that defective Qualcomm chip etc.)

You bring Anandtech here as some God of knowledge. Go ahead, ask Anand if the iPhone 4S can make 400 hours standby. The guy seems smart enough to figure it out.

You appear to think that all those electronic devices come to life mature, and offer the user their full potential and that is it. Nope. Most such product come to market barely "rare" (in the culinary sense, that is), they never mature and only contribute to the pile of electronic junk. iPhones typically come "medium" to "medium well" and at some time become "well done". This is why users so "fanaticaly" like them.

Make this forum useful.  This is like watching special Olympics or something. God ****.

Hi, you might want to try to disable cellular data usage and only enable it when needed. Since I did that I no longer have phantom usage (it seems like the iPhone actively tried to maintain data connection to the network hence the phantom usage). Here's my screenshot. The usage time seems to match with my actual usage time, which is mainly browsing on 3G network and using GPS application.This is only a temporary measurement though, I'm still hoping Apple will do something to make the battery usage more efficient.

You guys need to pay attention to two very important details/specs when it comes to comparing the iP4S to the iP4. Putting statistics aside, I never really pay attention to those expected duration rates, because their tests/measurements are always carried out under ideal conditions, which we will virtually never experience in the real world when we are mobile.

Refering to the specs, the iP4S is running an A5 dual-core processor, which is pretty much two A4's on one die (yes, I'm oversimplifying the architecture), so higher power consumption rates should definitely be expected. And other than that, the HSDPA chip that it has runs two times as fast (14.4Mbps max. speed) as that of the iP4 (7.2Mbps max. speed); even though this doesn't guarantee that you're running at that full network speed, it is still very likely that this chip is a lot "hungrier" than its predecessor, and considering that you can't turn it off (at least not until iOS 5.1), you really should be expecting high battery power consumption.

Besides, this whole idea of having "two antennas to transmit and receive"... I dunno, because I'm no RF expert, but I believe that would have some repercussions on the logic board layout and components, and so it may also cause a hit on the battery life.

Just my two cents.