Engadget review on Battery Life

[Deano2423]

So Engadget released their Razor review and my major interest was battery life. Obviously 4G is going to be a battery hog but I was hoping for greater efficiency. Engadget wrote:

Motorola promises that the non-removable 1,780mAh battery will deliver up to 8.5 days of standby time and 12.5 hours of talk, but it survived just five hours and one minute in our battery rundown test. In our less scientific testing we managed a full day of moderate use. After an afternoon of browsing the web, syncing our data and placing a few phone calls, the RAZR was still going relatively strong, only dipping below the 15 percent mark as we approached midnight. Under light usage you may be able to squeeze two days out of it, but most likely you'll need to plug it in every night before you go to bed. If you're the type who really pushes their phone to the limits, we suggest you pack the charger -- without a removable battery you'll be stuck when the integrated power pack gives up the ghost.

Motorola Droid RAZR review -- Engadget

Ugh... 5 hours. I'm reaching a point where I want to say, screw 4g, what's the point of having apps like Netflix if when you're done watching a movie you're only able to make a few calls before your phone dies. Exacerbating this is the fact that I can't swap out batteries. I'm bummed and not sure what to do. My OG is dying, but I had hopes of better battery life. Anyone seen any other reviews that speak to the longevity of the battery?

 

[Chocula78]

4G is gonna be a battery hog for a while until the chips are more integrated into the system. Next year we should start seeing better 4g battery life.

I plan on only using 4g sparingly because 3g is fine for 90% of what I do. If I know I am going to start a hardcore web browsing session, then I will crank on the 4 jees.

If I am going to use the 4g a lot, like watching Netflix, then I'll plug the phone in. If this practice kills the battery's capacity over time, I will exchange the phone under warranty.

 

[tc1]

Depends on what is considered "heavy use".

If constantly messing with the phone,checking Facebook,surfing or streaming netflix or even watching movies that are on the phone. Then people really shouldn't complain and keep a charger handy.

If the battery is terrible with "normal" use, ie, phone calls,texting,light surfing. Then its a problem.

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums

 

[jntdroid]

Yeah I'm seeing a few reviews coming out this morning and all are saying very similar things... "great phone, great screen, battery/camera under par"

Sounds mostly familiar (*cough* Bionic *cough*)

 

[JohnnytheK]

If it's just the battery and of course it had to be. 4G sucks, power that is, more duty cycles means more power draw.
I have a spare rechargeable battery with a usb plug it doubles my battery. What about these cases for iPhones they have
battery in the case.

PhoneSuit Elite Battery Case for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S

 

[tgyberg]

If it's just the battery and of course it had to be. 4G sucks, power that is, more duty cycles means more power draw.
I have a spare rechargeable battery with a usb plug it doubles my battery. What about these cases for iPhones they have
battery in the case.

PhoneSuit Elite Battery Case for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S

This case would probably make the Razr about the size of the Bionic. I'd say unless you can pull off iphone battery life, let people swap the battery.

 

[Deano2423]

Via Techcrunch:

That said, 4G LTE devices will always be positioned for swifter deaths, and the RAZR was no exception. With about six hours of standby and about 3 hours of pretty intensive use, including gaming, video, and browsing, the Droid RAZR let me sleep in this morning after it died. Motorola’s thrown in a number of battery saving tools, which I highly recommend for any potential owners of the RAZR.

Motorola Droid RAZR Review: So Close, Yet So Far | TechCrunch

Grrrrr, I don't know who to blame, Verizon's 4G network or the the manufactures for putting a tech into their phones when they aren't ready for it. Plus it seems like even when manufactures increase battery size (Samsung Note) they also increase the screen size, negating any of the larger battery's advantages... Very frustrated with the way things seem to be heading in the industry...

 

[tgyberg]

I wish each phone was offered in 3G for $100 less. I really have no use for 4G and would love to have that option.

 

[tc1]

Uh oh.....this is a part of the reason why I canceled my preorder.

Overheating.....I had a bad feeling about that. Can't cram that much awesome hardware into such a tiny place.

My Pos thunderbolt does it also and I can definetely tell the phone slows way down.

With the nano coating,kevlar and gorilla glass I have a feeling that this phone will be melting down its sodering on the circut boards.

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums

 

[benz0]

5hr seems pretty good to me, right? I had a samsung vibrant with the extended battery, took me 4 1/2 to take it to 1%, stock battery was less than 2 hrs! Had display on at 50-75%, maybe 100% (dont recall) I had wi-fi on, downloading files, programs, played games, all at once, non-stop, just to see how much it will last. But sold the phone, and hated the bulk!

 

[mandragora]

I think that is why most of the Bionic users switched to the extended battery. With the extended battery, there is no need to carry chargers around as you can easily get a day on it and with light use almost two. That will be a big negative for the Razor. What good it it too have a super thin phone if it always needs to be connected to a charger?

 

[Insidious]

For those of you complaining, did you read the entire review? They were able to get through a full day of moderate use, and they praised it for the most part. The 5 hours is a run-down test Engadget does to physically push the battery to its limits.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using DroidForums

 

[Deano2423]

For those of you complaining, did you read the entire review? They were able to get through a full day of moderate use, and they praised it for the most part. The 5 hours is a run-down test Engadget does to physically push the battery to its limits.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using DroidForums

Yeah I'm aware of Engadget's drain tests which is why I referenced it. 5hrs is on the low end compared to other phone tests. If it was just engadget it'd be one thing, but too many reviews are talking about battery life problems, not to mention the reports of overheating. I don't know if it's the razor, 4G, or both, I do know that the last thing I want is to have to run around with a charger in my pocket out of fear my phone will die mid day...

 

[crwys]

So Engadget released their Razor review and my major interest was battery life. Obviously 4G is going to be a battery hog but I was hoping for greater efficiency. Engadget wrote:



Motorola Droid RAZR review -- Engadget

Ugh... 5 hours. I'm reaching a point where I want to say, screw 4g, what's the point of having apps like Netflix if when you're done watching a movie you're only able to make a few calls before your phone dies. Exacerbating this is the fact that I can't swap out batteries. I'm bummed and not sure what to do. My OG is dying, but I had hopes of better battery life. Anyone seen any other reviews that speak to the longevity of the battery?

You do realize 5 hours is the minimum this battery last? Battery Run Down means they are draining the battery as fast as possible. You should be happy about this.

 

[Deano2423]

You do realize 5 hours is the minimum this battery last? Battery Run Down means they are draining the battery as fast as possible. You should be happy about this.

I specificaly commented on this in the post directly above yours... I'll quote myself I guess... "Yeah I'm aware of Engadget's drain tests which is why I referenced it. 5hrs is on the low end compared to other phone tests. If it was just engadget it'd be one thing, but too many reviews are talking about battery life problems, not to mention the reports of overheating. I don't know if it's the razor, 4G, or both, I do know that the last thing I want is to have to run around with a charger in my pocket out of fear my phone will die mid day..."

Not sure why people are trying to justify this. We are the consumer. We should want/demand more.