Engadget review on Battery Life

[crwys]

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.

I could be wrong but I think the battery is the best yet compared to Verizons other 4g devices.
4G takes a lot out of the battery, so this is really good. The way I see it is, only use 4g when you have to. 3g is pretty fast for me, I can youtube on 3g without buffering on my Droid X. I'm not sure when I will actually need to use 4g besides tethering, but I'll find a use i'm sure once I get the phone.
No one is trying to justify, we are just saying, the battery is actually pretty good compared to others. Not to mention the battery will be even better once you put a custom rom on it, and I'm sure the built in battery control features will be a plus too. If you think you are going to be using your phone a lot to where the battery will drain in 6 hours or so, then get a different phone if it is going to bother you.

 

[lobo13]

The battery life issues are a concern. But, my Droid X right now after 2 hours of use with browser and some youtube drained to 30% after a full charge. So, I think this will be an upgrade for me Lol

 

[jroc]

I could be wrong but I think the battery is the best yet compared to Verizons other 4g devices.
4G takes a lot out of the battery, so this is really good. The way I see it is, only use 4g when you have to. 3g is pretty fast for me, I can youtube on 3g without buffering on my Droid X. I'm not sure when I will actually need to use 4g besides tethering, but I'll find a use i'm sure once I get the phone.
No one is trying to justify, we are just saying, the battery is actually pretty good compared to others. Not to mention the battery will be even better once you put a custom rom on it, and I'm sure the built in battery control features will be a plus too. If you think you are going to be using your phone a lot to where the battery will drain in 6 hours or so, then get a different phone if it is going to bother you.

What I bolded is the key issue some ppl are overlooking. Even comparing it to the Bionic and saying its similar is nice, since the Bionic has the overall best battery life of all current LTE phones on Verizon. Pushing it heavy and it dies in 5 hours? Nice to me. And like it was mentioned....my idea of heavy might not be the same as yours. The only time I can push my phone extremely heave is lunch time and to and from work. So 5 hours will be great IF I decide to push it heavy at times.

That 12.5 hours of talk time tho....I KNEW the battery life was gonna be heavily scrutinized with that claim. If it falls short of that talk time....I might as well get the Bionic. I hope I dont regret pre ordering. If anything I can get a Bionic cheaper now...lol

 

[JohnnytheK]

The point is, the battery is still an issue. For most people it might be enough, but I'm curious to see what it will do after a week of conditioning the battery and "smart actions" turned on.

 

[NoBloatware]

I take battery reviews with a grain of salt. Did they even bother to run it down and charge it all the way to calibrate it? Did they use any battery saving techniques? If we focus on some of the positive things said about the battery, maybe it's not so bad:

The battery on the Motorola DROID RAZR has really impressed me. After using the phone for a few days, I completely forgot about the fact that this a 4G LTE device (in terms of battery performance, not data speeds). For the first time ever, I believe that Verizon’s 4G LTE devices have finally reached the point of being powerful enough in the battery department, and thin enough, to not offer any drawbacks related to 4G compatibility.
The RAZR lasted days as far as standby time is concerned, and even with moderate use, the phone went for almost two days. While the battery isn’t removable, that’s a small price to pay for a device that’s able to run with the best of them.

Source: Motorola DROID RAZR review

Specifically, it's able to pump out approximately 10 hours of battery life on normally usage, which isn't anything spectacular, but still better than the mark reached by other 4G LTE smartphones. Obviously, light users can get almost close to a day's worth of battery life on a single charge, but it's likely to require nightly charging.

Source: Motorola DROID RAZR Review - Performance and Conclusion

We'll have to run a few more tests to be sure, but anecdotally, we thought the battery life was pretty good. After a normal day's use of surfing the Web, checking e-mail, looking up directions on the map, plus the occasional Netflix testing, the phone was down to around 50 percent battery life, which isn't too bad for a smartphone. The aforementioned Smart Actions app also helps to conserve battery life. Yet, we do think the nonremovable battery will deter some power users.

Source: Motorola Droid Razr Review - Watch CNET's Video Review

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.

Source: Motorola Droid RAZR review -- Engadget

The battery on this device is OK, and the device is certainly not the power hog that several other LTE devices have been thus far, but there are a few things that’ll have it knocked out cold in just a few short hours. Some of our tests thus far resulted in the following: LTE hotspot for a laptop: 5 hours. Video with data turned off: 8 hours. Netflix video: 6 hours. Normal daily usage (turning the device on to check emails every half hour or so, using the device for Spotify in the car, watching a YouTube here and there, playing some games once or twice,) 11 hours.

Source: DROID RAZR Review | Android Community

 

[Deron]

I take battery reviews with a grain of salt. Did they even bother to run it down and charge it all the way to calibrate it?

Can you elaborate on this a little? I never knew you needed to calibrate a smartphone's battery. I was under the impression that lithium batteries don't need any special calibrating or priming techniques when you first get the phone. I thought that was for nickel batteries.


Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums

 

[INCREMENTAL]

Via Techcrunch:



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...

That's kinda dumb to be blaming anyone. Just cause 4G is there doesn't mean u have to use it all the time. Kinda like being able to have a switch on ur car to make it have more power but more power is more fuel. Its a trade off and its ur choice, the way I see it atleast u have a choice. I live in a small rural town and probably won't have access to 4G before the world ends lol so idk what all the bickering is about. Now if u were stuck on 4G all the time, well then id be complaining.

Sent from my Moto Droid

 

[tjk629]

1st gen LTE tech is going to be a battery hog. It's as simple as that. It's like that with anything 1st gen.

As we start getting into 2nd gen stuff we'll see sine better BL.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[GeneralZod]

With regard to 4G, is it something you can simply choose to use or not use, easily? Thanks.

 

[tjk629]

With regard to 4G, is it something you can simply choose to use or not use, easily? Thanks.

Some phones you can. I know Moto has an option to stay in CDMA (3G) and not use LTE. Not sure about the others. I think the TB didn't have a way to do it easily.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[jntdroid]

with the Bolt there was an app that would do it quick and easy - might be a couple of apps now

 

[bluezdawg]

Agree that the initial tests are promising, but the test will be how battery life holds up after frequent use and recharging.


Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[RedTarget]

For those of you complaining about battery life, you must not have had early non-blackberry smart phones. Dealing with early Windows Mobile phones you were lucky to get 9 hours of only e-mail syncing. IF it even held up to that. Forget about internet browsing, music playing, picture taking, gaming... if you did that you better have been near a charger or carried an extra battery.

I have a Thunderbolt and can get through an entire day of moderate use and still be around 40-50% after 17 hours. I will say that I DO NOT use facebook on my phone, but I do surf the net, browse forums (tapatalk), play a few games, 3-4 phone calls, emails, texts, WiFi and a few other random apps. I may not be in a 4g area, but at work I only get 1-2 bars on 3g.

What it comes down to is that the Razr is not for everyone. Nor should one phone be for everybody. I'm glad we have choices instead of a one that does it all... as it would be impossible to satisfy everyone's needs with one device, unless it could morph.

 

[cece5702]

I agree with you. Its not a must that have a 4G phone. For my use, a 3G suits me just fine.

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.

 

[NoBloatware]

Can you elaborate on this a little? I never knew you needed to calibrate a smartphone's battery. I was under the impression that lithium batteries don't need any special calibrating or priming techniques when you first get the phone. I thought that was for nickel batteries.

Yes, I should have written that the phone must be calibrated, not the battery. I calibrate by running the phone til it shuts off then charge til full. I calibrate when I change batteries, get a new phone, OS update, after a factory reset, and once every 2 months--keeping in mind that it isn't a great idea to run a Lithium-Ion battery down too often.

Lithium-Ion batteries don't need to be run down and charged up, but the phone benefits by gaining an understanding of the battery's capacity. In my experience, it really helps when it comes to smart phones. Some more info: How to Prime Batteries - Battery University