July 7th, 2009
iPhone 3GS users complain of poor battery life
The LA Times dubbed it iDrain, iPhone 3GS users are calling it a royal pain.
Despite Apple’s claims that the iPhone 3GS comes with “longer battery life” users are complaining that its new vunder-handset actually has less battery life than with the previous model.
iFixIt noted in its recent teardown that the iPhone 3GS battery is six percent larger than the iPhone 3G battery, leading many to suspect that iPhone OS 3.0 may be the culprit.
Apple promises improved battery life with the 3GS. The battery is listed as 3.7V and 4.51 Whr. This comes out to 1219 mAh, compared to 1150 mAh on the 3G. That’s only a 6% increase.
ComputerWorld notes that users have been reporting worse battery life on all iPhones since the day the iPhone OS 3.0 was released:
Users started complaining about poor battery performance almost as soon as Apple offered iPhone 3.0, the software available for download June 17 for first-generation iPhones and second-generation iPhone 3Gs. The new iPhone 3GS relies on the same software.
“After updating to [iPhone] 3.0 the battery life is very short. It consumes 5%-10% an hour,” claimed an original iPhone user identified as “ukfasthands” in a message posted on Apple’s support forum June 17.
A colleague recently complained that during a four-hour flight in airplane mode his iPhone 3GS battery dropped from 85 to 27 percent while composing 17 emails and recording a two-minute video. Another potential culprit is the iPhone’s recently activated push notication feature. Scott Forstall claimed that push would cause a 20 percent drop in battery life.
If you’re afflicted you’ll most likely have to wait until Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1, or if we’re lucky, some battery improvement could come with the security update that’s been promised for the end of July. In the mean time, try implementing some of my and Apple’s iPhone battery savings tips, including:
- Minimize use of location services
- Turn off push notifications
- Fetch new data less frequently
- Turn off push mail
- Auto-check fewer email accounts
- Minimize use of third-party applications
- Turn off Wi-Fi
- Turn off Bluetooth
- Use Airplane Mode in low- or no-coverage areas
- Adjust brightness
- Turn off EQ
- Turn off 3G
How is your battery life with the iPhone 3GS? Chime in in the TalkBack below.
Photo: The iPhone Blog
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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| 07/07/09
