First iPhone 3G battery results

Apple iPhone 3G

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET Networks)

We've had the iPhone 3G just three days, but we've manged to give it a good shakedown. Today, CNET Labs finished its first round of talk time testing for both the EDGE and 3G networks. On EDGE the iPhone 3G fell about an hour short of its rated time of 10 hours, while 3G calls matched the promised time of 5 hours. Those times aren't bad, but we'll run another round just to be sure. And in any case, actual day-to-day use will be the real test of the iPhone 3G's endurance. Ideally, it should last a full day with heavy use, but in our short experience thus far both the 3G and the GPS appear to be hungry applications that drain the battery quickly. We also completed our first Internet speed tests, and we can report that the 3G service positively smokes EDGE. Busy sites loaded in less than half the time it took on the previous iPhone. We still have to run music and video playback tests, so continue to check our iPhone 3G review over the next few days.

[shaygreen45]

I bought the 3G iPhone 3 days ago and I am pleased with it. I am a very basic person when it comes to gadgets. I am still trying to figure out the features that it has. All of those extra features you are talking about would probably not be used by me so I would not worry about buying one if those features were added. Now, if it is going to be an upgrade through the phone already purchased, then I will welcome the new features. It is just not a priority for me. Love the new iPhone 3G.

[vkp7]

Apple loves people like you

[DocG]

I had a Nokia N75 which got creamed in the ratings for its poor battery life of approximately 1-1.5 days. Other issues with the phone, both pro and con, seemed to pale in comparison to the frustration users had with having to recharge the phone daily. So now here comes the 3G iPhone, and the poor battery life seems to be a small concern for CNet. My wife has the original iPhone, and the battery life is just adequate, in my opinion. I plan to avoid the 3G iPhone until Apple figures out how to improve on battery life. As a physician it's just too important to me.

[a1016neo1]

@DocG:

The iphone 3G battery life might be fair but it beats to other 3G devices.... If you turn of 3G and use Wi-Fi you will save battery life and it's also faster!

Test by PC World: (iphone gets around 5hr 38min with 3G on)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/148348/3g_iphones_mediocre_battery_life_still_beats_rivals.html

[Midnightbrewer]

I live in Japan, and just got an iPhone. I managed to miss the part where the battery life was absolutely atrocious. Compared to every other cell phone in Japan with 2-day battery lifetimes, Apple is going to have a hard time getting people to justify buying in (and this is a minor point in some major oversights that are preventing Apple from getting a foothold here).

The iPhone is a great device, and definitely ground-breaking, but for feature set and ease-of-use, it is merely average here.

[DocG]

I understand you can turn off 3G to extend battery life, but to me that's not the point of having a 3G phone. Also, I'm not sure you're correct that the battery life of the 3G iPhone is better than other 3G phones. Currently I'm using a Motorola V3xx with 3G that gets 2-3 days. With my Nokia I had rechargers at work, home and my car. What a pain to have to remember to recharge the phone or lose contact.

[gregorysreid]

I have a BlackBerry 8330 (Curve) on Verizon. It's 3G and it's battery last at least 1.5 days before dying. Not sure why Apple couldn't accomplish the same. Perhaps it's the WiFi available on the iPhone (which the Curve doesn't have).

[Boss_101]

Gregorysreid in addtion to what you said about battery life, it may also be because the apple screen size is 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm which is bigger then the curve hence more power hungry.

Cheers
Boss

[evbart]

I returned my iphone 3g (i might have been the first to wait in line to return it) for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones was battery life. Compared to my typical usage on a Blackberry curve, the iphone would only make it a couple of hours before it was completely dead at my regular daily usage.

The advice I got was to turn off my 3g, gps, wifi, and push email. hmmm. I'll stick to my blackberry thank you.

[onlytemporary]

gregorysreid: you may use your device differently (less heavily, less battery-intensive processes) than is being used in the iphone tests, so I think it's premature to say that the verizon curve gets better battery performance than the iphone 3g. According to manufacturer estimates (which are often inaccurate), the iPhone 3g has a longer talk time (in 3G) and longer standby time than the CDMA curve. While the curve may end up having better battery life, your anecdotal account of your use with one device is not very convincing.

[potterave]

With the recommended steps to conserve battery power, my results are good. I'm not a heavy phone user and working in the office I don't need 3g, bluetooth, location services or WIFI. When I need access the web, get email or check a map, I simply turn on the services. I have found that sometimes I can't access 3g. odd. Also, when you do your test of music services, check AOL Radio. On WIFI, I can get all "stations", but on 3g I can only get the "real" radio stations (KYW, WINS, WBZ,etc.). Overall, I'm very satisfied with the iPhone. The buying experience on 7/11 left much to be desired.

[homemediapros]

Pleaseeee.... I love the IPhone 3G. And will buy a second one for my spouse. BUT, BIG BUT. The battery life is horrible compared to Blackberry of any model. And worse then MSFT Mobile OS. I use the phone for calls, email, and CRM (getting work orders from our CRM System via Web). And I was shocked that after full charge the phone lasted only as follows: 1 hour music play during workout at 5:30-6:30am, then 1 hour (about 10 calls ) to my crews. And after about 10 minutes on the web ( all in 3G ) the message 20% battery left popped up. Then within 3 minutes a 10% message then another 4 minutes and phone shut down on me. I had to go to the nearest store to get a charger (WARNING not all IPOD/IPHONE chargers will work) to get me back to life. Perhaps the only good news about the battery life is the recharge takes about 30 - 40 minutes. So if you are a road warrior with hours without electrical outlet. BEWARE of hungry IPhone.

[mrloon]

I still cannot comprehend the "solution" to battery life is to turn basically all the features off. I did pick up an iPhone 3G, and regrettably am stuck with it. Had the phone on a complete full charge, called up and talked to a friend (local call) for about an hour and 10 mins, and I went from 100% charge to 5% charge. The solution of "turn off options" is mute, being that with other 3G devices, I can have all options on and easily talk for over the 5 hour mark, and easily not have to run to a charger for a few days. The other option of having a charger in your car, in your house, in your boat with a goat, etc, is insane. What happens if I'm a commuter on a train, or air, where there is no option to charge. Say I just got into my car, drove to the train station to commute to the airport; in that scenario, I'd barely have power a few mins after stepping onto the train. Add the low battery performance, with an impossible keyboard (double dare any of the "oh it's easy to type on" folks try holding onto the rail in a subway and type a few sentences in anywhere close to the type on any physical QWERTY keboard), a GPS that has no GPS app yet (though one rumoured b TomTom which will probably cost more than just getting a TomTom physical device), no way to add your own ring tone except to buy from iTunes, no way to truly customize the sounds the device has (other than a few options for the ringer and for inbound mail), and a host of other faults, it's a toy, plain and simple. If you need a device that you can use over the course of a day without the device going through detox after an hour and needing a charge, get anything, I mean ANYTHING, but don't get an iPhone. Hey, if ya don't agree with me, and looking for an iPhone, I'll gladly ship you mine free long as you pay the stupid cancelling charge for removing the device from my bill. Maybe I'll even have to post up a YouTube video of me smashing the device with the head of a passing Mac user. So, in closing, yes, the phone is *that* bad, and calling it a phone is even an insult to the old days big box phone on a rope from Alpine and such.