[countyboy]

My experience of smartphones is that after 18 months, their battery life deteriorates markedly. As like most people I am on a 24 month contract, the constant recharging needed after 18 months is a real pain.
So I am thinking of buying an unlocked phone, and going with a sim free monthly deal, when my current contract ends in December, working on the basis of getting a new unlocked phone every 18 months.
That's unless someone out there can convince me that newer phones do last the full 24 months on a once a day charge.

[whoever,hey]

Thats a good story.

[Icaraa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by countyboy

My experience of smartphones is that after 18 months, their battery life deteriorates markedly. As like most people I am on a 24 month contract, the constant recharging needed after 18 months is a real pain.
So I am thinking of buying an unlocked phone, and going with a sim free monthly deal, when my current contract ends in December, working on the basis of getting a new unlocked phone every 18 months.
That's unless someone out there can convince me that newer phones do last the full 24 months on a once a day charge.

They're all rubbish after about 18 months yes. If you've got an iPhone go for Apple's Battery Replacement Service, roughly £60. If you've got something else just buy a new battery and put it in.

[Everything Goes]

No idea what phone you have but you can buy battery's for phones £10 - £20 (see eBay or Amazon). Otherwise it's a bit like buying a new car when the ash tray is full

You can also replace battery's on iPhones if you don't mind taking them apart.

[Rodney McKay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by countyboy

My experience of smartphones is that after 18 months, their battery life deteriorates markedly. As like most people I am on a 24 month contract, the constant recharging needed after 18 months is a real pain.
So I am thinking of buying an unlocked phone, and going with a sim free monthly deal, when my current contract ends in December, working on the basis of getting a new unlocked phone every 18 months.
That's unless someone out there can convince me that newer phones do last the full 24 months on a once a day charge.

Sometimes they don't last 18 months. Stay away from Crapple and buy a phone with a replaceable battery, that will cost probably £10 off Amazon or ebay.

[finbaar]

A lot of batteries sold on Amazon and Ebay are rubbish. It is worthwhile paying extra to get one from the manufacturer if you want the real thing.

Modern batteries should last 2 years (however I would never keep a phone that long to find out) but you can help them by trying to follow best proctice such as not letting the charge drop below 20%.

[countyboy]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll look for a decent replacement battery. (I have a Samsung Galaxy S2).

[Icaraa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodney McKay

Sometimes they don't last 18 months. Stay away from Crapple and buy a phone with a replaceable battery, that will cost probably £10 off Amazon or ebay.

Apple has integrated batteries as it means the phone can be thinner and less plasticky.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icaraa

Apple has integrated batteries as it means the phone can be thinner and less plasticky.

Its more to do with boosting already bloated profit margins by high repair costs.

[Icaraa]

I don't think £60 is astronomically expensive though.

[Stiggles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icaraa

I don't think £60 is astronomically expensive though.

It is when you can buy a spare battery for most phones for a tenner...

[jchamier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stiggles

It is when you can buy a spare battery for most phones for a tenner...

I'm surprised at the price. Given how how expensive camcorder batteries were in the 1990s, and we now have higher density and more complex chemicals.

Even for those who make the batteries have problems (see Sony's issues and laptop batteries). Samsung and Apple are on public record as saying only use genuine chargers and Samsung, Nokia and others always said don't use cheap batteries.

Mobile phone batteries are seriously advanced technology - and like chargers only genuine ones are worth trusting.

[whoever,hey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchamier

I'm surprised at the price. Given how how expensive camcorder batteries were in the 1990s, and we now have higher density and more complex chemicals.

Tech gets cheaper with economies of scale. VHS players were over £500 when they first came out.

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodney McKay

Sometimes they don't last 18 months. Stay away from Crapple and buy a phone with a replaceable battery, that will cost probably £10 off Amazon or ebay.

My 'crapple' phone is almost two years old. I took it off charge at 11pm today. I've used it all day, games, browsing, music, few videos, one 40 minute call and some texts. I still have 47% battery left.

My friend charges her S3 three times a day. Her phone isn't as old as mine.

Love how android sheep just have to slag apple off at every opportunity.

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icaraa

Apple has integrated batteries as it means the phone can be thinner and less plasticky.

I do love my iPhone. But clearly the battery isn't removable so that can charge customers £60 to replace a battery they paid £3 for from their manufacturer.

Plenty of thin phones with have removable batteries.

£60 is ridiculously expensive for removing a few screws, taking a battery out and putting another in.

[alan1302]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyceum

I do love my iPhone. But clearly the battery isn't removable so that can charge customers £60 to replace a battery they paid £3 for from their manufacturer.

Plenty of thin phones with have removable batteries.

£60 is ridiculously expensive for removing a few screws, taking a battery out and putting another in.

Agreed - not having a removable battery is a negative but do like what they can do sometimes with the design of a phone when they don't need to allow for a removable battery. Always liked my old Nokia Lumia 520

[Aye Up]

The problem with smartphones is they evolve at such a fast rate, they are becoming more power hungry as the days go buy. The applies across all platforms. Battery technology isn't keeping up. For the last 5 years the tech industry has talked about the next big thing.....yet battery life is seemingly always the last to be thought of, when its easily the most important consideration to consumers whether smartphone or feature phone alike.

You have to admire the willy waving from the top manufacturers, but they all suffer the same problem...thinner designs with crap battery life. Gone are the days when you could charge a phone and it would last days as opposed to hours.

When you see Samsung and LG introduce battery saver modes....I just think its a cop out....because they couldn't be arsed to innovate. The same applies to Apple as well....as much as I love the size and feel of the 5S its battery capacity is woeful when compared to similar sized handsets. Seriously if Apple and any other manufacturer could get past bigger and thinner is better then we would actually start to see phones which would last days rather than hours as is the case now.

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aye Up

The problem with smartphones is they evolve at such a fast rate, they are becoming more power hungry as the days go buy. The applies across all platforms. Battery technology isn't keeping up. For the last 5 years the tech industry has talked about the next big thing.....yet battery life is seemingly always the last to be thought of, when its easily the most important consideration to consumers whether smartphone or feature phone alike.

You have to admire the willy waving from the top manufacturers, but they all suffer the same problem...thinner designs with crap battery life. Gone are the days when you could charge a phone and it would last days as opposed to hours.

When you see Samsung and LG introduce battery saver modes....I just think its a cop out....because they couldn't be arsed to innovate. The same applies to Apple as well....as much as I love the size and feel of the 5S its battery capacity is woeful when compared to similar sized handsets. Seriously if Apple and any other manufacturer could get past bigger and thinner is better then we would actually start to see phones which would last days rather than hours as is the case now.

God remember those. I used to charge my first mobile once a week, if that.

I had a Sony Ericsson K800i. Battery was amazing. I used to get a week and a half on one charge. And the camera was better on that than most of the top end smart phones now.

Swapped it out for a W995 which was just as good.

Got a smart phone after that and remember being utterly shocked at having to charge my battery every night/zee very other night. When I first got it it actually thought it was faulty because the battery drained that fast.

I do get a full day from my iPhone. And generally have about 10-20% left at bed time. And it's no hassle plugging it in over night. But in an emergency if you're away from a charger you're screwed. When you look at battery stats you get phone at 20% with only 6-7 hours actual use. And this is supposed to be good?! It's pathetic.

I'd gladly sacrifice phone ultra thinness for a battery that lasts.

[Icaraa]

I agree that the battery life on the iPhone (all types) is awful. I'd love to be able to use it a lot and get 1 1/2 or 2 days out of it. These companies should realise that at this stage a phone with a great battery life would actually be a really good selling point.

[Rodney McKay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icaraa

I don't think £60 is astronomically expensive though.

Apple send you their love!

[Rodney McKay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyceum

My 'crapple' phone is almost two years old. I took it off charge at 11pm today. I've used it all day, games, browsing, music, few videos, one 40 minute call and some texts. I still have 47% battery left.

My friend charges her S3 three times a day. Her phone isn't as old as mine.

Love how android sheep just have to slag apple off at every opportunity.

No, it's just pointing out that Crapple don't let you change out the battery, that is a fact fan boy.

[Mark C]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stiggles

It is when you can buy a spare battery for most phones for a tenner...

I changed the battery in my wife's iphone 4s recently, an easy job if you're reasonably technical. Looking at the You Tube videos for the iphone 5, I'd be inclined to give Apple 60 quid, and let them get it wrong !

[Lyceum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodney McKay

No, it's just pointing out that Crapple don't let you change out the battery, that is a fact fan boy.

Had you read my post after that you'd see I agreed it was a ridiculous price. And it's fan girl thanks.

[semiminted]

Closing any running apps regularly can reduce battery drainage

My Sony x10 mini (cough, smallest smart phone in the world) wouldn't last half a day until I started closing apps and threw it in temper onto carpet (after an upsetting phone conversation) suddenly battery found new life (not recommended )

[Pencil]

You can get around this problem by getting a smartphone with a battery that's not sealed in the unit. I have 3 batteries for my Galaxy S4 which I take with me when travelling.