Galaxy S4 battery life

[sean_k]

If I can ask you a question. I just bought my S4 2 days ago. and had it fully charged twice already. Yesterday around 1 pm it was fully charged since then I've used the phone for a total of about 1 hr downloading updates and stuff.

As it stands now today at 2PM, it's at 59%. It's been on powersave mode the entire time and my screen shut off is 30 seconds. Screen brightness set on auto with basal level being low.

I've looked at the phone in the past 24 hours maybe 10 times or so, with no phone calls.

Is this normal?

[B33 · Accepted solution]

Well you could do this when your updating just plug it into the charger then when it finished updating pull it off the charger I do this on my phones especially if the update is a big one..  And I use Wi-Fi to update as well it's allot faster & more reliable than the Network,  which help as it will not pull on your battery as when using the Network..

If your close to a Tower your speeds will be reliable enough as Wi-Fi but if there is some distance between you and the Tower I'd say if you have it use the Wi-Fi.

[SuzyQ]

sean_k wrote:

... I just bought my S4 2 days ago. and had it fully charged twice already. Yesterday around 1 pm it was fully charged since then I've used the phone for a total of about 1 hr downloading updates and stuff.

As it stands now today at 2PM, it's at 59%. It's been on powersave mode the entire time and my screen shut off is 30 seconds. Screen brightness set on auto with basal level being low.

I've looked at the phone in the past 24 hours maybe 10 times or so, with no phone calls.

Is this normal?

That sounds reasonable to me - at that rate you'll get two days or more on a charge.  Phone calls do not take much power, it's the screen that does.  So texting, browsing, games, etc where the screen is ON all the time, that will drain the battery.  But to be at 59% after 24 + hours, downloading and using it, checking emails, texts, etc - yeah, I'd say that's normal.

[sean_k]

Thanks for the answer.

I turned wifi off since I don't have wifi at home. I use direct connection. I'm also concerned about the safety as well. In total, I think I used about 150 Mb yesterday.

What about the battery life though? It seems like a lot of people are having battery life issue? one reason I bought the phone is because one of the reviews said it has 20+ hours of talk time on one battery. I looked at the phone twice since the last time I posted the question. It's currently at 53%. In that 2 and half hours, 6% drained under the power save mode.

I'm wondering if this is normal, or should I return the phone or the battery?

[sean_k]

>That sounds reasonable to me - at that rate you'll get two days or more on a charge.  Phone calls do not take much power, it's the screen that does.  So texting, browsing, games, etc where the screen is ON all the time, that will drain the battery.  But to be at 59% after 24 + hours, downloading and using it, checking emails, texts, etc - yeah, I'd say that's normal.

• Re: Galaxy S4 poor battery life.

Hm... OK. So I shouldn't have to worry about the defective battery then?

Also is it better to wait for the battery to drain completely before charging it or charge it whenever? If it's like laptop battery, it should be allowed to completely drain at least once in a while. Every few months.

Sorry, this is my very first smartphone and I'm really confused.

[SuzyQ]

The phone will use data in the background (unless you tell it not to update unless it's on wifi), and that will use battery as well.  The standby and talk times are pretty generous - I don't expect to get that much time on a battery charge if I am talking constantly.

I typically charge my phone overnight, so I start the day with a full battery.  If it's 60% or more by evening, I'll let it go overnight without a charge, and can usually make it through the next day too.  Some days I use the phone more than others, and end up charging it each night.

As to returning it or keeping it - that's up to you.  I'd still say what you are seeing is WNL (within normal limits).

[sean_k]

Thank you the replies. Helped me a lot. I think I'm going to use it for at least a few days before deciding. My previous flip phone had to be charged every 3 days or so. This charging a phone everyday seems excessive to me. I'll see how it goes. I just wanted to get some feedback from other users.

[B33]

Well just keep in mind that even though updates can help for some things they can also set back things even though they say it won't affect the phone.. it's happened to all of us sometime or another & when it does we'll feel what your going through all you do is try out our suggestions as we've done Hope for the Best.

Have a Good Weekend.. b 

[SuzyQ]

A smartphone is much more "battery intensive" than a flip phone.  You probably will NOT be able to go three days on a charge...every other day is very good.  Every day charging is "normal".  If you can let it run down to 15 or 10% and then charge and it's convenient to do so, that is probably good for the first few cycles.  If your pattern is such that nightly or alternate nightly  charging works better, that will work too.