It's Almost 2015 and Battery Life Still Sucks
Today is the last day of 2014, and one thing has been increasingly clear this year: we use our smartphones more and more. Some studies show that the average user spends over 3 hours a day on their iPhones and Galaxy Notes - that's 1/8th of the day spent staring at a 5" screen (source: Nielson). Ignoring the obvious social and health impacts of staring at a phone all day long, the other trend that continues on is that battery life can't keep up. Despite advancements in processor and display technology through more efficient SoCs and display drivers, battery technology itself hasn't significantly changed. Continued miniaturization of components, more advanced machining, and consumers' preference for bigger screens has led to the possibility of a short-term solution to battery life - more room for bigger batteries. Look at the iPhone 6 Plus below - the battery takes up half, or more, of the total volume of the phone itself!
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| Source: iFixit Teardowns (www.ifixit.com) |
Until new battery technology that's safe, reliable, and cost effective hits the market, better battery life will require bigger batteries. But bigger batteries aren't the final solution since OEMs are engaged in a different battle altogether - the race to the thinnest phones on the market. Back in 2012, an HTC executive stated that consumer research has shown that consumers prioritize thin devices over better battery life alongside the release of the HTC One S that was less than 8mm thick. Well, it's now over 2 years later, and companies are continuing to sacrifice battery life in the race to thin. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, released in September, clock in at just 6.9mm and 7.1mm thin. A few months later in December, Oppo released an Android smartphone that's less than 5mm thick; so thin that it doesn't even have a headphone jack because apparently, we all want phones that are so thin, they can double as letter openers and cheese cutters.
Bullshit. I carry around a huge 20,000mAh battery pack when I travel. I also keep a smaller 4500mAh battery pack that's easier to use. My car is set up with with microUSB and iPhone cables to keep my, and my passengers', device batteries topped off. But it shouldn't have to be like this. Battery life anxiety is real, and it impacts a lot of people. Most of my friends and coworkers complain about their phone being close to dying. I've gotten the "I have to go, my phone is almost dead" message a bunch of times. Maybe they were being honest, and maybe (probably) they just wanted me to stop bothering them. But the reason why that excuse is so effective is because it's so easy to believe since it's a situation that we've all been through.
My biggest Tech Rant as we end 2014 and begin 2015 is battery life! Apple, Samsung, HTC, Motorola - focus on battery life as your key differentiator in 2015. I'm not talking about making a device that can last a full day (which typically amounts to 12-16 hours when you read the fine print). I, and many other consumers, want a phone that can stay unplugged for more than a full 24 hour day under hard use: high brightness (to enjoy those Retina Displays), streaming music and YouTube videos, sharing pictures of our food to everyone in the world on Instagram (because everyone should know how fat I'm getting), and taking 93 selfies before settling on the perfect one to Snapchat. Full, untethered use of our beloved devices without an ounce of battery life anxiety - OEMs, make that your new year's resolution for 2015.
Tips to Prolonging Battery Life and Longevity: Most smartphones today use lithium-ion batteries as mentioned above, so here are a few quick tips on caring for your phone's battery, courtesy of Lifehacker:
- Batteries like to be kept fairly full, so charge your battery often and don't let it drop to the really low levels where your 1st World Problem turns into a real-life nightmare. Juice it up when it drops to around 50%, aiming to keep your battery within the 50% - 90% range as much as possible.
- Don't keep your battery at 100% for long periods of time - not only is it bad for your phone, it also uses more electricity than you need to use.
- Temperature matters! Keeping your phone at a cool operating temperature is best.
And if you're a serious power user, then I recommend picking up a portable external battery charger pack that has an embedded power cord to keep things neat. My top picks that I've had personal experience with are (all from Amazon.com):
This battery pack is great, and works with most Android phones that use the microUSB standard.
Need something a little bigger? Then go for this 12000mAh power pack: Jackery® Giant+ Premium Portable Charger Aluminum 12000mAh Power Pack
Finally, if you really need something massive that can last you multiple charges, opt for this beast: Anker® Astro E6 Ultra-High Capacity 20800mAh Portable Charger
