Database Develop

Battery usage - typical Display values

Given that the display is widely regarded as one of the two biggest drawers of power/battery life on the N1 (the other being the radio/cell standby), and given that my battery usage breakdown *always* has Display at the top (by a large margin), I thought it might be interesting to see what other people's Display usage hovers around so we can build up a "operating range"...
(apologies if anyone has done this before, I did a few searches but nothing significant came up - please point me to previous posts if it has already been covered)

not exactly seeing an option for a Poll...would recommend setting one up before we get 100s of posts to comb through

bloke226 said:
not exactly seeing an option for a Poll...would recommend setting one up before we get 100s of posts to comb through
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you got there darn quick - cheers for voting though!

it depends on what rom u have. my battery usage for the display was significantly different from cyanogen to desire rom.

nellyspageli said:
it depends on what rom u have. my battery usage for the display was significantly different from cyanogen to desire rom.
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that was one of the things that prompted me to do the poll, as I'm familiar with a Desire with Sense that reports around 20%
unfortunately I don't think i can also capture the ROM here (kernel would have been nice too), but I wanted to - and think you may have a point...

Moved as not Android Dev.

Yeah, unfortunately if you are getting a low display usage if you use it a lot means that the rest of your system is really hogging the power. Cyanogenmod with a high display usage is great because it means the rest of the system is running very efficiently.

Clarkster said:
Yeah, unfortunately if you are getting a low display usage if you use it a lot means that the rest of your system is really hogging the power. Cyanogenmod with a high display usage is great because it means the rest of the system is running very efficiently.
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It could mean a few different things, not just that. This is not a very scientific poll, sorry.

Thanks for this Poll. I was beginning to think that maybe my Nexus One was defective because the screen used so much of the battery. Unlike my HTC Magic, where the Cell Standby/Phone Idle was king.

The screen is supposed to be the highest drain. That means that the OS and all your apps are very efficient and not out of control.

just FYI, it seems on the bleeding edge kernels that a couple of kernel authors are producing at the moment, that Display usage is down. I am typically seeing no more than 40% in the stats now (down from around 60%) - will update once the kernel dust settles!

this poll isnt really effective, i have seen my screen usage from 10% all the way up to 89%, from what ive seen the percentage is based off of how long since the phone has been unplugged from a charger to the amount of time you were actually using it(had the screen on)
i can run my battery life into the ground in 6 hours or i can make it last 34 hours(max from full charge to shut down with all the fancy stuff turned off)

Suddenly bad battery life = battery gone bad?

Basically, a few weeks ago I flashed assonance 5.0 and my standby battery life was terrible. The battery would die by the time I got out of school which is around 7-8 hours of standby time.
So hoping to solve this problem. I flashed the captivate version of doc's rom and I have the exact same battery life. I have recalibrated the battery many times as well.
Sooo, do you think my battery has gone bad?
And if so, any good places where I could get a spare?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

Many have posted eBay has some good deals.
I still suspect that many of these phones were shipped with crap batteries hence the differences with people using the same roms having much different battery life.

cappysw10 said:
Many have posted eBay has some good deals.
I still suspect that many of these phones were shipped with crap batteries hence the differences with people using the same roms having much different battery life.
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Well the thing is that my battery life wasn't terrible before. Or not this bad at least :x
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App

Have you at least tried reflashing to stock to see if the problem is with the roms or with your battery?

Not for an extended period... but the thing is I read through some of the rom threads. And if it was the rom people would be complaining about battery life, but no one is :/
In fact, it is quite the opposite...
Sent from.... "Waiting for Location"...

crazililazn said:
Sent from.... "Waiting for Location"...
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That's awesome.

What, you don't like my phone sig?
Sent from a phone somewhere in the universe

crazililazn said:
Basically, a few weeks ago I flashed assonance 5.0 and my standby battery life was terrible. The battery would die by the time I got out of school which is around 7-8 hours of standby time.
So hoping to solve this problem. I flashed the captivate version of doc's rom and I have the exact same battery life. I have recalibrated the battery many times as well.
Sooo, do you think my battery has gone bad?
And if so, any good places where I could get a spare?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
kernel related or bad battery!!!!

Well i am using Glitterball's latest kernel before Firebird. Or the stock kernel that came with the Doc's Captivate Rom 7.0
Either way, there has been a huge drop in battery life and I do not think it is kernel related, because on the Assonance 5.0 rom, i was running Setiron's 1.4.7 kernel with the exact same problems with battery life :'(

This is highly dependent on how you have your settings on your phone.
1) Wi-Fi constantly looking for an active network connection? At least have it go to sleep when the phone goes on standby. I only turn mine on at home or otherwise need and have access to it. Otherwise its off.
2) GPS running all the time? Personally, I rarely ever need to use it, but it runs great when I do.
3) Display at recommended brightness or higher? Recommended or less is best as far as saving battery power. I like mine all the way down. Don't need/want it any brighter.
I even tend to use only darker wallpapers as bright and lighter colors pull more power on AMOLED screens. This makes a little bit of difference. How much I don't know, but I do know that it does. Sometimes the above settings like to change on you. It's a good idea to check 'em once in a while.
While it's usually always around 60% full when I go to bed, I still charge my cell every night.
I have found that the speedmod kernel is real good for conserving battery power. Not downing other kernels as they're all real good. Speedmod handles battery consumption better in my experience.
Have you installed any new software that might be accessing the network checking for updates/feeds, etc?

Cozmo1 said:
This is highly dependent on how you have your settings on your phone.
1) Wi-Fi constantly looking for an active network connection? At least have it go to sleep when the phone goes on standby. I only turn mine on at home or otherwise need and have access to it. Otherwise its off.
2) GPS running all the time? Personally, I rarely ever need to use it, but it runs great when I do.
3) Display at recommended brightness or higher? Recommended or less is best as far as saving battery power. I like mine all the way down. Don't need/want it any brighter.
I even tend to use only darker wallpapers as bright and lighter colors pull more power on AMOLED screens. This makes a little bit of difference. How much I don't know, but I do know that it does. Sometimes the above settings like to change on you. It's a good idea to check 'em once in a while.
While it's usually always around 60% full when I go to bed, I still charge my cell every night.
I have found that the speedmod kernel is real good for conserving battery power. Not downing other kernels as they're all real good. Speedmod handles battery consumption better in my experience.
Have you installed any new software that might be accessing the network checking for updates/feeds, etc?
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1)I always had my Wifi sleep policy on never. So its not what is affecting the battery life
2) Never have GPS on unless i need it. Heck, when i need it, it never works.
3) nothing that i didnt have before.
Basically, I haven't changed anything to cause the decrease in battery life.

Your two biggest drains on battery are WiFi (especially when consistently seeking - any new access points where you leave it on standby all day?) and your display. Could it be your battery? Sure. Go exchange it at AT&T. They shouldn't have a problem exchanging it for you
Sent using XDA app on a modified Assonance 5.2 ROM

Cozmo1 said:
Your two biggest drains on battery are WiFi (especially when consistently seeking - any new access points where you leave it on standby all day?) and your display. Could it be your battery? Sure. Go exchange it at AT&T. They shouldn't have a problem exchanging it for you
Sent using XDA app on a modified Assonance 5.2 ROM
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Well the thing is. I have never had this battery life with my Wifi settings left untouched. So yeah, i will probably get a new battery from AT&T tomorrow and report back if it was the battery or not :]

give this thread a quick read, its more based around 2.2.1 roms but you could find some good information
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=884816

[3xQ] Battery Consumption

Hello everyone,
I'm running some tests to see the battery consumption on my Galaxy S i9000. I'm using the gingerbread version of darkys ROM.
Firstly, what do you think of the battery life? In this specific test I used the phone in a very light way, made some messages/calls and read few mails.
Secondly, is it normal to have depressions in the battery chart that display less battery than it shows later? How is it computed? Isn't just some logic level of the voltage battery?
Lastly, in the case of buying another battery, is it worthless to be genuine?
Thanks a lot

I have same qestion like you, in the another thread....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13862717&postcount=30
Regards

miro666 said:
I have same qestion like you, in the another thread....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13862717&postcount=30
Regards
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Sorry! Obviously I didn't searched properly. Hope someone can clarify us
Is it a gingerbread issue?

Even big batteries will "recover" after heavy use so ur graph is quite normal.
Also be aware that if the battery calibration isnt xorrect then that will lead to weird graphs too. E.g. Losing 1% over 8hrs after flashing a new rom is most likely due to inaccurate battery calibration.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

When I install a new rom the battery stats are always deleted? Or it depends?

I also having the same prob...batt consumptions are always the main concern when come to flashing a new rom...Darky's can only last me for 1day with heavy usage and recently flashed to MIUI which can only last for <8hours with the same usage...im not sure why this happen but I am trying with different kernels and see which is the best combination...

I just installed a new gingerbread ROM and guess what.. Using push, wi-fi all the time, gps, 1h youtube video, sms, video call... The battery never ends!! As I'm writing the battery is still 15%. It's amazing the gingerbread in terms of battery consumption. Obviously, something in the other ROM was not right! Guess I'll stick to this battery a little more time.
Btw, the battery stats are pretty normal, no depressions..

[MYTH] Wiping battery stats helps

There you have it, in the title. Google engineer Dianne Hackborn, who has previously explained Android’s hardware acceleration, took to Google+ again to clarify some myths about the Android operating system. This time, it’s a point of common advice that you’ll see in virtually every FAQ thread about custom ROMs and flashing: wiping battery stats in order to improve battery life.
The reasoning behind that piece of advice was something like this: If you, at some point, did not charge your Android device fully (for example, only to 80%), it would supposedly remember that battery level as “fully charged” – in this case, you’d only ever get to use 80% of your battery, which is of course less than optimal. So, if you wipe the battery stats, usually done in ClockWord Mod Recovery, the device would “forget” the previous level, here 80%, and instead charge to the full 100% once again, thereby re-calibrating the battery. Or, as Hackborn puts it in more technical terms:
"The battery indicator in the status/notification bar is a reflection of the batterystats.bin file in the data/system/ directory."
However, as she explains, that’s not the case. Because those battery stats, stored in the batterystats.bin file, are only used to maintain information about what is using the battery when not recharging. That is, it essentially holds the information displayed in the Settings > Battery screen. Nothing more, nothing less. Thus:
It has no impact on the current battery level shown to you.
It has no impact on your battery life.
What’s more, you’ve probably noticed that the battery usage data is reset once you recharge your device anyway. From this you can correctly deduce that the battery stats are wiped as well – every time your device is recharged. More or less every day. If there was any effect, you would’ve noticed it without going into recovery and doing that stuff. Typical placebo, eh?
Original Article here:
[MYTH] Wiping batt stats helps save battery life

Just because it makes sense, and comes from someone who should know, do you think we are going to believe it? =P
Just kidding. Thanks again!

Interesting, so why is it when I flash something and let's say my bat is @ 20% but after rebooting I'm down to 4%
Doesn't do that all the time but it is odd.
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk

I saw that behavior on my previous Revo. Sounds like a good question to ask her.
I stopped "calibrating" the battery since that previous phone and have had no problems. Reading mtm say that he never calibrates with all he does with his phone, I am on that boat. Reading the quotes above is reassuring.
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk

KaneOfMars said:
Interesting, so why is it when I flash something and let's say my bat is @ 20% but after rebooting I'm down to 4%
Doesn't do that all the time but it is odd.
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk
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I've had this too not sure what it is.

I had that same problem Kane. More than once
I've been Supercharged and Gingervolted!

RootedUser said:
I had that same problem Kane. More than once
I've been Supercharged and Gingervolted!
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I have too and that's the whole reason I calibrate is because I thought it would give me more accurate readings. Plus, maybe I'm losing it, but I always feel like I get better battery life in the middle of the calibration process.
But after reading this, maybe I am crazy lol
Sent from my VS910 4G using XDA App

I calibrated aswell but, it still did same ****
I've been Supercharged and Gingervolted!

RootedUser said:
I calibrated aswell but, it still did same ****
I've been Supercharged and Gingervolted!
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Click to collapse
yea I have heard that calibrating doesn't do anything but never had legit confirmation till now

KaneOfMars said:
Interesting, so why is it when I flash something and let's say my bat is @ 20% but after rebooting I'm down to 4%
Doesn't do that all the time but it is odd.
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk
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It's a volts/amps thing. The lower your battery is, the faster it will drain. Rebooting your phone takes a lot more energy for all the necessary operations during a boot up. Without going into detail, the amperage will pull voltage down faster on a curve as the battery level gets lower, just as it does when charging.
When charging, batteries will not only appear to charge faster for the first 40-50%, but they are because the charge voltage is much higher than the battery voltage, giving more force of energy movement. As the battery voltage increases, that force is less, therefore taking longer to push amps into the battery.
The reverse is in effect on draining. I would safely say that you likely wouldn't see that much of a percentage of change for a reboot when your battery was fully, or near full charged.
Hope that helps... I also see a major percentage drop when rebooting my phone with a battery at less than 40% charge left in it. If the battery is mostly charged, I don't notice much more than a percent or two drop.
If this isn't helpful enough and need a better explanation, just let me know and I will try to explain it better. It's just basic electricity 101.
-Cybie

@ cybie
Thanks for that bit of info, your explanation was very clear
Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk

the battery drop seems to happen quite often when you flash a ROM mostly I have a question might sound dumb but since the phone is on and all systems are being active wouldnt that use more of your battery life

Damn you Hicks... next you are going to tell me unicorns aren't real.
Yesterday I was at 25% I reboot, and it warned me that I was at 15% upon starting up. I don't think it has anything to do with anything. The phone ran as though the life was still at 25% (an hour or so with heavy-ish usage.) If I have done a lot of rom-ing and theme-ing I will recalibrate (just as a reassurance to myself) I am sure it makes no difference, but it puts me at ease, and really being self centered... isn't that what life is all about?
Poor communication between the battery stat program, and the display program, could this be the thing that is driving everyone nuts? Maybe the two programs need a class to express their feelings better.

markapowell said:
Damn you Hicks... next you are going to tell me unicorns aren't real.
Yesterday I was at 25% I reboot, and it warned me that I was at 15% upon starting up. I don't think it has anything to do with anything. The phone ran as though the life was still at 25% (an hour or so with heavy-ish usage.) If I have done a lot of rom-ing and theme-ing I will recalibrate (just as a reassurance to myself) I am sure it makes no difference, but it puts me at ease, and really being self centered... isn't that what life is all about?
Poor communication between the battery stat program, and the display program, could this be the thing that is driving everyone nuts? Maybe the two programs need a class to express their feelings better.
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Lol sorry! I'm really not trying to be all "doom and gloom." Just thought it was an interesting find lol.

An Observation
Back in the day I had an Incredible. It was truly an incredible phone. With the exception of the battery of course. There were/are always two camps or schools of thoughts about the battery. One was that you have to "condition" your battery to get better life, the other was "F it, the battery is fine". There was also the "bump charge" mythos going around as well. I think, and this is just my opinion, this is the same thing as the wiping of battery stats every time you flash a ROM.
My experience, both on the Incredible, the Inc II, the Charge, Revo and Bionic, (some of these are my wife's phones) is that conditioning the battery, or wiping battery stats are just really, as Spc pointed out, a myth. Our batteries die faster when we flash a new ROM cuz we are playing with it more. We have a new toy again.. same with themes...or new kernels.
Every time I wipe my battery stats I end up with much worse battery life for several days.
But thank you Hicks for posting the article. Its always good to read a debunked myth!! Bravo!!
These opinions are mine and not intended to troll, or irritate or annoy people. If I do, sorry.

Not sure if anyone else has seen this....but i've found charging a little while longer after it says 100% seems to provide battery life.
If it take it off the charger right away...i get about 8-10hours. If i keep it on a few hours longer, i seem to get about 12.
I'm running at 1.2GHz...gVolt

Battery life test

Can someone who actually has the phone post real world battery life test results with full res on, Bluetooth WiFi and GPS on, and without running YouTube to run down the battery.
I saw the video from the YouTube tech guy (thanks for all those btw), but these devices are optimized for video so running down the battery with a long Youtube playlist isnt "actual useage" if you know what I mean.

gingi999 said:
Can someone who actually has the phone post real world battery life test results with full res on, Bluetooth WiFi and GPS on, and without running YouTube to run down the battery.
I saw the video from the YouTube tech guy (thanks for all those btw), but these devices are optimized for video so running down the battery with a long Youtube playlist isnt "actual useage" if you know what I mean.
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I don't think anyone here actually has the phone yet And to be honest if your not happy with the current reviews I don't think you will be with future ones either because it will never be 'your' usage and no one else can replicate that except you.

MrAshMan said:
I don't think anyone here actually has the phone yet And to be honest if your not happy with the current reviews I don't think you will be with future ones either because it will never be 'your' usage and no one else can replicate that except you.
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Yea a lot of people get the devices before the consumer release date to review them. Like this guy I know that it wont be "my usage", but I did stipulate a few conditions that would make it close to my use case and I wanted to make sure that streaming video on loop wasn't part of the test.

gingi999 said:
Yea a lot of people get the devices before the consumer release date to review them. Like this guy I know that it wont be "my usage", but I did stipulate a few conditions that would make it close to my use case and I wanted to make sure that streaming video on loop wasn't part of the test.
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Understand completely.. i do not see the point in strategically getting high SoT or battery usage stats.. I just don't think it would help you someone else posting there usage for you to make a decision on. I assume you would be comparing it with your current phone with your usage

I've seen a video on YouTube that claims the screen on time is 6 hours and 45 minutes during normal use. That would be incredible

Found a great video on battery life

gingi999 said:
Found a great video on battery life
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Seeing that video gives me hope. But seeing no updates to improve S8+ Is bull.

Just remember to look after your battery initially. When you first get your device charge it without using it. Once charged you'll be doing a lot of transfers and updates which will heat up the battery and device because of the load - I always do this initial set-up in a cool room or outside if cooler and without a case to keep the battery cool. Once set-up and you've played with it and the battery is drained, don't charge it . Switch off the device and let it cool down. Following this initial care procedure should give you better long term battery life.

Izvid said:
Seeing that video gives me hope. But seeing no updates to improve S8+ Is bull.
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Yep me too. I was very concerned. But looks like they softwared a solution to my fears

jah said:
Just remember to look after your battery initially. When you first get your device charge it without using it. Once charged you'll be doing a lot of transfers and updates which will heat up the battery and device because of the load - I always do this initial set-up in a cool room or outside if cooler and without a case to keep the battery cool. Once set-up and you've played with it and the battery is drained, don't charge it . Switch off the device and let it cool down. Following this initial care procedure should give you better long term battery life.
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I really thought Li-ion batteries don't need any initial formatting. Am I wrong?

pedmond said:
I really thought Li-ion batteries don't need any initial formatting. Am I wrong?
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Most manuals say charge fully prior to first use. Keeping the battery cool super important. Battery also better if charged with device off.

pedmond said:
I really thought Li-ion batteries don't need any initial formatting. Am I wrong?
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They don't need any initial conditioning, like NiCd or (to a lesser extent, NiMh), but ...
jah said:
Most manuals say charge fully prior to first use. Keeping the battery cool super important. Battery also better if charged with device off.
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As @jah says, heat is the enemy of Li-Ion batteries. The cooler you can keep them, the better. Don't charge them when they're warm to the touch, and don't fast-charge them unless you really need to. I don't think charging them with the device off provides a significant enough benefit to go to the trouble of shutting down your phone before and turning it on after, though.