How do I know when a cell phone battery is bad?
I just got the new Droid phone, sorry I’m really not trying to brag. Anyways, I just got it and I expected it to have a shorter battery life than my old phone because of the screen obviously and the other functions it can do. But I had it plugged in all night and used it from 9am until about 1pm and thats when I shut it off because the battery was down to like 15%. So 2 things I am thinking. Either I am a noob and left a bunch of apps running while I was just sitting in class and it drained the battery really fast. Or the battery is a dud. The only thing that made me think the battery is a dud is that it heated up really bad the last couple hours and that made me think maybe it was the battery. But I really don’t know. So what do you guys think?
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When in doubt return it while you still can. Or better yet, if you have to contact customer service anyway, ask them what the expected battery life is.
I was reading some articles online and some guy tested it out and using his droid a lot he had it run about 7½ hours. I figure I’d test it a couple more times and see if its consistently around 4 hours. Before taking it back to the store.
Sure test away, just don’t wait settle for a bad battery because you don’t want to turn in your new gadget. I know that’s what I would do (send it away? but I just got it!). Keep in mind there is no consistency in the lifespan of a battery, it’s only getting worse each time you recharge it.
It is because you have syncing with your gmail turned on Kyle. You have to turn that off, and your battery lasts much longer. Plus, it is like a mini computer. If you are playing with the screen all day (which I know you are) the screen makes the battery go down faster. turn the brightness down. Oh, and turn the wifi off when you aren’t using it.
Good call mike, I knew I was being a noob.
Of course it is a good call. :)
If you can full drain the battery occasionally, it may improve battery life. My Razr came with a Motorola commercial video. A couple of times a year I play it on a loop until the phone turns off. The first time, battery life almost doubled.
Also, when you are out of cell range, your phone may drain the battery searching for a signal. That happened to my phone a couple of times while camping.
When it curses at old people and shoplifts
I’d watch it, tho. It shouldn’t be heating up that bad.
Actually I take the good call back. I have been charging it for a couple hours now and it isn’t charging above 15%. The battery is Def zapped.
Yeah, it sounds like it’s no good. Back to the store with you….
@jaytkay: Pretty sure that depends on the specific kind of battery being used.
Pretty sure that depends on the specific kind of battery being used.
Agreed. What is the specific recommendation for the Droid phone?
Not sure, Its just the one that came with the phone. It is only a day old. Its a Motorola BP6X
Okay thats weird, I just turned it off, took the battery out and plugged it back in and now it says its at a 40% charge, when before I turned it off it had a 15% charge. This just keeps getting weirder.
Also Kyle it is a smartphone. Trust me when I say all the smartphone batteries suck.
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