Last week I upgraded phones and got an HTC Thunderbolt on launch day. Everything has been great except for battery life. After some playing around trying to figure it out I found that simply being connected to the 4G network killed the battery (100% to 0%) in about 5 hours. Of course there is no official way to turn off 4G service, so I had to turn to the internet for answers. As you can see in the screenshot, I've created a shortcut that allows me to toggle between 3G and 4G on demand. This completely solved the problem, and I'm still able to connect to the 4G network when I need the speed (for those that care, currently getting 17Mbps down). If anyone is up for a phone upgrade, I would highly reccommend this phone provided you perform this little hack.
4 comments:
That is really cool! I am surprised that the 4G kills the battery like though. That doesn't seem very well planned. Is it something with the verizon 4G or is this a problem on other networks as well? Are you running a task killer application at all? It is amazing what programs turn themselves on and suck down the battery. Anyway, I enjoyed the update!
17 down is awesome (i'm only getting 13.6 on my cable). you said the 3G/4G switchover fixed the problem, what's your new battery life? do you get 17 down pretty much everywhere? what's the new plan cost (i think you piggyback on a family plan, right?)
if the price were right it would be cool to switch to a 4G phone (or phones) for home internet. yay technology
The phone easily lasts all day when left in 3g mode. It usually has about 25% battery when I'm going to bed.
I'm in an "extended coverage area" so 4G coverage is spotty. If the phone is constantly reconnecting to 4g, that may also be a reason for the bad battery life. I have solid coverage in the Tampa area and at work, presumably from higher elevation. Here's a link to the coverage map. As you can see, Tampa has it, Sarasota/Bradenton planned for 2011. Same for Tucson.
The data plan on verizon is the same as before; $29.99 unlimited ($23.99 with our state employee discount). This may change soon with rumors of tiered data plans on the horizon. I don't know if I'll be grandfathered in or not.
Hmm, that coverage map does not seem to indicate any 4G coverage for the VT area any time soon... I guess I will be holding off on a 4G phone for a while. Jae, I definitely agree about using cell phone for internet though. I already use my phone as a wifi hotspot but it is pretty slow. 17Mb download would definitely make me consider getting another phone for use as a hotspot.
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