1

When every android phone is released, all the reviews discuss about battery life of the device, since, they say, battery life in android phones is a critical issue.

Question is :

Why battery life is an important problem in android phones ?

Some say, it is due to the display of smartphones. Some say, Android is inherently power hungry due to some of its OS related features.

Can anyone highlight the reason why Android is power hungry ?

Improve this question
3
  • 4
    It's not so much Android that is power hungry, but smartphones in general are power hungry. A smartphone basically is a very small laptop computer and as such it has a similar battery-life.
    – THelper
    Commented Nov 2, 2012 at 14:05
  • ...but what normally uses up the bulk of your battery life on a modern (large-screened) smartphone is the screen. It's usually over 50 % on my Galaxy Nexus.
    – Cerberus
    Commented Nov 2, 2012 at 15:58
  • Why battery life is an important problem in android phones? Have you seen any smartphones that can stay awake for 24 hours of constant usage without recharging? That's why.
    – Lie Ryan
    Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 8:13

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

Just a few reasons Android uses a lot of power:

  • Large, Colorful, Bright Display
  • Constant Wireless Connections
  • Background Applications
  • Application/Cloud Syncing
  • User Input
  • Garbageware Applications running when no one asked them to
  • Poorly written applications using more CPU cycles than needed

Basically, everything about your phone that makes it "smart", uses battery power - often a lot.

If you were to dim the display to minimum, turn off all wireless communications and have no applications running and syncing, your smartphone would have outstanding battery life; and be quite useless.

Improve this answer
1
  • On my device, the Motorola Droid 3, there are pre-installed applications that I do not want, and cannot remove. They periodically run themselves and eat resources. Common names for this kind of software is: Blotware, crapware, garbageware, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crapware
    – Dylan Yaga
    Commented Nov 2, 2012 at 17:10
-2

Basically Android need to be interpreted which takes more CPU cycles. Compared to very efficient systems like the Symbian and Meego Android will always use maybe 2 times more power due to most code not being native.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    What is interpreted? And even if so, it does not necessarily result in increased power consumption.
    – Flow
    Commented Nov 2, 2012 at 18:46
  • Hi, you could add more details, please.
    – Abid Rahman K
    Commented Nov 3, 2012 at 1:33

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .