Galaxy S2 Battery Life

[arkom]

I did search the forum and found some related information but no real answer.

I got a Galaxy S2 from work and the battery seems to die really fast. On a fully charged battery it will last barely the whole day until it is almost needs to be charged, and this is I don't make any calls. If I were to make some calls lasting about 30 mins, it will last maybe 4 hours until it needs to be charged.

It is used and I have no idea how old the phone is, but I need to keep it plugged in most of the day otherwise it will the battery will go out. I heard that the batteries for Samsung phones aren't very good, but are they this bad? Anyone using the S2 with similar problems?

I have an iphone 4 that is for personal use, so far I have no issues with battery life although I know that it drains pretty quickly.

[Somtamnication]

Download some apps that analyze the apps that drain your battery. Also, get an app called LBE. It allows you to give permission to apps to see your contacts, sms and logs. Very useful for those secret uploads they do on you.

Remove any Samsung apps, Google+, FB see if you get an improvement.

Phone rooted? Calibrated after charging 100%??

[monty]

I use an app called juice defender.

It's main battery saving action is disabling the data connection. Standard on Android, data is always on, eating a fair bit of battery.

You can set it that it will still check for mails etc every 15 or 30 minutes.

Just activating the screen will activate data, so it works fully automatic.

Only thing is, if you use for example skype and want to be online all the time (to receive incoming skype calls) you obviously cannot use it...

Without juice defender i have only between 10 and 20% battery left after 10 hours (end of working day), with juice defender the battery is still at over 50%, with the same usage during the day...

[arkom]

Download some apps that analyze the apps that drain your battery. Also, get an app called LBE. It allows you to give permission to apps to see your contacts, sms and logs. Very useful for those secret uploads they do on you.

Remove any Samsung apps, Google+, FB see if you get an improvement.

Phone rooted? Calibrated after charging 100%??

Will look into LBE, could be very useful!!

[arkom]

I use an app called juice defender.

It's main battery saving action is disabling the data connection. Standard on Android, data is always on, eating a fair bit of battery.

You can set it that it will still check for mails etc every 15 or 30 minutes.

Just activating the screen will activate data, so it works fully automatic.

Only thing is, if you use for example skype and want to be online all the time (to receive incoming skype calls) you obviously cannot use it...

Without juice defender i have only between 10 and 20% battery left after 10 hours (end of working day), with juice defender the battery is still at over 50%, with the same usage during the day...

Thanks! That just might be the app that I need, will try it and see if there is any improvement.

[Shurup]

Your battery usage seems normal to me. I get more of a battery life but I keep the data off and activate it once in a while to check for emails and stuff.

[jomtienfun]

I would like to know how to remove the application Pulse this is using a lot power from my battery and I don't like this application

It was installed on my Galaxy when I bought it and just don't understand how to remove it

If some one maybe knows how to do this can he explain this to me

Thanks

jomtienfun

[Gary A]

I gave up on all the battery savers with the timers and other gimmicks. To get good battery life you have to dumb down your phone. Go to Android Market and sort through all the APN apps. This app will NOT allow your phone to connect to the Internet by itself but the SMS and calls will work normally. When you want to use the Internet to check email or anything else, just toggle it on and you are connected. I get four or five days battery life from my Android phone.

[Shurup]

I would like to know how to remove the application Pulse this is using a lot power from my battery and I don't like this application

It was installed on my Galaxy when I bought it and just don't understand how to remove it

If some one maybe knows how to do this can he explain this to me

Thanks

jomtienfun

If it's a bloat ware app then it can't be removed unless you root your phone. If it's not on a list of installed apps, then it's a bloatware.

[lomatopo]

I would like to know how to remove the application Pulse this is using a lot power from my battery and I don't like this application

jomtienfun

Settings, Applications, Select the All tab, scroll down to Pulse, Uninstall.

For the OP: Is this phone new or used? Does it have an OEM battery? Which Android version are you using? With Android 4.0.x (and perhaps 2.x?) you can go to Settings, select Battery, and see which apps/services are consuming your battery.

I would like to know how to remove the application Pulse this is using a lot power from my battery and I don't like this application

It was installed on my Galaxy when I bought it and just don't understand how to remove it

If some one maybe knows how to do this can he explain this to me

Thanks

jomtienfun

If it's a bloat ware app then it can't be removed unless you root your phone. If it's not on a list of installed apps, then it's a bloatware.

It is an add-on app. and can be un-installed.

Edited June 22, 2012 by lomatopo

[lomatopo]

double post removed.

Edited June 22, 2012 by lomatopo

[arkom]

I would like to know how to remove the application Pulse this is using a lot power from my battery and I don't like this application

jomtienfun

Settings, Applications, Select the All tab, scroll down to Pulse, Uninstall.

For the OP: Is this phone new or used? Does it have an OEM battery? Which Android version are you using? With Android 4.0.x (and perhaps 2.x?) you can go to Settings, select Battery, and see which apps/services are consuming your battery.

It is a used phone and battery is a OEM now running on 4.0.3. I actually have looked at the battery settings before to see where most of consumption is and a majority is used on the screen.

[jomtienfun]

Thanks but it is an ad one can't be removed

jomtienfun

[TongueThaied]

What did you expect? You bought a Samsung. Wait until Samsung discontinues that product line. You won't even be able to get a battery for it. Samsung is notorious for refusing to service any discontinued product and they won't sell you the parts.

[webfact]

Try Juice defender. It's an excellent app

[bobl]

Actually, "almost" a full day with minimal usage sounds about right for the standard battery.

You can probably tweak that with one of the aforementioned methods various battery saving techniques. I've seen people claim they can get 2 days out of their phone but on investigation, it turns out that they've disabled pretty much everything, and the phone happily sits idle, with a blank screen, for 2 days and still has some charge in it. To my mind, if I wanted a phone for that I'd stick with my Nokia 3310.

I got so used to "push" notifications with Blackberry (plus the wonderful BBM for which there is still no rival) that I find it not helpful to have to switch off data etc just to squeeze some extra life. For me, switching off data and push notifications kills 90% of the "smart" part of a smartphone.

Furthermore, the biggest battery drain almost always, is the screen. So you can tweak the apps from now until Christmas to get longer life but - as long as you have the thing in your hand and you're using it, the battery's gonna drain. In fact, your battery will go flat real fast even playing Angry bloody Birds while it's plugged into the charger. That's the one I can't forgive Samsung for - battery tech is battery tech it's where it is, development-wise - which is pretty much out of Samsung's control. No, what pisses me off is their charging system. First, it's WAY too slow. But the biggest gripe of all is that the battery will go flat even while it's plugged in if you're using the phone.

Enough ranting, back to the point. If it's an issue for you annoying enough to want to do something about it, your best option is to pick up a fat battery. Or a charging station and a spare battery you can alternate.

[lomatopo]

It is a used phone and battery is a OEM now running on 4.0.3. I actually have looked at the battery settings before to see where most of consumption is and a majority is used on the screen.

What is current % for screen usage?

Are you running a Live wallpaper? If so choose a static wallpaper.

Auto-brightness? Settings Display.

How about Settings, Power saving? Maybe try System power saving, or create a Custom power saving scheme?

It may be time for a new OEM battery as well? Or even a copy? I have a MobileONE copy battery and it lasting longer than my original OEM battery, phone is 1 year old. There is an OEM 2,000 mAh battery with new back cover available as well.

I don't run any special apps. to save power but I do turn of GPS when not required, I find that uses a lot of power, and I toggle WiFi off when away from WiFi and using 3G. The system polls for WiFi APs too often IMO.

Furthermore, the biggest battery drain almost always, is the screen.

In my experience, with this model/OS rev. it is almost always 'Android OS'.

Edited June 22, 2012 by lomatopo

[arkom]

It is a used phone and battery is a OEM now running on 4.0.3. I actually have looked at the battery settings before to see where most of consumption is and a majority is used on the screen.

What is current % for screen usage?

Are you running a Live wallpaper? If so choose a static wallpaper.

Auto-brightness? Settings Display.

How about Settings, Power saving? Maybe try System power saving, or create a Custom power saving scheme?

It may be time for a new OEM battery as well? Or even a copy? I have a MobileONE copy battery and it lasting longer than my original OEM battery, phone is 1 year old. There is an OEM 2,000 mAh battery with new back cover available as well.

I don't run any special apps. to save power but I do turn of GPS when not required, I find that uses a lot of power, and I toggle WiFi off when away from WiFi and using 3G. The system polls for WiFi APs too often IMO.

Furthermore, the biggest battery drain almost always, is the screen.

In my experience, with this model/OS rev. it is almost always 'Android OS'.

I have set the screen to auto brightness, same thing with system settings. I also have that set to auto as well.

I downloaded juice defender as well. Hopefully there will some improvement!

Thanks to everyone for the feedback!

[arkom]

What did you expect? You bought a Samsung. Wait until Samsung discontinues that product line. You won't even be able to get a battery for it. Samsung is notorious for refusing to service any discontinued product and they won't sell you the parts.

As I said earlier, it was given to me by my employer to use. I did not buy it.

[lomatopo]

I downloaded juice defender as well. Hopefully there will some improvement!

A lot of savvy people say Juice Defender actually exacerbates the problem as it is always running in the background. YMMV.

Some tips, scroll down for Android 4.0 tips/settings:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1234264

[bobl]

What did you expect? You bought a Samsung. Wait until Samsung discontinues that product line. You won't even be able to get a battery for it. Samsung is notorious for refusing to service any discontinued product and they won't sell you the parts.

As I said earlier, it was given to me by my employer to use. I did not buy it.

Heh... You forgot internet forum rule 1... "Don't feed the trolls"

[Digitalbanana]

I bought a 2500mAh battery off Ebay (same size as original 1650mAh) and get about 2 days normal use. I also use Juice Defender and Profiler to switch off radios overnight when I sleep. The original 1650mAh battery usually lasts a day. I do a fair bit of 3G, wifi and GPS stuff as well so cannot complain.

[YipYipYa123]

I bought a 2500mAh battery off Ebay (same size as original 1650mAh) and get about 2 days normal use. I also use Juice Defender and Profiler to switch off radios overnight when I sleep. The original 1650mAh battery usually lasts a day. I do a fair bit of 3G, wifi and GPS stuff as well so cannot complain.

how can it be 2500 mAh in a 1650 mAh case ?

[lomatopo]

I bought a 2500mAh battery off Ebay (same size as original 1650mAh) and get about 2 days normal use. I also use Juice Defender and Profiler to switch off radios overnight when I sleep. The original 1650mAh battery usually lasts a day. I do a fair bit of 3G, wifi and GPS stuff as well so cannot complain.

how can it be 2500 mAh in a 1650 mAh case ?

I think the obvious answer is that it is not a 2,500 mAh battery, but rather a knock-off of a legitimate Momax 1,650 mAh battery, mis-labeled and mis-represented.

fake: http://www.ebay.com/itm/320885837280?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2481wt_1163

real; http://www.momax.net/en/Product_Show.aspx?ID=1519&T=1

However this illustrates that if you believe in something it can come true.

[Gary A]

I have purchased a number of replacement batteries from the Thai phone shops and off the Internet. I have never bought one that was the equal of the OEM battery. The batteries I bought were mostly bought for backup and mostly used for long flights while listening to my Audible audio books.

If I had a Galaxy S 2, i'd definitely pay the big price for an extended high quality battery such as the Mugen;

Mugen Power Extended Battery 3200mAh for Samsung Galaxy S II i9100

[jomtienfun]

Have installed this programme juice defender and it is helping

Thanks for the tip

jomtienfun

Edited June 24, 2012 by jomtienfun

[lomatopo]

I ended up getting the extended battery kit, a 2,000 mAh battery, which is a bit thicker than the original 1,650 battery, and a new back cover. I actually prefer the look and feel of the back cover - it is essentially flush with the bottom flange and any case still works.

[Somtamnication]

And how is the battery life now? Give us a comparison.

[lomatopo]

I haven't used the original battery enough to make a comparison. However the screenshot attached above represents one duty cycle (100 % down to 1 %) for the 2,000 mAh battery, and that shows 1 day, 17 hours, 38 min. Maybe compare that your duty cycle: Settings, Battery?

Using simple math it should give 21% additional capacity, all other things being equal.