5.7 Day Battery Life On Samsung Fascinate

[rajanmehta 4,056]

Had around 137 Hours, i'e 5.7 Day Battery Life on Samsung Fascinate

Have been trying various methods for increased battery life on android. Most have been hit & miss. Now during one such random method, seems to have hit jackpot.

Sharing here the full details.

Total Battery Life After Charge: 137 Hours.

What was done prior to charging:

• Battery was allowed to drain out completely. (Phone shut down on its own after battery was fully exhausted)
• Pulled out Battery for approx. 2 minute & then put on.
• Charged the battery fully while the phone remained Switched Off.

Phone Settings During The Whole Usage:

• WiFi was Switched Off from settings/Wireless & Network/Wi-Fi Settings (Enabled during use & again switched off immediately from there)
• EVDO was Switched Off by pressing Power Button/Phone Options/Mobile Data ((Enabled during use & again switched off immediately from there)
• Screen Brightness kept at lowest level from Settings/Display Settings/Brightness. Automatic Brightness De-Selected.
• Power Saving Mode was enabled Settings/Display Settings/Power Saving Mode.
• Screen Timeout 30 Seconds.
• Animation: No Windows Animation from Settings/Display Settings/Animation.
• Vibration & Haptic Feedback Disabled.

Phone Usage during this 137 hours?

• Voice Calls: 140 Minutes.
• Data: 50 MB EVDO Data Downloaded. (Mainly for App Updates)
• Browsing : 45 Minutes of Browsing (In addition to above data download) through Wi-Fi+EVDO on Opera Mobile Browser.
• SMS: Approx 100 received & read. Approx 10 typed & send.
• Music: Music playback from SD Card for Approx 1 Hour.
• Sync: Email sync twice a day.

Broad Conclusions:

• Whether it's past battery stats/some system file/or something else, i think something might be keeping battery from being fully recharged while the Android OS is in operation.
• None of this thing will affect when the phone is switched off while recharging.
• While my voice usage may tend to be on the lower side, i still believe "What was done prior to charging" gave me an exceptional long battery life compared to my past experience.
• Keeping Wi-Fi/Data on 24 hours consumes most battery. While this is no rocket science but disabling that and using only when needed did not hamper much of the things for me as PC/Laptop was there in front most of the time.
• Keeping screen brightness to lowest level also was not of much difficulty. It was still very readable/workable.

Scientific/Irrational whatever, i got a tremendous battery life. Would love to hear comments/experience from fellow members.

why not try this on your phone to see whether you get any additional battery life with your typical usage?

[supernova 47]

nice initiative ....

[csmart 472]

wi-fi and data are two major battery power consumers. you closed them down besides, i guess there are lot of otherapps that you might have closed down. even Dhiraj had mentioned somehere in the forum that he got longer battery life with all data off.

my major problem is when I am not in office. I need to get emails on phone and data consumes most battery life. though i will try turning data only when needed rather than keeping it on continuously.

have you ever tried data on/off every hour or two?

thanx for the sharing experience.

Edited June 27, 2011 by csmart

[kshah 452]

Every good experiment rajan

With all data off, I have seen in epic that about 3% bttery is consumed every 8 hours (standby mode)

Also using startup managers to disable useless or less frequently used apps improves battery life.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

[sougatadc 358]

Using applications (WiFi/Bluetooth/EVDO/1X) only when necessary surely helps in conserving energy.

Disabling following applications also helps:

• Live wallpaper
  
• Screen auto-rotate
  
• Vibration with ringing
  
• Background data/Auto-sync
  

Rajan ji, I've read that Li-ion/polymer batteries don't have memory effect. Did you experience any memory effect? You kept the phone switched off while charging and got better result. If all the applications are killed with say Advanced Task Manager, will not it yield same result?

Battery life gets badly affected in low signal area. You must have spent the time in strong signal places. I experience rapid draining of battery of my Fascinate while traveling as it has to search for signal frequently.

Extended batteries of upto 3500mAh are available on ebay for Fascinate but those require bulging back cover, the phone becomes ugly and heavy. Best option is to go for Seidio Innocell 1600mAh battery which although of better capacity (1600mAh) but fits in OEM back cover. It is available here in ebay.in but costly (Rs. 3622)

[Genius 817]

Rajan good job - CID saheb

[Notam 43]

Its available for Appox. 2700 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Seidio-Innocell-Samsung-i500-Fascinate-Extended-Battery-/320643674077?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item4aa7da2fdd

[dkaile 1,051]

Irrational usage pattern, but possible. Whats the use of a smartphone if I don't get pushmail on the move or cant see my screen in bright daylight? feasible only if u sit indoors on pc all the time, but then u dont need a smartphone in the first place.

However, good experiment....

[kshah 452]

^

I will say he has done more theoritical experipent. Manufacturers check this way. Standby means all calls are diverted, no sms received. Talk time means continous voice call in theoritical maximum signal strength.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

[digitalnirvana 646]

Rajan bhai Li ion batteries cannot charge to 100 irrespective of phone on/off when charging, if you use sense then it will show 100 but in AOSP you will see the battery shows 100 when plugged in but when removed it goes to 96, because Li ion uses trickle charge so it does not allow upto 100. Regarding the full battery drain and charging while off, that is a way to calibrate the battery but that is not a good way because Li ion batteries should always be topped up instead of draining like NiMH. Instead of draining you could delete the android battery stats or simply wipe data partition as the battery stats are stored there or use battery calibration software which I have mentioned in softwares post.

Edited June 27, 2011 by dipanlahiri

[caringlover 32]

Rajan Ji, Which ROM are you on & also Which Kernel & What other mods are you using ??

The above points does count in for better battery life.

Thanks

[rajanmehta 4,056]

have you ever tried data on/off every hour or two?

I haven't switched data on/off every hour or two this time but definately did it 4-5 times a day

You kept the phone switched off while charging and got better result. If all the applications are killed with say Advanced Task Manager, will not it yield same result?

Tried advanced task manager before. Did not give same result. Yes i was in good signal strength places during this period. Full bars usually & -62 to -68 dBM.

Rajan good job

I really love that official seal of yours.. Thanks.

Irrational usage pattern, but possible. Whats the use of a smartphone if I don't get pushmail on the move or cant see my screen in bright daylight? feasible only if u sit indoors on pc all the time, but then u dont need a smartphone in the first place.

However, good experiment....

Irrational may be for certain class of individuals but here in Mumbai there is a huge segment of people who sit indoors in front of PC ranging from normal office guys to ceo except when they travel to/fro between office/home. They all have smartphones.. Wonder how many hours in a day Hetal Patel/Kshah would be sitting in their office?

But leave aside the usage pattern/indoor/outdoor thing for a moment which will of course vary, what perplexes me more is the battery life difference while charging when the phone is one & when it's off. Did this more than one time & the results have been better while it was charged when off. What could be the logic in that except android having some issues for battery management at system level/due to some apps/whatever. What, i don't know! Haven't experienced such a thing for Nokia et all..

^

I will say he has done more theoritical experipent. Manufacturers check this way. Standby means all calls are diverted, no sms received. Talk time means continous voice call in theoritical maximum signal strength.

Not purely theoretical like manufacturer.. The only change made in usage pattern was not to keep Data on 24x7 but to use it when needed. Also In my case calls were not diverted and sms was coming..

Instead of draining you could delete the android battery stats or simply wipe data partition as the battery stats are stored there or use battery calibration software which I have mentioned in softwares post.

Deleting android battery stat/ wiping data partition (are you serious? Wont' wiping data partition affect other things/apps?) /using battery calibration software everytime when the battery needs to be charged is far from an ideal solution. BTW i tried battery calibration thing... Did not give any noticeable difference..

Rajan Ji, Which ROM are you on & also Which Kernel & What other mods are you using ??

I am on Android 2.2 version DL30 & DL09 radio & Kernel Version 2.6.32.9. Used no other mods.

[dkaile 1,051]

@rajan - its like saying, buy a Ferrari, but drive at only 30-40kmph and save petrol...I will try this experiment when I'm marooned on a desert island which sometimes gets 1 bar of signal...

Edited June 27, 2011 by dkaile

[rajanmehta 4,056]

^

Michael Schumacher ji aap apni ferari race track pe chalate raho but aise khisak mat jao bhai! Aam aadmi ke Android quircks regarding battery charging/management charging while off ye sab cheezo pe kuchh deeper Guru jaisi insight do..

[joshm 818]

Its good that u are getting such great battery life with ur setup ( the recent stock ROMS let alone debloated , deodexed ones are really snappier and faster i believe )

But then if you are happy, who are we.

But i would like to know how your fascinate will fare with above normal usage , i mean regular internet use , browsing , downloading , gaming and all, live wallpaers more frequent app syncing coz as far as my knowledge goes DL30 was actually leaked froyo , and it seemed resonably stable at the time.

The measures that you have taken will help no doubt on any setup ( but yes charging while off after calibrating the battery is good indeed )

I use my handset a lot i mean really i love my fascinate and just cant leave it idle for a min when i am free so from my perspective i feel these things are also beneficial :

The biggest advantage in terms of backup comes ( irrespective of any ROM )

from having a undervolt kernal ( -50 works the best and is safest otherwise -100 and SV are also there)

the best radio ( which are till date EA28 and Ed04 - Ed04 is awesome as it kicks the evdo speed way too much side by side making 2 to 3 bars of signal out of 1 ) - this can be confirmed by looking into battery use by cell standby and seeing how much time ur cell has been without signal

rest as you urself said wifi , least apps , least data transfer and stuff.

and wiping the battery stats usually settles the calibration of the battery right,

if you are rooted and are with CWM then just by charging 100% while on , then charging 100% while off and then again charging 100% when on > after that rebooting in recovery and deleting battery stats will set the calibration of any battery right, it is particularly beneficial if you are fond of flashing new ROMs and trying out new combinations every now and then.

just my 2 cents in additions to ur findings

As always Regards to you for being a very aware and helping member at this awesome forum

ALSO a very very important thing , and this goes to all of you fascinate users

Are you guyz also noticing that while in deep sleep ( i mean when the screen is in sleep mode and locked ) the phone doesn't receive calls as well as texts on a number of occasions , whosoever is calling you says the phone was ringing , but there is no9 display of ringing at ur end ??

Edited June 27, 2011 by joshm

[rajanmehta 4,056]

@joshm

Thanks. Good info. May update just ED04 radio & not the entire ROM if its possible as given on one of the XDA topic if the performance is as good as you say. I am not a great fan of quadrant scores. My current ROM gives me good enough snappy performance which i just measure with my experience/sense and quite happy with it and not a gamer also.

Actually i am not the "Khujli" type of person as kshah says.. Always believe in why fix a thing if it ain't broken.. Once you enter the ROM business, there is no end to it.. May be i have grown too old..

BTW i have never faced that deep sleep thing ever on my fascinate. Always received calls & texts even when in sleep mode & locked.

Edited June 27, 2011 by rajanmehta

[Genius 817]

@rajan - its like saying, buy a Ferrari, but drive at only 30-40kmph and save petrol...I will try this experiment when I'm marooned on a desert island which sometimes gets 1 bar of signal...

The effort was to push the system to a limit so as to give max battery performance maintaining the basic functionality, I am 80% time in front of my system but still use different methods to see read and reply mails. Infect I can live with a mobile without battery as I always have a charging point on my head.

I really appreciate the effort and thoughtfulness Keep it up..

[joshm 818]

yes those shotcuts for flashing the modems are just way too good arent they ?

and yes you are right when its working right then why blow it .

its very very strange that despite being on FROYO you have never ever experienced that issue ,

TBH with u , its due to that deep sleep freakin issue that i had to switch back to an eclair superclean version just half an hour back.

Do update us all your experience with ed04 , and i am sure you know that the latest GB leak is full of serious crap its better to kepp off of it for the time being ( but then you will never venture there coz ur current setup is indeed great )

regards

[digitalnirvana 646]

Deleting android battery stat/ wiping data partition (are you serious? Wont' wiping data partition affect other things/apps?) /using battery calibration software everytime when the battery needs to be charged is far from an ideal solution. BTW i tried battery calibration thing... Did not give any noticeable difference..

I am serious. In fact not sure if you did knowingly or not but your step of draining battery, fully charging when off is one of the methods of battery calibration but you have not done the entire thing because after the phone is recharged the battery stats file should be deleted. The battery capacity remains the same but it is how the OS reads the battery is what is shown on the battery level. The OS can often read wrongly so the best way to do it is to delete the existing stats file, let Android regenerate the file.

The battery calibration software does only this. The guide says to let battery drain, recharge while off, then run the app then it deletes the stats file. It needs to be run only once unless you change ROMs. After changing ROM the advice is to wipe data and cache partitions which will do the same thing. If you are not changing ROMs and want to wipe only battery stats through recovery mode, that option is there, no need to wipe entire data/cache.

There are many methods of battery calibration one is given by Josh.

Edited June 27, 2011 by dipanlahiri

[digitalnirvana 646]

Joshm

Please try http://support.newagepcs.com/showthread.php?8059-Fascinate-Sleep-of-Death

[dkaile 1,051]

Someone on TBHP commented when I posted this link

These instances are exceptions like the mileage challenge various auto companies organize. Some participants sure get around 30-35KMPL. Can you get the same in normal conditions with your car? Not really. Same case with phones as well.

[KanagaDeepan 1,084]

I am also following most of the steps told by Rajan CID ji to my EPIC from Day ONE... I use the lowest brightness settings and switch off Data (use it only when needed) both using QuickSettings app shortcut in desktop...

But my usage will be heavy... 1.5 to 2 hours of voice calls daily... Net usage for one hour at night.. I am getting 1.5 days of backup, which is still the lowest of all devices I have used, but great for an Android phone... The SuperAMOLED screen is superb even in LOWEST settings for Indoor usage and I use the max setting in DIRECT-SUNLIGHT (thanks again to QuickSettings)...

Though I am sure about good backup (1.5 days), I used to TopUp the phone battery whenever I get a chance and will never allow it to drain fully....

But CID sir, a great effort from you and thanks for sharing to us... +1 to you...

[joshm 818]

@ dipanlahari : Thanks a bunch mate

but really i have tried all sorts of combinations going to stock DI101 , DJ05 , DL09 , EB01 , ED01 and all and then flashing froyo Roms over them with diff radios and all.

But yes EA28 is the key , this guy seems to have overdone it but if his problem is solved then thats what is counted.

I ll give it a try but with my own procedure

god bless

regards