Smart phone that doesn't need charging every night?

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 08:21

I'm looking to bite the bullet and get an Android phone, however the one thing that's stopping me in my tracks is the thought of having to charge the damn thing every night. I currently use an "old faithful" BB Curve that can go the best part of a week without a charge.

People at work are constantly charging their iPhones and whatnot, but I like being able to travel and not worry about needing a charger over a weekend.

Is there anything out there that'll do this? I quite like the Galaxy S but I'm not convinced about battery life.

I'm not the sort of person that spends their entire train journey browsing the internet on their phone. All I do is make the odd phone call (about 2 or 3 a day) and send the odd text, however I do occasionally want to look something up and quickly. The BB browser and maps are dire and I want rid.

Advice would be really appreciated!

CSA · 12 May 2011 at 08:27

the BB browser is dire indeed , have you tried installing opera mini ? i use it and its fantastic compared to the BB one

http://www.opera.com/mobile/download/

try it out,atleast till you get a new phone

div0 · 12 May 2011 at 08:44

PianoBasher said:
All I do is make the odd phone call (about 2 or 3 a day) and send the odd text, however I do occasionally want to look something up and quickly.

Any smartphone should last for a minimum of 2-3 days with this sort of usage, surely?!

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 10:00

CSA said:
the BB browser is dire indeed , have you tried installing opera mini ? i use it and its fantastic compared to the BB one

http://www.opera.com/mobile/download/

try it out,atleast till you get a new phone

Cheers for that!

Swordfish · 12 May 2011 at 10:01

div0 said:
Any smartphone should last for a minimum of 2-3 days with this sort of usage, surely?!

If you put it into airplane mode when sleeping etc, switch of wifi when not needed same with bluetooth.

krooton · 12 May 2011 at 10:16

Swordfish said:
If you put it into airplane mode when sleeping etc, switch of wifi when not needed same with bluetooth.

Yep, the above + low screen brightness + minimal video watching and game playing + only turning 3g on when needed would see them last a few days, but then what is the point of having them?

CSA · 12 May 2011 at 10:31

PianoBasher said:
Cheers for that!

no probs , it seems a lot faster and simpler to use than the default one
to change the address on a tile highlight it and press W,you should get a choice to edit or clear it,but im not sure if you can add xtra tiles

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 11:51

krooton said:
Yep, the above + low screen brightness + minimal video watching and game playing + only turning 3g on when needed would see them last a few days, but then what is the point of having them?

The reason I'm so paranoid about it is because I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard friends and random people in the pub complain that their phone is about to die (usually by about 8pm). Friends borrowing my phone to call a cab because their battery has lost its charge amuses me somewhat. :rolleyes:

Seems a bit silly having all this technical wizardry if you don't have a reliable, durable phone service along with it all. Or am I just getting old and picky? :confused:

Wicksta · 12 May 2011 at 11:55

If their phone is about to die at 8pm then they are doing it wrong. I charge my Desire up every night and I have a spare battery always charged in case I forget. The last time I had battery problems was with my old iPhone 3GS - with no removable battery on the iPhone you are screwed if you forget to keep it charged and are then out for the day or something.

TheVoice · 12 May 2011 at 12:09

I've had both an HTC Hero and now a Samsung Galaxy S2, both will do two days with quite a lot of 3G/HSDPA usage.

grudas · 12 May 2011 at 12:15

tbh any smartphone should last you a day... and as you say charging while at work etc what is the problem with that? if you can charge it while not in use there's no reason not too.... also if you turn off things like 3g, wifi while not in use that'll save you battery too... basically you need to know what eats it and use it only when needed..

LupoLover · 12 May 2011 at 12:20

I still like to do the let the thing empty the battery and full charge though so it is a pain if caugh short so to speak!

alex24 · 12 May 2011 at 12:25

On heavy usage with an inefficient ROM, I get a day out of my Galaxy S. On moderate usage and an efficient ROM (such as the latest Official releases), I've had up to 5 days. I know someone else with one who got 5 and a half days out of theirs with their normal usage.

So no, you won't have to charge every night if you're sensible, but you are basically carrying around a small computer in your pocket and if you want the benefits, the battery life is, at the moment, an essential sacrifice.

Robbo · 12 May 2011 at 12:39

With that usage you would get 4-5 days out of an iPhone 4 quite easily.

Same goes for the Galaxy S II.

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 13:54

Cheers chaps, Galaxy S II it is, then. They don't appear to do them on T-Mobile yet, although I may just get one SIM-free and use my current unlimited Data SIM on it instead.

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 14:13

One more Q - where's the best place to get these phones from?

I'm looking at the Jungle place but are there others I should consider? Also if I can use Quidco that would be a bonus... Seems CPW do them?

Robbo · 12 May 2011 at 14:18

I'd probably go for the CPW sim free, you won't find it much cheaper elsewhere.

Narj · 12 May 2011 at 14:19

Robbo said:
I'd probably go for the CPW sim free, you won't find it much cheaper elsewhere.

Cheers, will do that, although strangely, Quidco isn't displaying the voucher code on the redirect, will try later.

Also, any good insurers people can recommend?

Thanks!

sharkkk · 12 May 2011 at 14:22

While not the ideal solution, you can always pick up a spare battery for under a tenner on the 'bay

[Olly] · 12 May 2011 at 14:25

My HTC Legend will do me two full days use if I don't go crazy on the wifi/3g.