950 XL < 1520 Battery Life - Confirmed

[RJ Priest]

I guess that all those hardware goodies - Snapdragon 810 & 1440p display, maybe combined with Windows 10 eat up more battery than we may expect.

From the official Microsoft Mobile website: Search results for Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 1520 - Microsoft - Global

-	Lumia 950 XL	Lumia 1520
Max Talk Time (3G):	19	25.1
Max Standby Time:	12 days	32 days

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One interesting thing of note is that under "Other user interface features", the 950 XL has "tactile feedback", which isn't listed under the 1520.

 

[ArtificiallyYours]

Liquid cooled and maximum output... I was always cautious about that part so I wasn't expecting equal battery. Still. Glance cuts down all the useless mumbo jumbo of wasting battery just to check something out.

 

[FXi2]

Screen doesn't account for the stand by drop of so much. Quite disappointing.

 

[TexasLabRat]

I'm guessing the differences are more due to software and/or test methodology than hardware. Comparing 10 to 8.1 is a huge chasm of variables. We don't know what services are allowed to run in the standby test that would so drastically affect standby. For instance, if Cortana is running during the 950 test but not on the 1520...that's a pretty big deal. I can't speak to the differences in talk time...but those are smaller and again, we don't know what the test methodology was.

While definitely interesting..I wouldn't draw any major conclusions until real-world comparisons are made and published.

 

[sd4f]

Screen doesn't account for the stand by drop of so much. Quite disappointing.

I've generally been of the opinion that high res and large screens do take up more battery. Maybe the reason why they aren't too bothered is because it isn't the critical factor.

In any case, more battery life is always looked favourable on by actual users. Phones have progressively gotten larger and larger batteries, without significant improvements to life, so that just says that they're getting the whole package to consume more power.

 

[pjm1891]

The Snapdragon 810 is a battery hog!

Could Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 be behind the poor battery life of high-end Android phones?

 

[MiloTheOne]

I guess that all those hardware goodies - Snapdragon 810 & 1440p display, maybe combined with Windows 10 eat up more battery than we may expect.

From the official Microsoft Mobile website: Search results for Lumia 950 XL, Lumia 1520 - Microsoft - Global

-	Lumia 950 XL	Lumia 1520
Max Talk Time (3G):	19	25.1
Max Standby Time:	12 days	32 days

---

One interesting thing of note is that under "Other user interface features", the 950 XL has "tactile feedback", which isn't listed under the 1520.

All smart phones have a bad battery life. The thing is optimization, setting the screen. Do Not put your screen on auto brightness. Also, the applications using background data eat up a TON of battery. If not using wifi and Bluetooth turn it off.

My phone used to last 6 to 8 hour depending on the use, after insuring I followed these steps I get about 14 hours on average of battery life. I work in an office so I'm ALWAYS on my phone.

 

[Indistinguishable]

Do Not put your screen on auto brightness.

Got a source on this? I find auto brightness to be quite efficient.

 

[MiloTheOne]

Got a source on this? I find auto brightness to be quite efficient.

The sensors eat battery, while the phone is active the sensor is on. I've tested this on separate occasions and found, keeping a screen at 20% more or less (no more than 30%) statically gives me great results on my daily uses with emals, texts, calls and applications used.

I have a two plus year old phone, I can't wait for this upgrade. I almost settled for the note 5, thankfully I waited. After reading the reviews and talking with friends and colleagues that have it, regret is they tell me.

 

[Indistinguishable]

The sensors eat battery, while the phone is active the sensor is on. I've tested this on separate occasions and found, keeping a screen at 20% more or less (no more than 30%) statically gives me great results on my daily uses with emals, texts, calls and applications used.

I have a two plus year old phone, I can't wait for this upgrade. I almost settled for the note 5, thankfully I waited. After reading the reviews and talking with friends and colleagues that have it, regret is they tell me.

Isn't the sensor already on? That's how it detects glance, whether your phone is to your ear or not, whether the phone is face down or not, etc.

Whether or not you have auto brightness on shouldn't be that much more tolling than those other functions that the sensor is already doing.

 

[MiloTheOne]

I use tidbits from multiple sources, pc adviser, Gizmodo, pc world, etc.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/229300/smartphone_battery_life.html

http://lifehacker.com/5994135/how-m...s-actually-makes-a-difference-in-battery-life

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/mobile-phone/how-improve-smartphone-battery-life-facebook-3284240/

 

[MiloTheOne]

Isn't the sensor already on? That's how it detects glance, whether your phone is to your ear or not, whether the phone is face down or not, etc.

Whether or not you have auto brightness on shouldn't be that much more tolling than those other functions that the sensor is already doing.

I am referring to the auto brightness sensor.

 

[Clinton_O]

I am referring to the auto brightness sensor.

The sensor doesnt matter, pretty sure its always on regardless of what you have it set to. But if you constantly have your screen set at 20-30% brightness then of course its going to use less power than having the brightness higher. Its not the sensor itself thats making the difference.

 

[Indistinguishable]

The sensor doesnt matter, pretty sure its always on regardless of what you have it set to. But if you constantly have your screen set at 20-30% brightness then of course its going to use less power than having the brightness higher. Its not the sensor itself thats making the difference.

My thoughts as well.

 

[vlad0]

That snap 810 doesn't help.. and on top of that the phone is pushing a huge amount of pixels..

 

[MiloTheOne]

The sensor doesnt matter, pretty sure its always on regardless of what you have it set to. But if you constantly have your screen set at 20-30% brightness then of course its going to use less power than having the brightness higher. Its not the sensor itself thats making the difference.

If you are on your phone inside and outdoors, that feature kills the battery because it's constantly changing to illuminate in the correct environment.

If you turn off the auto brightness, there is no constant fluctuations with the software due to changes with artificial and natural light. It makes a difference just like leaving the Bluetooth and wifi on. Run a test over 3 to 4 days with the settings on the links.

 

[Allen Rhodes]

Nothing says "great phone" like having to disable all the unique features. This is, hands down, a MS issue. One person hit the nail on the head, ALL high ends have bad battery life. Whats the #1 complaint about phones, the battery. If MS would take the approach of battery life is #1, maybe they could have squeezed a larger battery in both phones. I SERIOUSLY doubt someone, unbiased of any OS, would look at 2 like phones with one having 30-40% longer batter time and choose the lesser because their friend has it. I would LOVE for MS to take that approach with the entire phone line. You can only optimize the OS so much for the battery. Turning off everything will probably only yield 2-3 more hours. Why would someone buy that when they can get another that lasts longer, with ALL features enabled. That was my biggest beef with the 1020, that bump to the back was a complete waste of real estate. Imaging the battery they could have packed in it and had a smooth back? YES IT WOULD BE HEAVIER. But we arent talking having to check it on an airplane heavy. Another couple ounces and having a battery that can shoot for more than 2hrs or last 2 days, ill take one!!

 

[MiloTheOne]

Nothing says "great phone" like having to disable all the unique features. This is, hands down, a MS issue. One person hit the nail on the head, ALL high ends have bad battery life. Whats the #1 complaint about phones, the battery. If MS would take the approach of battery life is #1, maybe they could have squeezed a larger battery in both phones. I SERIOUSLY doubt someone, unbiased of any OS, would look at 2 like phones with one having 30-40% longer batter time and choose the lesser because their friend has it. I would LOVE for MS to take that approach with the entire phone line. You can only optimize the OS so much for the battery. Turning off everything will probably only yield 2-3 more hours. Why would someone buy that when they can get another that lasts longer, with ALL features enabled. That was my biggest beef with the 1020, that bump to the back was a complete waste of real estate. Imaging the battery they could have packed in it and had a smooth back? YES IT WOULD BE HEAVIER. But we arent talking having to check it on an airplane heavy. Another couple ounces and having a battery that can shoot for more than 2hrs or last 2 days, ill take one!!

I agree with you completely, I'm just stating there's a bandaid for every booboo.

 

[Allen Rhodes]

This isn't a boo boo, it's a massive head wound.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

This isn't a boo boo, it's a massive head wound.

Only if you assume battery life will drop much at all. Reading these forums is sometimes like reading the Brother's Grimm. Ever hear of Henny Penny? I think her descendants must be forum members.

Has anyone checked to see if the standard tests for talk and stand by time have changed between when the 1520 was released and now? Could be apples and oranges. And aren't the 1520 values as of its release date, meaning it may be MUCH worse now with 8.1 and 4K video and Hey Cortana, etc.. Has anyone confirmed a 1520 really does have 32 days of stand-by? People ate spinach for decades because the govt got a decimal point wrong regarding how much dietary iron they said it had.