How can I fix a Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue?

[Veillees]

Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

Hi all,

first post to the forum and I am directly asking about an issue we have with my wife's new Lumia 550. In short, the battery in two devices has been abysmal so far: with 50% brightness, no location data enabled, regular use (ca. 1 hour of phone calls, some texting/whapsapp throughout the day), wifi & data off if not needed, it lasts on average 15-17 hours (and, to reiterate, that is light use, isn't it?). We tried to cut out non-essential stuff, as you can see (but maybe we missed something - any hints?), and still it is so much worse than her previous device, a Nokia Lumia 520 from 2013 (which lasted for far more than a day, often even two!). We replaced the first device after three (ish) weeks (it could have been a dud, after all), and the new device is no better after one week of use.
Do any of you have any recommendations regarding battery life (how to extend it - I've looked up a few things already, see above) or potential alternative phones? She lives in a village and needs to keep connected to the world outside ;-) so a phone that cannot last through a day if it is properly (heavily) used is really not an option. Is the Lumia 640 any better in that regard (I suspect it is)? Here in Germany, they cost roughly the same right now, and we could still return the 550 to the store and switch it for a 640. My wife would have kept the 520 but since a water accident it was basically broken.
Thanks for reading and for any help you might be able to offer!

-veillees

 

[libra89]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

The 640 has better battery life than the 550 in my experience. With heavy use, I can get a day of usage easily. Did you try limiting background apps?

 

[Guytronic]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

I agree...
The 640 is a great phone!
I'd switch the 550 for the 640.

 

[Arunabha Goswami]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

The 640 is a beast when it comes to battery. My phone is fairly new, so I'm fiddling with it a lot, plus I have everything on - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, location, and cellular data when there's no Wi-Fi available. And still I get through a full day, with charge to spare. Oh, and I'm on WP 8.1.
On GSMArena, the 550 has a battery endurance rating of 42hours, while the 640 has a rating of 76hours.

 

[Veillees]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

Thank you all for your replies! I think we'll go for the 640 then. Even after I limited some more background app stuff, it's still discharging quicker than it should imho. Everything else about the phone is great, but when you actually use it, battery life is a major issue.
Cheers!
veillees

 

[Adil Zahir Syed]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

I guess it's with every Lumia 550. I am experiencing the same issue. Microsoft please resolve this problem.:angry:

 

[jglen_TNA]

Re: Microsoft Lumia 550 battery drain issue

The 550 has quite a small battery compared to some earlier Lumia devices it seems.
Mine is on WiFi 24/7, has data on all the time and location too. I work in a location where I have no signal so the radios are always working overtime and I switch WiFi networks constantly. I use Twitter and Facebook a lot, as well as WC and music streaming and I get most of a day out of my phone.
Remember, a weak signal, whether WiFi or cellular, uses a LOT more battery; WiFi doesn't use as much battery as you think and, like Android devices, screen on time is the one that kills your battery.

 

[Veillees]

Thanks, yeah - I guess screen time is _usually_ a major factor for the battery. The 550 we returned, however, massively drained during nights as well (i.e. while nobody was using it and with wifi etc. switched off). Now, we got a 640 and so far things are definitely looking up! So, thanks again for your advice

 

[evdel]

Latets Redstone build .1004 and firmware..21029. average battery use aprrox 40 hours. Not to bad.
Wifi and BT enabled.

 

[iwillmayquette]

Latets Redstone build .1004 and firmware..21029. average battery use aprrox 40 hours. Not to bad.
Wifi and BT enabled.

Is that true, evdel? Will i be able to use the phone on a single charge until the next day without charging it at night? I've been planning lately of buying either the 550 or 640 xl. Which one of the two would you guys prefer to be the best buy?

 

[xandros9]

Is that true, evdel? Will i be able to use the phone on a single charge until the next day without charging it at night? I've been planning lately of buying either the 550 or 640 xl. Which one of the two would you guys prefer to be the best buy?

Be careful, I think numbers can vary widely depending on usage.

For example, I currently use a Nexus 5X and that lasts somewhere between 12-20 hours depending on how I drive it that day. (with 2-3 hours of screen-on-time)
There's other people who see 4+ hours of SOT and even longer overall battery lives.
When I switched from push to fetch for my email accounts it added a couple hours of standby at least.

I would check out GSMArena's battery reports on all phones. They offer standardized testing across models and can let you more easily compare them. I don't think the 550 impressed them.

 

[iwillmayquette]

Be careful, I think numbers can vary widely depending on usage.

For example, I currently use a Nexus 5X and that lasts somewhere between 12-20 hours depending on how I drive it that day. (with 2-3 hours of screen-on-time)
There's other people who see 4+ hours of SOT and even longer overall battery lives.
When I switched from push to fetch for my email accounts it added a couple hours of standby at least.

I would check out GSMArena's battery reports on all phones. They offer standardized testing across models and can let you more easily compare them. I don't think the 550 impressed them.

Thanks for the reply!