Mobile device battery life remains one of the key areas of industry innovation and differentiation. Many consumer studies demonstrated its importance, particularly given the ever increasing diversity of capabilities that smartphones offer today.
Displays have grown in size from small alphanumeric feature phones to phablets that may be used to watch YouTube videos and surf the Web. Mobile devices are also used as cameras and provide “flash” capabilities to compensate for ambient lighting.
While the way we uses devices continue to become even more complex, such as remote monitoring our homes or our health, battery technology and power management on mobile devices continue to advance in order to meet our expectations.
In general the mobile device elements that may consume the greatest energy from the battery are the display, the mobile “flash” (sometimes used as a flashlight through a mobile app) and mobile “transmitter(s)” used to communicate with the mobile network (e.g., used when we talk, use the Internet, etc.) or Wi-Fi access point.
While other functions like putting our devices on “vibration mode” or the speaker(s) used to listen to music or ringer sounds may consume some battery energy, it’s very modest compared to those listed above.
If you want to maximize your battery life, here are four simple tips :
1. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections unless a cellular signal is not available.
2. Minimize usage unless absolutely necessary. This includes calling, text messages, playing games, taking/watching photos or videos, etc.
3. Minimize your screen’s brightness.
4. Use alternative charging sources if your electricity is out, such as car chargers, solar power or hand crank/manual.
Don’t forget to make sure you’re storing, charging and using your batteries safely.