My Rogers iPhone 3G Battery Life Issue…Resolved!

By Gary Ng on July 31st, 2008 148

The Rogers iPhone 3G Battery Life Saga…

Remember when I posted about how to increase your iPhone 3G battery life? Well, part of my reason for writing about that was because my iPhone 3G was suffering from some dismal battery life, right out of the box. I even calibrated the battery and it did nothing.

I also wrote about my saga in getting a replacement iPhone 3G from Rogers. What I did was dial 611 on my iPhone to call Rogers. I then was forwarded to the “iPhone Support Team”, where my situation was diagnosed over the phone (I could hear the CSR flipping through pages of a manual, LOL). We agreed a replacement was to be sent out right away. Awesome right? Think again!

During a follow up call to check up on my order, the order itself had not bee fully “submitted”. The original CSR failed badly in completing the order of my replacement. Luckily I had a very helpful CSR (they are out there, believe it or not) alleviate the situation and place my order for real. The iPhone arrived yesterday via the UPS and I was off to do some immediate testing.

Pictures of my “New” iPhone 3G from Rogers

I was assured that I was going to be receiving a brand new iPhone 3G to replace my unit. What arrived has made me doubt my unit as “new”. Within the box there return shipping labels were included along with a PAPER CLIP in a small zip lock bag. The image looked like it was from the first gen iPhone days. I have 15 days to send my original iPhone 3G back to Rogers, or else they will charge $630 to my account!

For starters, the box the iPhone was in was tiny. It was about 1 inch thick and looked like a first generation iPhone box. Was my iPhone 3G refurbished?? The plastic was still on the phone itself, but did notice a small scuff mark on the back of the phone (maybe this is foreshadowing those mysterious cracks that people are talking about online)! !$*%@!! Check out these pictures to see what I mean (The screen protector is slightly off center because I had removed part of it):

The 2nd iPhone 3G Battery Test Results

My initial battery life would only provide about 3.5 hours of usage and 6 hours of standby before I’d see the 20% battery remaining pop up. However I noticed the battery life improved as the week progressed. By the end of the week one test resulted in 4.5 hours of usage and 14 hours of standby before dying a slow death–and that was with EDGE used to save battery too.

The battery on the “new” replacement iPhone 3G showed that it was fully charged right out of the box. However, I decided to give it a quick 1 hour charge to boost it a bit, then put it right to the test. The improved battery life I soon discovered shocked me completely. The battery lasted 6 hours and 4 mins of usage (3G was enabled the ENTIRE time, WiFi, GPS, email was set to fetch every 15 mins, some YouTube, lots of Safari) and 22 hours and 20 minutes of standby!

Here’s a photo diary of my usage/standby times throughout the test….

This is a massive improvement, considering I was unable to even last more than a day on standby with 3G enabled on the first iPhone 3G! Once I get a full charge plus the “trickle” charge, I guarantee I’m going to get even higher numbers than this!

Conclusion: Should I call Rogers to Ask for a Replacement iPhone 3G?

If you are suffering from pathetic battery life on your iPhone 3G, I would strongly consider giving Rogers a call and voicing your concerns. Don’t be afraid. We’ve all put some good money into this phone plus most of us have signed a 3 year contract. It’d be nice to have our 3G batteries working strong from the start, as eventually over time the battery will lose its charge. There is no harm in calling. Tell them your story and ask for a replacement. I would’ve gotten mine sooner if the order was probably placed.

So there you have it. That’s my battery story and I’m sticking to it. Even though there’s a tiny scuff on the back, I’m going to keep it. The battery life is much improved compared to my original unit. Now all I gotta do is slap on an invisibleSHIELD to protect my iPhone 3G (enter my contest!) and I’ll be a happy camper. :)

Anyone else have some iPhone 3G battery stories to share? How long have you been able to milk your battery life for? Numbers people, let’s hear numbers!

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  • Jason

    I agree with FIDO. However, it is a great barometer to testing Apple’s results versus real world. If you want the best testing, set up your phone like Apple has their test unit (Apple webpage – iPhone – Tech) and see if you get similar results. It will not be exact but if it is significantly off (+/- 30-45 minutes), I would seriously contemplate calling Apple/Fido and getting it checked.

  • http://N/A Jason

    I agree with FIDO. However, it is a great barometer to testing Apple’s results versus real world. If you want the best testing, set up your phone like Apple has their test unit (Apple webpage – iPhone – Tech) and see if you get similar results. It will not be exact but if it is significantly off (+/- 30-45 minutes), I would seriously contemplate calling Apple/Fido and getting it checked.

  • Ben

    Thank You Jason. so the only way I can see if my phone battery has something wrong is to go to Apple store to get it check? Do they have Apple store in Vancouver ? Thanks a million guys.

  • Ben

    Thank You Jason. so the only way I can see if my phone battery has something wrong is to go to Apple store to get it check? Do they have Apple store in Vancouver ? Thanks a million guys.

  • Jason

    Basically. It is a strange situation. I live in Dallas, TX and speak on behalf of my experiences with Apple/AT&T. All the experiences I have read here mimic my experiences with the battery life and the swap out program. Best of luck in CA.

  • http://N/A Jason

    Basically. It is a strange situation. I live in Dallas, TX and speak on behalf of my experiences with Apple/AT&T. All the experiences I have read here mimic my experiences with the battery life and the swap out program. Best of luck in CA.

  • ML

    Did you drain the battery before getting such good results? I see that people suggest doing 3-5 cycles of 100%->”self shut off” before the battery performs great. While I don’t see the point of “conditioning” the lithium batteries, some say it help. Any comments?

  • ML

    Did you drain the battery before getting such good results? I see that people suggest doing 3-5 cycles of 100%->”self shut off” before the battery performs great. While I don’t see the point of “conditioning” the lithium batteries, some say it help. Any comments?

  • Jason

    Battery life does seem to get better the more you cycle the full power but I am interested in how much VPN eats battery life. I still think there should be a standard in battery life with a full 8 hour charge. I think if you give it a full 8 hours and the battery life only gives you 1/2 of the apple stats, give it a few days of playing with settings.

  • Jason

    Battery life does seem to get better the more you cycle the full power but I am interested in how much VPN eats battery life. I still think there should be a standard in battery life with a full 8 hour charge. I think if you give it a full 8 hours and the battery life only gives you 1/2 of the apple stats, give it a few days of playing with settings.

  • http://N/A Jason

    Battery life does seem to get better the more you cycle the full power but I am interested in how much VPN eats battery life. I still think there should be a standard in battery life with a full 8 hour charge. I think if you give it a full 8 hours and the battery life only gives you 1/2 of the apple stats, give it a few days of playing with settings.

  • Jason

    Apple sent new iPhone out yesterday afternoon via DHL Next Day delivery and it arrived today by noon. I will unplug the phone at midnight and will see if this batteries results are any better. I will keep you all posted and I pray to have the same results as the write of this original blog.

    By the way, check out http://www.mophie.com. Holy Cray! I cannot wait for this back-up battery for performance and looks.

  • http://N/A Jason

    Apple sent new iPhone out yesterday afternoon via DHL Next Day delivery and it arrived today by noon. I will unplug the phone at midnight and will see if this batteries results are any better. I will keep you all posted and I pray to have the same results as the write of this original blog.

    By the way, check out http://www.mophie.com. Holy Cray! I cannot wait for this back-up battery for performance and looks.

  • Jason

    Night one… Much better battery life. I had 3G turned on as well as data roaming, location services, and VPN (part of the time b/c of random disconnect). Although I did not receive any calls or e-mails between midnight and 7 am, I had a lengthy conversation prior to bed and did not put back on charger.

    When I woke up (although nervous about check my phone), I noticed I still had 2/3 of the battery life remaining. Woo-hoo! I expect better battery life over the next week as the battery “breaks in” but I had good results from last night. I will never know how they got 300 hours standby time, it is all good. I am hoping to make it a full day without having to re-charge. That will be a plus.

    So, to all of you with significantly below battery life to the point where you think there is probably something wrong, there might just be.

  • Jason

    Night one… Much better battery life. I had 3G turned on as well as data roaming, location services, and VPN (part of the time b/c of random disconnect). Although I did not receive any calls or e-mails between midnight and 7 am, I had a lengthy conversation prior to bed and did not put back on charger.

    When I woke up (although nervous about check my phone), I noticed I still had 2/3 of the battery life remaining. Woo-hoo! I expect better battery life over the next week as the battery “breaks in” but I had good results from last night. I will never know how they got 300 hours standby time, it is all good. I am hoping to make it a full day without having to re-charge. That will be a plus.

    So, to all of you with significantly below battery life to the point where you think there is probably something wrong, there might just be.

  • http://N/A Jason

    Night one… Much better battery life. I had 3G turned on as well as data roaming, location services, and VPN (part of the time b/c of random disconnect). Although I did not receive any calls or e-mails between midnight and 7 am, I had a lengthy conversation prior to bed and did not put back on charger.

    When I woke up (although nervous about check my phone), I noticed I still had 2/3 of the battery life remaining. Woo-hoo! I expect better battery life over the next week as the battery “breaks in” but I had good results from last night. I will never know how they got 300 hours standby time, it is all good. I am hoping to make it a full day without having to re-charge. That will be a plus.

    So, to all of you with significantly below battery life to the point where you think there is probably something wrong, there might just be.

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  • Jason

    My first follow-up: The first full day I had 4.5 hours of usage and slightly over 11 hours of standby before my phone hit 10% battery life. Although I did not quite see the same results as the original posting, my office only allows me 2 bars on 3G and 5 on EDGE. So, it is a vast improvement over my previous model and I did have GPS turned on all day with GPS (not associated with network). I hope over the next few days/weeks, I will see even more improvements.

    Although the US and Canada are quite different and 3G is somewhat spotty in the Dallas metroplex, I hope my entries help you all out that have poor battery issues. It seems like the new phone is doing much better and I hope to keep breaking in this battery nicely. I will keep you all posted after the weekend.

  • Jason

    My first follow-up: The first full day I had 4.5 hours of usage and slightly over 11 hours of standby before my phone hit 10% battery life. Although I did not quite see the same results as the original posting, my office only allows me 2 bars on 3G and 5 on EDGE. So, it is a vast improvement over my previous model and I did have GPS turned on all day with GPS (not associated with network). I hope over the next few days/weeks, I will see even more improvements.

    Although the US and Canada are quite different and 3G is somewhat spotty in the Dallas metroplex, I hope my entries help you all out that have poor battery issues. It seems like the new phone is doing much better and I hope to keep breaking in this battery nicely. I will keep you all posted after the weekend.

  • http://N/A Jason

    My first follow-up: The first full day I had 4.5 hours of usage and slightly over 11 hours of standby before my phone hit 10% battery life. Although I did not quite see the same results as the original posting, my office only allows me 2 bars on 3G and 5 on EDGE. So, it is a vast improvement over my previous model and I did have GPS turned on all day with GPS (not associated with network). I hope over the next few days/weeks, I will see even more improvements.

    Although the US and Canada are quite different and 3G is somewhat spotty in the Dallas metroplex, I hope my entries help you all out that have poor battery issues. It seems like the new phone is doing much better and I hope to keep breaking in this battery nicely. I will keep you all posted after the weekend.

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  • confused

    ok. I am confused. I use the iphone mostly for wifi. I only get around 3 hours of use average. Is this normal? How does apple determine your battery is a did?

    Also, how long do u charge your iPhone for as this is not mentioned anywhere.

  • confused

    ok. I am confused. I use the iphone mostly for wifi. I only get around 3 hours of use average. Is this normal? How does apple determine your battery is a did?

    Also, how long do u charge your iPhone for as this is not mentioned anywhere.

  • confused

    ok. I am confused. I use the iphone mostly for wifi. I only get around 3 hours of use average. Is this normal? How does apple determine your battery is a did?

    Also, how long do u charge your iPhone for as this is not mentioned anywhere.

  • Christopher

    Actually, with lithium ion batteries it is not bad to charge nightly or even whenever you are at your desk.

    You are thinking of nickel metal hydride. In the case of NiMH batteries it is bad to charge them before they are completely run down because the batteries have a “memory” (actually it’s chemical buildup on the cathode).

    With Lithium Ion it is actually bad to run it down below 10%. Every time you run a Li+ battery below 10% you lose a certain percentage of your capacity (I can’t remember the exact number right now, but it’s a couple percent). Li+ batteries actually function their best if they are charged all the time.

    There’s everyone’s battery lesson for the day :)

  • Christopher

    Actually, with lithium ion batteries it is not bad to charge nightly or even whenever you are at your desk.

    You are thinking of nickel metal hydride. In the case of NiMH batteries it is bad to charge them before they are completely run down because the batteries have a “memory” (actually it’s chemical buildup on the cathode).

    With Lithium Ion it is actually bad to run it down below 10%. Every time you run a Li+ battery below 10% you lose a certain percentage of your capacity (I can’t remember the exact number right now, but it’s a couple percent). Li+ batteries actually function their best if they are charged all the time.

    There’s everyone’s battery lesson for the day :)

  • Christopher

    Actually, with lithium ion batteries it is not bad to charge nightly or even whenever you are at your desk.

    You are thinking of nickel metal hydride. In the case of NiMH batteries it is bad to charge them before they are completely run down because the batteries have a “memory” (actually it’s chemical buildup on the cathode).

    With Lithium Ion it is actually bad to run it down below 10%. Every time you run a Li+ battery below 10% you lose a certain percentage of your capacity (I can’t remember the exact number right now, but it’s a couple percent). Li+ batteries actually function their best if they are charged all the time.

    There’s everyone’s battery lesson for the day :)

  • Jason

    It is NOT normal. If you have 3G and moderate usage, you should be able to go a day without charging. 3 hours is well under average in terms of battery life. I do not know how Apple can determine one good battery from another but I would recommend calling them, getting it noted and a case number, following suggestions, and calling back if you have the same issue. If you follow theri requests and it still does not perform to a number close to their specs, ask for a replacement.

  • Jason

    It is NOT normal. If you have 3G and moderate usage, you should be able to go a day without charging. 3 hours is well under average in terms of battery life. I do not know how Apple can determine one good battery from another but I would recommend calling them, getting it noted and a case number, following suggestions, and calling back if you have the same issue. If you follow theri requests and it still does not perform to a number close to their specs, ask for a replacement.

  • Jason

    It is NOT normal. If you have 3G and moderate usage, you should be able to go a day without charging. 3 hours is well under average in terms of battery life. I do not know how Apple can determine one good battery from another but I would recommend calling them, getting it noted and a case number, following suggestions, and calling back if you have the same issue. If you follow theri requests and it still does not perform to a number close to their specs, ask for a replacement.

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  • shawn

    My 2 year old Apache PPC lasts 15 hours (standby) and that is with the EVDO going 24/7 and my 3 IMAP accounts pinging the mail server every 10 minutes.

    This includes about 20-30 minutes of call time and 10-20 minutes of web surfing but an equal amount of “playing”.

    I have been researching iphones but they have a long way to go and w/o a removable battery…it’s just a bad choice for business people.

    1. I hate apple for there form over function ideals. This affects the removable battery need.
    2. I hate apple for sticking it to people to spend silly money to swap out a battery that will only last a year, or better.

    If this phone had a removable battery I could swap in mid-day, I might consider it…but doubtful.

    I’ll wait again for 3.0

  • shawn

    My 2 year old Apache PPC lasts 15 hours (standby) and that is with the EVDO going 24/7 and my 3 IMAP accounts pinging the mail server every 10 minutes.

    This includes about 20-30 minutes of call time and 10-20 minutes of web surfing but an equal amount of “playing”.

    I have been researching iphones but they have a long way to go and w/o a removable battery…it’s just a bad choice for business people.

    1. I hate apple for there form over function ideals. This affects the removable battery need.
    2. I hate apple for sticking it to people to spend silly money to swap out a battery that will only last a year, or better.

    If this phone had a removable battery I could swap in mid-day, I might consider it…but doubtful.

    I’ll wait again for 3.0

  • shawn

    My 2 year old Apache PPC lasts 15 hours (standby) and that is with the EVDO going 24/7 and my 3 IMAP accounts pinging the mail server every 10 minutes.

    This includes about 20-30 minutes of call time and 10-20 minutes of web surfing but an equal amount of “playing”.

    I have been researching iphones but they have a long way to go and w/o a removable battery…it’s just a bad choice for business people.

    1. I hate apple for there form over function ideals. This affects the removable battery need.
    2. I hate apple for sticking it to people to spend silly money to swap out a battery that will only last a year, or better.

    If this phone had a removable battery I could swap in mid-day, I might consider it…but doubtful.

    I’ll wait again for 3.0

  • Grank

    Mostly correct… but the truth is that lithium ion batteries have a brutal shelf life expectancy, degrading significantly over time. Studies have shown that a battery of this type loses far less of its capacity over time if stored at a charge of about 50% rather than stored closer to 100% (or closer to 0%). Therefore, over time you can sort of maximize the amount of time the battery spends at that ideal midpoint charge level by allowing it to run down and be charged again. There is no performance penalty I’ve ever seen for doing this.
    The low battery life scenario to which you refer is actually specifically avoided by circuitry in almost all modern Li-ion devices. The battery is never allowed to discharge past that point.

  • Grank

    Mostly correct… but the truth is that lithium ion batteries have a brutal shelf life expectancy, degrading significantly over time. Studies have shown that a battery of this type loses far less of its capacity over time if stored at a charge of about 50% rather than stored closer to 100% (or closer to 0%). Therefore, over time you can sort of maximize the amount of time the battery spends at that ideal midpoint charge level by allowing it to run down and be charged again. There is no performance penalty I’ve ever seen for doing this.
    The low battery life scenario to which you refer is actually specifically avoided by circuitry in almost all modern Li-ion devices. The battery is never allowed to discharge past that point.

  • Grank

    Mostly correct… but the truth is that lithium ion batteries have a brutal shelf life expectancy, degrading significantly over time. Studies have shown that a battery of this type loses far less of its capacity over time if stored at a charge of about 50% rather than stored closer to 100% (or closer to 0%). Therefore, over time you can sort of maximize the amount of time the battery spends at that ideal midpoint charge level by allowing it to run down and be charged again. There is no performance penalty I’ve ever seen for doing this.
    The low battery life scenario to which you refer is actually specifically avoided by circuitry in almost all modern Li-ion devices. The battery is never allowed to discharge past that point.

  • Radu

    Hi, talking about batteries, why not giving Ebay a try ? New replacement batteries sell for 5-10$US from Honk Kong and that's including the shipping fees. Shipping time is about 1 week. Also, it's worth looking for that specific replacement battery but with a higher mAh number. It means it will last longer before recharge. You'll be shocked to find out that sometimes those chinese batteries replacements have HIGHER mAh number than the original batteries, and thats true for all devices such as iPhone or photo cameras or any other. All that at 1/10 the price the original manufactures try to make you pay for them. I've bought replacement batteries on Ebay for digital camera, cell phone and laptop. All of those performed up to any expectations, life time is excellent and the power, because the higher mAh, is way above the one in the original batteries.

  • http://www.iphoneincanada.ca iphoneincanada

    Good idea, but cheaping out on untested batteries that might fry your
    precious iPhone is a risk we should all keep in mind. Kinda like those
    third party car chargers that fried first gen iPhones.

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  • NI

    Just received my Rogers Iphone 3gs. Same issue, battery will only last 12 hours, with 3G/wi-fi and bluetooth off. I only had 20 mins of talk time. Still within my 15days and will be shipping it back for a Blackberry bold. At this point there should be a recall on all the Iphone 3gs. What a waste of time.

  • aisling123123

    thanks xx who's roger???????
    :?

  • http://neesaferreira.blogspot.com/ neesa

    my iPhone always shows 20% left!! i charged my iPhone whole day but i just can use it like 10 mins???!!!

  • http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/ Mr. Ex

    Make sure “WiFi” is completely OFF. Actually go into the WiFi setting
    and toggle the setting Off.

  • LG

    telus iphone 3gs 16gb here and I HATE IT !!! USELESS PIECE OF SHIT FTW !!!

    here is why
    1. i had a blackberry PEARL !!! 8130 before and it was the bottom feeder fish of blackberry. Unlimited data and i actually used it on 3G all the time (CDMA) and it didnt even have Wifi so it was always on data regardless if i was at home.

    2. Battery life on the pearl vs Iphone was amazing, i cant even imagine how the new Bold behaves. My pearl would last a decent 12-15 hours with data enabled and the music running, whereas the ipod is brand new and barely lasts through 8 hours of some music and email. Its usually at 4% by the time i get home and its 3 days old.

    3. Iphone is limited beyond belief, ya it has tons of apps (which you have to pay for) and it has free skype which DOESNT WORK on 3G!!! only on WIFI !!! Amazing how useless that is.

    4. I didnt think i would miss it, but BBM was the bomb. Even the email is shit on the iphone, honestly people that own iphones are complete duches that lie through their teeth. Its a useless piece of shit with a crap camera, no camera light, no notifier LED and a crap ipod that only plays restricted formats. You cant even send files via bluetooth which even the OLD motorola razr could do.

    Bottom line, Im taking the iphone back and getting a blackberry. To truly enjoy the iphone you need to have it jailbroken to enable the features which might i add reduces the battery EVEN MORE !!!

    It may sound like im a hater but believe me, i wanted to get the iphone for a long time, and i regret it so much now. Its all of my idiot friends who dont know anything about phones who think the world of it and underestimate real cell phones.

    Those with iphones, enjoy your misery and keep lying to yourselves or take it back for a swap. Blackberry is a true workhorse so ill be getting the new bold.

  • LG

    telus iphone 3gs 16gb here and I HATE IT !!! USELESS PIECE OF SHIT FTW !!!

    here is why
    1. i had a blackberry PEARL !!! 8130 before and it was the bottom feeder fish of blackberry. Unlimited data and i actually used it on 3G all the time (CDMA) and it didnt even have Wifi so it was always on data regardless if i was at home.

    2. Battery life on the pearl vs Iphone was amazing, i cant even imagine how the new Bold behaves. My pearl would last a decent 12-15 hours with data enabled and the music running, whereas the ipod is brand new and barely lasts through 8 hours of some music and email. Its usually at 4% by the time i get home and its 3 days old.

    3. Iphone is limited beyond belief, ya it has tons of apps (which you have to pay for) and it has free skype which DOESNT WORK on 3G!!! only on WIFI !!! Amazing how useless that is.

    4. I didnt think i would miss it, but BBM was the bomb. Even the email is shit on the iphone, honestly people that own iphones are complete duches that lie through their teeth. Its a useless piece of shit with a crap camera, no camera light, no notifier LED and a crap ipod that only plays restricted formats. You cant even send files via bluetooth which even the OLD motorola razr could do.

    Bottom line, Im taking the iphone back and getting a blackberry. To truly enjoy the iphone you need to have it jailbroken to enable the features which might i add reduces the battery EVEN MORE !!!

    It may sound like im a hater but believe me, i wanted to get the iphone for a long time, and i regret it so much now. Its all of my idiot friends who dont know anything about phones who think the world of it and underestimate real cell phones.

    Those with iphones, enjoy your misery and keep lying to yourselves or take it back for a swap. Blackberry is a true workhorse so ill be getting the new bold.

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