How is Your iPhone 4S Battery Life?

Every time a new iPhone is released, every feature is meticulously scrutinized by its users–and rightfully so. The iPhone 4S battery is supposed to offer an extra hour of 3G talk time, but a 100 hour decrease in standby time. This is probably due to location services being used more frequently in iOS 5 as part of the Reminders app, Find my Friends, Siri, and more.

Here is the advertised battery life for the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS:

The Option to Disable 3G Cellular Data is Gone

In the past, one way to save battery life was to toggle off 3G data and use EDGE only, as many of us did when the iPhone 3G debuted. It appears that option in the no longer available in Network Settings. We don’t know if Apple will bring that option back in an update, but for jailbroken iPhone users SBSettings will let you turn off 3G easily.

As mentioned on Apple’s iPhone battery tips page:

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).

I have yet to calibrate my iPhone 4S battery–here’s my usage for today so far:

If you’re a hardcore iPhone user, you probably already carry a backup power source such as the ZAGGsparq or a battery back from Richard Solo, along with your white USB cable.

Want some instant battery saving tips? Limit push notifications (configure them in Notification Center), turn down your brightness to about 40-45%, and turn off location settings for apps that don’t require them. Also, heat is one of the major killers of battery life so ensure any case you have allows proper ventilation. But honestly, it’s tough to have amazing battery life when we can’t put down the iPhone 4S–it’s just too awesome.

How’s your iPhone 4S battery life so far?

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