Why do Verizon phones have inferior battery life?

[jdoggg12]

I'm sure it probably has something to do with GSM vs CDMA, but what's actually going on to cause this? I was looking at the G2 on PhoneArena and the standby time for the Verizon version is like half that of the other carriers. I've noticed this kind of disparity before and am curious as to the cause.

Thanks!

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/LG-G2_id7969

EDIT - It seems a few people need a definition of inferior, as it pertains to this post. I didn't say there aren't phones on Verizon without good battery life. What I'm asking is why a phone that is on multiple carriers usually has inferior battery on Verizon, according to reviews. The phone I linked to was an example of the G2 having an 11 day standby time on Verizon vs 29 on ATT. (Don't care about T-Mobile on this one because they list it specific to a 3G signal)

 

[vi edit]

GSM is definitely a leaner radio tech. But that's half the shtick of Verizon. CDMA does penetrate buildings and blanket remote areas better than GSM. That signal penetration comes at a battery life penalty.

 

[shortylickens]

that makes sense. On tmobile I never get reception inside a building but everybody else does.

As soon as I step outside it shoots up to max LTE immediately and then I get 25 mbit.

 

[notposting]

The newer ones are a lot closer to their GSM cousins (advancements in the radios) in battery life. They still do the same thing the early VZW LTE phones did though, which is carry 2 radios on them, one for CDMA and one for LTE (see Thunderbolt). I think this has been refined down to single chipsets, smaller processes, smarter programming, etc. Once they end up with VoLTE and do away with CDMA completely (2020, I believe) it should be equal.

I remember seeing rumors it was one reason that kept the iPhone 4S as a CDMA only device on Verizon at the time, when it certainly could have used the LTE speed to compete against the 3.5G of AT&T.

GSM is definitely a leaner radio tech. But that's half the shtick of Verizon. CDMA does penetrate buildings and blanket remote areas better than GSM. That signal penetration comes at a battery life penalty.

I'm going to assume you slept in and didn't have your coffee yet, because you know that all was a bunch of stuff my wife would make up or something.

 

[corkyg]

My Droid Maxx gets advertised battery life on Verizon.

 

[jdoggg12]

My Droid Maxx gets advertised battery life on Verizon.

That's because it's a Verizon specific device, no?

 

[AznAnarchy99]

It's not typically a big deal with the newer phones since the LTE chip is built with the CDMA chip. With the Galaxy Nexus they were split so they spent a lot of time switching back and forth, killing the battery in an hour of usage.

 

[Roland00Address]

GSM is definitely a leaner radio tech. But that's half the shtick of Verizon. CDMA does penetrate buildings and blanket remote areas better than GSM. That signal penetration comes at a battery life penalty.

Is it the cdma vs gsm for penetration or the lower frequencies that Verizon has?

 

[vi edit]

Is it the cdma vs gsm for penetration or the lower frequencies that Verizon has?

Yeah that's my understanding of it. Lower frequency doesn't break up as much as higher ones when they hit obstacles. Verizon runs at lower frequencies than most gsm carriers. T-Mobile runs at some of the highest. I also think that cdma does much worse in battery consumption than gsm in low signal situations. They really crank up the juice to the radio.

 

[Anubis]

It's not typically a big deal with the newer phones since the LTE chip is built with the CDMA chip. With the Galaxy Nexus they were split so they spent a lot of time switching back and forth, killing the battery in an hour of usage.

10% per hour just sitting there
god that phone sucked for battery life

 

[T_Yamamoto]

10% per hour just sitting there
god that phone sucked for battery life

I'm still using it. It is awful.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I'm still using it. It is awful.

I was so amazed that I didn't have to bring a charger everywhere I went after I got a new phone.

 

[corkyg]

That's because it's a Verizon specific device, no?

Of course. That is what the thread question is about.

 

[jdoggg12]

Of course. That is what the thread question is about.

It's about varying amount of battery life on the same phone across different carriers, not whether the phone can last its claimed discharge time... so i'm guessing that your phone would last 30%+ longer on another carrier.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Yeah that's my understanding of it. Lower frequency doesn't break up as much as higher ones when they hit obstacles. Verizon runs at lower frequencies than most gsm carriers. T-Mobile runs at some of the highest. I also think that cdma does much worse in battery consumption than gsm in low signal situations. They really crank up the juice to the radio.

Verizon uses 700, 850, 1900 just like AT&T does. I don't think its just the frequency itself, but the CDMA protocol itself. Or it seems like the SoCs aren't optimized for CDMA or something. It seems more like a secondary radio they throw in there since not all devices have CDMA radios.

 

[nOOky]

My LG G2 for Verizon is the first Verizon phone I've used with excellent battery life. Other carriers may get better battery life, but around here at least their coverage sux. I'll trade off having to charge my phone a bit more often in exchange for not having to walk out front of my house to check my voicemail. YMMV.

 

[lupi]

No idea other than I did notice on a couple phone reviews I read recently that there were 2 listings for battery performance, seperating into gsm and cdma.

 

[openwheel]

there are many verizon phones with great battery life...

Razr M, Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx, LG G2, Note 3.....etc

 

[jdoggg12]

there are many verizon phones with great battery life...

Razr M, Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx, LG G2, Note 3.....etc

Agreed, but as I responded to another poster, above, those same phones have (or would have) better battery life on other carriers. They have good battery life because they either have larger batteries are have more modest hardware (either processors or screens).

My intent was to discover what it was that kills the battery life on Verizon phones where there are comparable versions of the phone on each of the carriers.

 

[openwheel]

True.

Razr M has a small battery. It's an oddity from a sea of half-baked android phones that Verizon offers. For some reason, the battery management in Razr M is outstanding even compared to Galaxy S3 which has the same SoC.

 

[Thegonagle]

It's the two radios thing.

Verizon phones go to standby on two networks at once; the CDMA network for voice and text, and the LTE or EVDO network for data.

GSM providers' phones only need to standby on one network.

The difference will eventually go away as Verizon's VO-LTE is rolled out. Eventually, CDMA will be phased out completely.

 

[paperwastage]

It's the two radios thing.

Verizon phones go to standby on two networks at once; the CDMA network for voice and text, and the LTE or EVDO network for data.

GSM providers' phones only need to standby on one network.

The difference will eventually go away as Verizon's VO-LTE is rolled out. Eventually, CDMA will be phased out completely.

are you sure?

LTE is only for data, phones still need to downgrade to 2G/3G GSM for phone calls (unless you have VoLTE support). Do GSM phones need to stand by on 2G/3G & LTE, or do they get a signal to switch when a text message/phone call comes in?

If GSM gets a signal to switch, does CDMA operate the same way?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I was so amazed that I didn't have to bring a charger everywhere I went after I got a new phone.

I'll do errands and my phone will be below 15% after a couple of hours.

 

[jdoggg12]

It's not typically a big deal with the newer phones since the LTE chip is built with the CDMA chip. With the Galaxy Nexus they were split so they spent a lot of time switching back and forth, killing the battery in an hour of usage.

I was so amazed that I didn't have to bring a charger everywhere I went after I got a new phone.

Dunno how I missed your first comment - I'm currently using the GNex myself... HATE it. I'm strongly considering the G2 since it seems to be the best mix of power, battery, and price off of contract (~$250 on swappa). I'm grandfathered unlimited data so I can't do subsidized and I really can't justify $500+ on a phone right now.

What'd you get and how do you like it? Any regrets?

 

[destrekor]

I don't think it's the actual difference between GSM and CDMA tech.

Rather, it's the fact that Verizon LTE phones utilize two radios. We still do not have VoLTE, so voice is carried over the CDMA 3G modem, whilst data continues to utilize the GSM-based LTE connection.

Most GSM-only services are sending everything through ONE connection at any given time, as simultaneous voice and data has been capable on all GSM-based services, save for LTE.

This issue was far more pronounced, as others have noted, when the LTE modem as not integrated in the SoC, and was thus an additional IC component. The difference is far more negligible today, but I imagine still exists due to the fact that multiple radios are sometimes engaged. Power may be saved having the modems integrated in the same SoC, but those actual radio packages, including antennae, are separate.