The iPhone 4S Battery Life Is Underwhelming Vs. iPhone 4

In announcing the iPhone 4S, Apple made some great promises in terms of the iDevice’s battery life. However, those promises might be off the mark, according to iLounge, who tested battery life on the new handset on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon and then compared it to the iPhone 4. In a far-reaching analysis of the iDevice's battery life, iLounge discovered some interesting anomalies between what Apple promised plus how the iPhone 4S stacked up to the iPhone 4. They state:

Moreover, whereas Apple under-promised with the iPhone 4’s battery estimates, it comes closer to overpromising with the iPhone 4S.

For example, while Apple promised six hours of 3G Internet use with the iPhone 4S, it fell short on each model.

AT&T – 5:54
Verizon: 5:53
Sprint: 5:23

This compared to 6:47 on an iPhone 4. In terms of Wi-Fi data, again the iPhone 4S didn’t live up to expectations. While Apple promised nine hours of Wi-Fi Internet use (versus ten for the iPhone 4), in reality it only achieved 8:30 hours of runtime. Finally, in terms of cellular calling, Apple promised eight hours of 3G calling time, up one hour from the iPhone 4. The end result:

Our AT&T iPhone 4S achieved a 7 hour and 16 minute run time with 3G and Wi-Fi on, while the Verizon iPhone 4S actually ran for 8 hours and 27 minutes, both superior to our prior results on the iPhone 4. By contrast, the Sprint iPhone 4S turned in an amazingly weak 6 hours and 27 minutes—two hours less than the Verizon iPhone. Again, all three of the devices reported between 3 and 4 bars of service during testing, though the Verizon phone notably showed four bars the most often.

So there you have it, perhaps some unwelcomed news about the iPhone 4S’ battery life. Thoughts?

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