With the recent release of iOS 4.0 and iOS 4.0.1, one question has needed to be answered: does the update boost your iPhone’s battery life. Per Macworld, it does, the lab downgrading an iPhone 3G that was running iOS 4 to iOS 3.1.3 and running a series of tasks. The staff then upgraded the iPhone 3G to iOS4 and ran the same set of tasks.
The iPhone 3G with iOS 4 lasted 5% longer (10 minutes) than the iOS 3-configured iPhone 3G.
In additional tests, there proved to be an even greater increase in battery life with iOS 4 on an iPhone 4GS, with the updated iPhone 3GS lasting 14% longer (35 minutes) than with iOS 3.
Take a gander at the article for specific details behind each test. And in spite of AntennaGate, the iPhone 4 and the usual complaints that come with any upgrade (“iOS 2.0 used to paint my house for me and that’s why I’ll never upgrade!!!”), it’s nice to see the battery life improve a bit.
4 replies on “iOS 4 upgrade offers some battery life improvements over iOS 3 for iPhone 3G, 3GS handsets”
i cant dock my ipod touch to anything anymore now that i upgraded to i0S4 i called and asked apple about it and the sneaky bastards meant it that way some new dock is coming out so they can make even more money i want to downgrade. i think i0S4 is a bunch of crap but i dont actually know anything about it i just wanna dock my ipod again
Interesting, I didn't see any improvement in battery life either. I saw, a perceived, drop in battery life, followed by a kind of “evening out” period. I can't say if the battery is any better off now than before.
I also strongly disagree. With WiFi enables, the battery is drained within hours on my 3GS! Since iOS4, WiFi keeps running even when the phone is asleep. This is a major bug, much more so than any antenna issues. The only way to keep the phone's battery running like before is to disable WiFi!
I strongly disagree. Since moving to iOS 4 on my 3GS, I can no longer make it through the day on a charge. 4.0.1 showed no improvement either.
I suspect that Apple tests primarily in areas with awesome signal — but since AT&T coverage is poor where I live, it's likely pummeling the battery.