Battery

iOS 8’s battery shaming is a double-edged sword

Oliver Haslam ∙ September 24, 2014

As is always the case every time a new iPhone is released, or a major iteration of its software pops up on Apple's servers, the planet goes into meltdown about battery life. It's almost as predictable as Apple's iPhone release schedule, and it's getting old.

I was already pondering how Apple's newly released iOS 8 was performing for people when I read iMore's post covering its new battery shaming feature. Rene does a great job explaining how iOS 8 monitors app usage and then plots out a percentage of the battery drain that app has caused. The reasons for that drain are plenty, and the important thing to remember is that they're not all bad.

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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smoke competition in benchmarks

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 22, 2014

The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus powered by the Apple-designed A8 processor leave the vast majority of Android competition in the dust in terms of CPU performance and battery life, according to a series of performance benchmarks conducted by the reputable hardware review website AnandTech.

The website's founder Anand Lal Shimpi recently joined Apple for an undisclosed role.

Speaking of the handsets' graphics performance, the site has found the iPhone 6 Plus performing a hair slower versus the iPhone 5s due to the increased screen resolution. It's also approximately fifteen percent slower in GPU performance than the Nvidia Shield-based tablets. Despite this minor setback, performance gains across the board translate into “a pretty solid lead over the competition for the iPhone 6/A8,” wrote the site.

According to Apple, the A8 processor has two billion transistors, twice as much as the previous A7 chip. The piece of silicon incorporates twenty percent faster CPU and a cool fifty percent faster graphics while enabling up to 50 percent more energy efficiency than its A7 counterpart, as per Apple's official numbers.

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The best new features of iOS 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 25, 2023

Admittedly, the myriad of new and useful capabilities that Apple's just-released iOS 8 brings to your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are going to prove hugely popular with mainstream users, to say the least. With iOS 8, Apple is appeasing harsh critics who'd frequently point out that Android is capable of things iOS cannot do, and then some more.

iOS 8 opens up Apple's mobile operating system to third-party development to a much greater extent than ever before. And stemming from relaxed policies, iOS 8 boosts on-the-go productivity with deeper inter-app sharing while implementing some of the features our Android friends have grown accustomed to, but in a typical hassle-free Apple fashion, things like third-party keyboards, custom actions, photo editing extensions within the context of Photos and Camera apps and way more.

And though evolutionary rather than revolutionary, we have no doubt in our minds that iOS 8 is going to significantly improve the functionality of Apple's mobile platform, and perhaps even give some folks less reasons to jailbreak.

To celebrate today's release of the free iOS 8 software update, we proudly present you this detailed overview of more than two dozen iOS 8 features we think you're going to fall in love with at first sight.

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Samsung ads lampoon iPhone 6 screen, battery, multitasking, Apple Watch and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 11, 2014

Galaxy maker Samsung on Thursday published a series of advertisements on its YouTube channel. The commercials have been designed to ridicule Apple's latest announcements.

The six-installment series, which Samsung is running under the 'Note The Difference' tagline, targets pretty much everything, from Apple's botched live stream to the iPhone 6's screen size, multitasking and battery life to  — funny you should ask — the star of the show: the Apple Watch.

I've included the videos for your viewing pleasure right after the break so watch them now and join us in comments.

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Apple Watch requires daily charging, battery life could improve for launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 10, 2014

The Apple Watch, when it starts shipping next year, will require daily charging, suggesting the device's built-in battery lasts about 24 hours, Re/code journalist John Paczkowski said Wednesday. Apple is reportedly ”not happy“ with the battery life and is working to improve it before the product's early-2015 debut.

Regardless, Apple still expects users will charge their Apple Watches once daily. At no point during the yesterday's unveiling did Apple specify or mention how long the device's battery will last.

Even Apple's promotional images don't appear to show the battery indicator on the device's Home screen.

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iPhone 6 and 6 Plus get extended battery life

Cody Lee ∙ September 9, 2014

One of the big features many users were hoping to see in iPhone 6 was better battery life, and in some ways they got it. The iPhone 6 outlasts the iPhone 5s by 10 hours playing audio, one hour playing video and Wi-Fi browsing, and it performs much better over 3G. For the most part, however, everything else is the same.

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Video offers a closer look at a stronger 2,915mAh battery possibly bound for iPhone 6

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2014

The prolific leakers over at the French blog NowhereElse.fr [Google Translate] on Sunday have managed to get hold of a short video which purportedly shows off a 2,915mAh battery said to be bound for a 5.5-inch iPhone 6.

In the past week or so, we've been treated to several sightings of 1,810mAh, 2,100mAh and 2,915mAh batteries for the upcoming Apple handsets.

This, however, marks the first time the part's been captured on video.

Compared to the ~1,560mAh unit inside the iPhone 5s, this alleged iPhone 6 battery is twice as strong. Whether the added juice is only meant to power the iPhone 6's power-hungry 5.5-inch screen alongside new sensors and an NFC chip for mobile payments, or perhaps extend the handset's total run time, shall remain anyone's guess until next Tuesday, 10am PT.

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New report sets low expectations for iWatch battery life

Cody Lee ∙ September 5, 2014

The Information is out with a new scoop this afternoon, offering up some last-minute details on the so-called iWatch. Most of the report corroborates previous chatter, regarding what the device will look like and do, but it does bring a new topic to light: battery life.

According to the site's Jessica Lessin, people with knowledge of the project have set low expectations for the iWatch's battery life. These sources say that the uptime on the wearable will be "disappointing," although Lessin does say that Apple could be sandbagging.

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Two times stronger iPhone 6 battery makes another appearance on photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 2, 2014

We've already seen alleged 1,810mAh, 2,100mAh, and 2,915mAh batteries bound for Apple's upcoming handsets and now the strongest 2,915mAh module has been showed off on a set of new photos posted Tuesday morning by the French publication NowhereElse.fr [Google Translate].

Featuring a capacity of 2,915mAh versus the iPhone 5s's 1,560mAh package, this prototype battery should theoretically allow the iPhone 6 to last longer on a single charge and get your through the day without recharging.

On the other hand, it's entirely possible that Apple will advertise the iPhone 6 as having the same battery life as the iPhone 5s. That's because an increase in the battery capacity could be offset by a bigger screen which draws more power. Same could be said for other rumored new components such as an NXP-made NFC chip for mobile payments, faster graphics and more.

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Apple rolls out free Battery Replacement Program internationally

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple started rolling out its Battery Replacement Program internationally today, offering free battery replacement for a subset of iPhone 5 devices that were sold between September 2012 and January 2013. The company notes that "a very small percentage of iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently." iPhone 5 users that are experiencing these symptoms can go to a dedicated page on the company's website to check their device's serial number and see if they are eligible for a free battery replacement.

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Having iPhone 5 battery problems? You could be eligible for a free battery replacement

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple initiated a new Battery Replacement Program on Friday, acknowledging a small percentage of iPhone 5 units may be having battery problems. According to Apple, affected "iPhone 5 devices may suddenly experience shorter battery life or need to be charged more frequently." If you purchased an iPhone 5 between September 2012 and January 2013, and if you’re experiencing these symptoms, then you might be eligible for a free battery replacement.

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