GOODBYE Thunderbolt - After 1 week of constant battery drainage, i gave up

[CsonkaBear]

^Newz flash!

Huh? Clarification.

Sorry thinking more than typing. I was referring to you saying that when you turned off the second biggest drain on your battery your battery life got better.

^Newz flash!

Huh? Clarification.

I think that's his way of saying you stated the obvious. But still good info IMO.

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt

Thanks. I didn't want to take it as a slam, but...

My initial thought was the "Well why even buy a 4G superphone", but I went through growing pains with my Moto Droid, so I have a degree of patience.

I also have a trial period which I am assured will be honored without question.

I am testing this phone in a spirit of fairness and if it is not what Verizon claimed then I will not hesitate to return it. I am torn

I want this to be the phone they said it would be. If not, I will exercise my options.

 

[atlrus]

To everyone having a lot of battery drain during idle, disable auto-updating for everything you don't need, turn off the data connection when not in use and use wifi when at home.

Using these changes I'm getting great battery life. Took my phone off the charger at 5:00am, light to moderate use during the day, including streaming video, browsing the web and a lot of texting, left work at 64%. Went home, cooked dinner, played with the kids, etc, when I picked my phone back up (2hr later) I was at 63%.

I know some of you want to just leave everything on all the time to save yourself a few seconds, but I think I would rather spend a few seconds hitting a toggle than cutting my battery life in half.

Guess I should also note that I don't have 4G in my area yet, so I'm using the phone info tweek to run in CDMA auto mode.

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt

Yeah, I don't quite understand the people who are saying that turning off certain radios or widgets or whatever means you're not using it as a smartphone. I see no reason to keep things running that you aren't using. It just seems like a waste.

I'm sorry but all this sounds too Apple-ish to me.
The whole point of Android is power and the ability to customize your phone to your liking. Turning off data, disabling widgets, gps, etc just to be able to get through the day is plain wrong... Dont be a fanboy, maybe if enough people raise the stink HTC would come out with higher- cap battery...Keep in mind they never did for the Inc, so chances are slim to none. It looks like the company has already moved on to the next phone, as usual.

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

 

[PhishyKris]

Didn't read the whole thread but it's an extended battery world. You simply have to have one to make the devices useful. I have the HTC 2750 that arrived with the phone last week. It goes and goes and goes. There isn't a smart phone out there that can make it with the stock battery...at least not one that I know of.

 

[nerdkill]

i don't get everyones issues. i have multiple widgets running, launcher pro, dog catcher is constantly downloading, Sirius radio, use it heavily, use it as my work phone, all on LTE and i get through the day with it fine. I did notice also when I turned of Blockbusters Sync I felt like I got better life out of it. That could be bs placebo though because I was happy to find I could turn off something in that stupid app.

On a side note, I purchased my wife a Thunderbolt and she didn't even want it. Now she does. She doesn't use it that often though. I've also bought her a nice car, over sized ring, and soon she'll have bolt ons. I hope that's ok with the forums. Love how everyone wants to spend other peoples money just because they have none.

 

[UNC]

I need to know!! Did the 4g data plan stay on your bill after you returned the TB??? If it did, I'll gladly shell out 35 bucks to opt out of this purchase, and I'll just buy the Bionic!

 

[champaned_out]

To everyone having a lot of battery drain during idle, disable auto-updating for everything you don't need, turn off the data connection when not in use and use wifi when at home.

Using these changes I'm getting great battery life. Took my phone off the charger at 5:00am, light to moderate use during the day, including streaming video, browsing the web and a lot of texting, left work at 64%. Went home, cooked dinner, played with the kids, etc, when I picked my phone back up (2hr later) I was at 63%.

I know some of you want to just leave everything on all the time to save yourself a few seconds, but I think I would rather spend a few seconds hitting a toggle than cutting my battery life in half.

Guess I should also note that I don't have 4G in my area yet, so I'm using the phone info tweek to run in CDMA auto mode.

Sent from my HTC Thunderbolt

Yeah, I don't quite understand the people who are saying that turning off certain radios or widgets or whatever means you're not using it as a smartphone. I see no reason to keep things running that you aren't using. It just seems like a waste.

exactly... smart phones are for smart users... if you know your not gonna need 4g for a few hours turn it off... if you know you dont need your gps position to refresh every hour turn it off... etc etc. learn to manage and adapt to your new phone... im sure there are some people that might actually have defective phones and none of these tips help.. but to those that are syncing everything hourly and setting the brightness above 50% and heavily using their phones, the problem isnt the battery... its the user

and to those bringing up the iphones and the fact that they have great battery life... that still isnt a big enough reason for me to switch from android phones

 

[WillFCDroid]

I returned mine yesterday because of all sorts of weird battery issues. I tried the extended battery and the battery life was much better. The problem was that it would show 25% charge and within about a minute and a half the phone shut down and would not turn back on for several minutes after being on the charger. Rebooting the phone from a full charge would cause it to report 66% charge, and each reboot would show much lower battery levels.

Got tired of it as it was not reliable, so I returned it along with the case and extended (huge) battery. They gave me a full refund on the accessories, but charged me the $35 restocking fee for the phone.

I spoke with the manager at the store today and he said the only way I could get the money back was to buy another Thunderbolt, and they would give me the credit. I said fine, if one of your guys can check it and make sure it's working right, I will buy another. He said they would activate it and make sure my 4g connection worked properly (quick function test), but they could not test for the battery issue. He wouldn't explain why. I told him that if he could not show me that my new Thunderbolt would not display the same battery issues I described I didn't want it.

I then called Verizon customer service and argued my case. Basically I told them that I did not believe that I should be charged for returning something that was clearly defective. I also asked her how Verizon could charge a restocking fee for something that was faulty. Would they just put it back on the shelf and sell it to someone else? After a few minutes on the phone, she credited the $35 to my Verizon account. This part was actually quite painless.

In my case, I really think the phone was defective and not indicative of all Thunderbolts, but I don't want a replacement until I'm sure this problem and the 4g connectivity issues in my area are ironed out. I don't play games on my phone, so dual core and all the other goodies coming out in the next few months are not a big deal to me.

UNC: The 4g data plan went away when I reactivated my trusty Droid1.

To anyone who does return their Thunderbolt and gets charged the $35, just remember to keep a level head and know what you are going to say if you call customer service for a refund. They may not put it back on your credit card or send you a check, but if you are polite (but firm) there is a good chance you will get the credit.

The time I spent getting this refund probably cost me way more than $35 worth of my time. It was never about the money really. I just don't feel anyone should have to pay for returning something that doesn't work properly.

 

[champaned_out]

He said they would activate it and make sure my 4g connection worked properly (quick function test), but they could not test for the battery issue. He wouldn't explain why.

what do you expect them to do? sit there for several hours while they test and read individual batteries and see if the battery is defective? theres nothing anyone can do when it comes to battery issues. no cell phone store or corporate verizon store will test for battery issues... the best they can do is replace your phone... if you really want to find out if theres a battery issue, buy the equipment and google the instructions

 

[UNC]

I think I'm going to return mine tomorrow. I'll wait for the Bionic. The battery just sucks too much, and the 3g fades in and out. (Which never happens on the D1 or iPhone 4)

This is the 3rd HTC phone I've owned, and I actually think its the worst!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

 

[FlyFishinX2]

I think I'm going to return mine tomorrow. I'll wait for the Bionic. The battery just sucks too much, and the 3g fades in and out. (Which never happens on the D1 or iPhone 4)

This is the 3rd HTC phone I've owned, and I actually think its the worst!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

Do you seriously think the battery on the bionic is going to be better? Think about it a little

sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using droid forums app

 

[Droid DOES!!]

3G going in and out has happened on every VZW phone I've owned.

I think I'm going to return mine tomorrow. I'll wait for the Bionic. The battery just sucks too much, and the 3g fades in and out. (Which never happens on the D1 or iPhone 4)

This is the 3rd HTC phone I've owned, and I actually think its the worst!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

Message delivered via a Bolt of lightning

 

[UNC]

I think I'm going to return mine tomorrow. I'll wait for the Bionic. The battery just sucks too much, and the 3g fades in and out. (Which never happens on the D1 or iPhone 4)

This is the 3rd HTC phone I've owned, and I actually think its the worst!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

Do you seriously think the battery on the bionic is going to be better? Think about it a little

sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using droid forums app

Yes. Motorola phones have better battery life than HTC phones why would that change....

Also, the 3g dropping is a deal breaker. It actually dropped twice while typing this. I have 4 full bars though... My D1 never dropped signal in a covered area.

I'm going to talk the rep into keeping 4g on my bill though to lock in the price. I'm going with that mission in mind. I shoulda went with my first instinct and waited for the Bionic. I guess I paid 35 to be a beta tester...

Potential buyers beware!!! This phone stinks!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

 

[RafficaX]

I think I'm going to return mine tomorrow. I'll wait for the Bionic. The battery just sucks too much, and the 3g fades in and out. (Which never happens on the D1 or iPhone 4)

This is the 3rd HTC phone I've owned, and I actually think its the worst!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

Do you seriously think the battery on the bionic is going to be better? Think about it a little

sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using droid forums app

Yes. Motorola phones have better battery life than HTC phones why would that change....

Also, the 3g dropping is a deal breaker. It actually dropped twice while typing this. I have 4 full bars though... My D1 never dropped signal in a covered area.

I'm going to talk the rep into keeping 4g on my bill though to lock in the price. I'm going with that mission in mind. I shoulda went with my first instinct and waited for the Bionic. I guess I paid 35 to be a beta tester...

Potential buyers beware!!! This phone stinks!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

ever think you got a lemon? bc mine works awesome!

potential buyers beware this phone rocks and makes the locked down bionic look bad

enjoy ur locked device like the x and d2.

and without a 4g device y would they lock u into unlimited 4g???? wonder if i can get locked into unlimited 5g and maybe 6g!

 

[UNC]

Do you seriously think the battery on the bionic is going to be better? Think about it a little

sent from my HTC Thunderbolt using droid forums app

Yes. Motorola phones have better battery life than HTC phones why would that change....

Also, the 3g dropping is a deal breaker. It actually dropped twice while typing this. I have 4 full bars though... My D1 never dropped signal in a covered area.

I'm going to talk the rep into keeping 4g on my bill though to lock in the price. I'm going with that mission in mind. I shoulda went with my first instinct and waited for the Bionic. I guess I paid 35 to be a beta tester...

Potential buyers beware!!! This phone stinks!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

ever think you got a lemon? bc mine works awesome!

potential buyers beware this phone rocks and makes the locked down bionic look bad

enjoy ur locked device like the x and d2.

and without a 4g device y would they lock u into unlimited 4g???? wonder if i can get locked into unlimited 5g and maybe 6g!

I don't have a 5g contract right now... So that's ridiculous. I DO have a 4g contract, and since I bought the phone retail, I may be able to keep the plan.

How can you say it makes the Bionic look bad, have you used the Bionic??? No, I don't have a lemon, this is the second TB I've already had... If I had 2 lemons, then that's another reason NOT to buy this phone.

If this phone works for you, great. But, it is a sub-par product to me. No amount of romming can fix the 3g dropping issue as I'm certain its a design flaw. Also, the battery is tiny. Period.

Its 2011 our phones are supposed to be wireless. This phone has to be tethered to the charger so often that i can barely call it a mobile device!!!
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

 

[shortsxit]

Yes. Motorola phones have better battery life than HTC phones why would that change....

Also, the 3g dropping is a deal breaker. It actually dropped twice while typing this. I have 4 full bars though... My D1 never dropped signal in a covered area.

I'm going to talk the rep into keeping 4g on my bill though to lock in the price. I'm going with that mission in mind. I shoulda went with my first instinct and waited for the Bionic. I guess I paid 35 to be a beta tester...

Potential buyers beware!!! This phone stinks!

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

ever think you got a lemon? bc mine works awesome!

potential buyers beware this phone rocks and makes the locked down bionic look bad

enjoy ur locked device like the x and d2.

and without a 4g device y would they lock u into unlimited 4g???? wonder if i can get locked into unlimited 5g and maybe 6g!

I don't have a 5g contract right now... So that's ridiculous. I DO have a 4g contract, and since I bought the phone retail, I may be able to keep the plan.

How can you say it makes the Bionic look bad, have you used the Bionic??? No, I don't have a lemon, this is the second TB I've already had... If I had 2 lemons, then that's another reason NOT to buy this phone.

If this phone works for you, great. But, it is a sub-par product to me. No amount of romming can fix the 3g dropping issue as I'm certain its a design flaw. Also, the battery is tiny. Period.

Its 2011 our phones are supposed to be wireless. This phone has to be tethered to the charger so often that i can barely call it a mobile device!!!
Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

1. The Bionics are having the same battery issues.
2. You don't have a 4G contract.