mines sucks. i have both the standard and extended battery. after charing my phone to 100%, i take it off the charger and form ONE word in Word with Friends, and my battery drops to 97%. This is with Juice Defender installed. I put the phone to sleep, come back, and its still dropping.
Is your phone stock, unlocked/rooted and stock, or rooted & ROM'd?
I have found that even one tiny little change in a Kernel can have PROFOUND effects on battery life! That is one of the many reasons the "aftermarket" Kernels are updated so frequently! However, if rooted, even user-adjustable settings that seem like "fluff" (or, of no consequence) such as changing the WiFi Scan Interval by increasing it from 180 to ~240-250 (via ROM Toolbox Pro) can add life to your phone; I saw an average of 3.8min extra Screen On time with just that tiny little tweak over the course of 5 100%-10% battery drains that I logged.
So you can imagine what some of the bigger things can do for your battery!!! Under-volting is the biggest, it would seem (I don't program Kernels nor do I know Linux well, but smartphones are essentially PC Hardware shrunk down so in that sense, yeah...) aside from the obvious battery-monster that is the 4.7" HD AMOLED Screen! I keep my phone's brightness at approximately 20% and it is more than bright enough except in direct sunlight, and the difference between 20% and 100% for me was 2.8hrs Screen Time vs 1.1hrs Screen Time!! Auto-Brightness is something that I avoid, as it will just chew up background processes and keep your phone continually adjusting its brightness, which again, sucks battery.
A few other tips:
- TURN OFF JUICE DEFENDER!!! I used to use it with my OG Droid and it did help a bit but now, with these phones, it does more harm than good!
- ROOT your device (I like GummyJar Nexus for a ROM and it comes with LeanKernel 3.8)
- TURN OFF 4G whenever you are on WiFi or don't need it
- USE YOUR WIFI WHENEVER POSSIBLE but turn it off when you don't need it
- ONLY TURN ON GPS WHEN YOU NEED TO such as when using Maps for directions
- Make sure you aren't running a bunch of junk in the background!
- Set "sync time" for apps individually, and make it as high as you can stand (for example, I love FancyWidget and can't do without, so I set it to refresh every 6hrs instead of every 30min)
- Don't leave "Sync" on, the one with the two arrows that syncs your gmail/yahoo/Facebook/etc... Instead, turn it on 1-2x a day for 10min to allow it to sync (or if you rely on GMail/etc, just go under Options-->Sync and un-select everything you don't absolutely need; manually sync those whenever you'd like)
- Under Options-->Data Usage you can "limit mobile data" (if you have unlimited data, just set it to like 10GB or some number you'll never hit), which will allow you to PREVENT PROGRAMS FROM RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND AND SUCKING DOWN DATA!!! This can save a TON of battery life, as well as a ton of data if you're on a limited plan! Select each app under the main graph to see how much it has used in the background over the selected period of time; anything that is using a lot, either turn background data OFF or make sure it is only "syncing" or whatever about 1/10th as often
Those should get you started, if you haven't implemented them already. I promise that Juice Defender is making your battery life WORSE!! If you are rooted, I would be happy to give you some tips as to what has worked for me!
Also, download CPU Spy and Bad@ss Battery from Play Store as they will let you know what is using what, if your phone is actually sleeping, etc... INVALUABLE FOR THIS!! And, they're free!
Disable DRM Protected Storage, Google+, and the like if you don't use G+ (but DO disable DRM); actually, disable ANY app you don't use (but not if you don't know what it is!).
Lastly, turn OFF vibrate and Haptic Feedback!! Those suck a ton of battery too! Personally, I like Haptic Feedback for when I type emails or anything else formal, but otherwise it's off.
GOOD LUCK!!! I really hope some of these help! I know the frustration you're feeling, as I was at my wit's end but some combination of settings made my phone finally start lasting more than 1hr Screen On! Granted, it HAS GOTTEN WORSE since 4.0.4 but I am not on the official version so it may just be the new GummyNex 1.2.5 w LeanKernel 3.8.0... :/
PS: Drain your battery from 100% to 0% in one go (sit and just use the internet for an hour and a half straight) until the phone SHUTS ITSELF OFF! Then, plug it in but DO NOT turn it on... After a few hours (3-5hrs depending), or when you tap the power button and the screen comes on showing a big white battery that is SOLID WHITE, go ahead and turn it on and use it... The idea is to reprogram your phone's "understanding" of how it reads its remaining battery life. Surprisingly beneficial!!