iPhone 4S Battery Performs Slightly Better on Calls, Slightly Worse on Data

iLounge has performed a thorough review of the iPhone 4S' battery life and determined that it performs better on calls but slightly worse than the iPhone 4 when using data.

The site analyzed the iPhone 4S battery when using Wi-Fi Data, Cellular Data, Cellular Calling, Audio, Video, FaceTime, and 1080p Recording.

Here's a few highlights:


Cellular Calling
Apple now promises up to 8 hours of 3G calling time with the iPhone 4S, up from 7 on the iPhone 4. Last year, our AT&T iPhone 4 ran for 7 hours and 6 minutes with 3G and Wi-Fi on, adding only a little extra time if Wi-Fi was off. Apple does appear to have improved the iPhone 4S's cellular efficiency, at least on two networks. 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.

Cellular Data:
Apple promises up to 6 hours of 3G Internet use, equivalent to its promise for the iPhone 4. Whereas our AT&T iPhone 4 previously surpassed Apple's estimate with a 6 hour and 47 minute run time, all of the iPhone 4S units we tested fell at least a little short: each with signal strength in the 3- to 4-bar range, our AT&T iPhone 4S achieved a 5:54 run time, while the Verizon iPhone 4S pulled off a virtually equivalent 5:53, and the Sprint iPhone 4S fell markedly behind at 5:23. The good news here is that the iPhone 4S essentially matches what Apple claims, but it drains more power than last year's model. Moreover, we didn't see any actual download speed improvements over the three cellular networks, so it's not as if users will be able to get more done over less time. Sprint's poor battery performance was compounded by its slow data speeds, suggesting that users of this network will get hit with the double whammy of sluggish performance and lower longevity. It's also noteworthy that neither Verizon nor Sprint allows cellular data to be used when making phone calls, a feature that's only offered by AT&T.

Hit the link below to read iLounge's complete review of the iPhone 4S.

Read More [via MacRumors]