The Final Straw
Ken Rigsby makes an assault on battery life
Iremember my first mobile phone with some fondness. I don’t recall the specific model but it was a Nokia, because two decades ago pretty much all mobile phones were Nokias.
It was rudimentary by today’s standards, but it did everything I needed. I could make calls, send and receive text messages, and store hundreds of contacts. Sometimes I’d even play the game Snake. My Nokia travelled with me everywhere. It wasn’t exactly small or stylish but it fitted comfortably in a jacket pocket, and it would even slip into a trouser pocket without too much embarrassing bulge.
But that’s enough aimless reminiscing about archaic gadgets. Let’s talk about Christmas. It’s just over a month away, after all. What’s scrawled on your note to Santa? The new Samsung Note 7 phone, perhaps? It’s so shiny, sleek and slim: the perfect gift, and only a little bit explosive. Or how about a Windows 10 laptop? These days you can pick up a half-decent machine for not much more than £200. Or perhaps you fancy a smartwatch? They’re all the rage, you know.
Do you know what I’d like from the man in the big red suit? Well, apart from new teeth (because my endless ranting has worn my gnashers down to stumps). I’d like any one of today’s fancy modern devices to be equipped with a battery able to match the performance of my 20-year-old Nokia. Because that ancient device would last a good week on one charge. Imagine that: a mobile gadget that would provide seven or more days of real-world use before its battery conked out. Back then, I’d go away for the weekend and not even consider packing the charger.
Today’s gizmos might be incredibly beautiful and thin, but how many of them would manage a week between recharges? It’s a big fat zero, that’s how many. I imagine you consider yourself lucky when the juice in your ipad lasts to the end of the day. Indeed, if you’re anything like me, by Pub O’clock you’re already fretting that your so-called ‘smart’ phone won’t have enough power to make it through to last orders — when obviously you’ll need it to call for a taxi and a pizza. And I know that you’re at least a bit like me because, even if you don’t find yourself slurring down the blower to Domino’s, surveys reveal that people really worry about battery life.
A 2014 poll by backup-battery manufacturer Mophie concluded that 92 per cent of Brits felt “stressed” merely by the thought of their smartphone running out of power, while 25 per cent went so far as to suggest they’d “panic”. Moreover, 59 per cent of respondents said that poor battery life was their single biggest concern with mobile gadgets. Recently, a consumer group tested several wellknown phones, and the iphone 7 turned in the worst battery life of the bunch. That’s a brand new device from a worldleading manufacturer and it’s sure to sell in the tens of millions, so clearly this isn’t a situation that’ll improve any time soon.
Of course, some mobile devices have seen improvements in battery life. There are laptops able to last 12 hours on a single charge. You still need to be wary at the cheaper end of the market, where battery life — or rather, the lack of it — is often conveniently glossed over in advertising. But laptop-battery life is on an upward trend.
That’s because the laptop industry isn’t as obsessed about shaving another halfa-millimetre off a device’s dimensions, or a gram or two from the weight. But it’s precisely those design decisions that drive the phone and tablet industries, resulting in feeble batteries that splutter out after a few hours. Well count me out, because what I’d really love from Santa is a bit more trouser bulge — and not because I’m pleased to see him.
Today’s gizmos might be incredibly beautiful, but how many would manage a week between recharges?
Is your battery worse than Ken’s? Let us know at letters@computeractive.co.uk