iphone vs. droid razr

[Chaco Taco]

Have a droid X2 and HATE it. Droid in general sucks! Wont make it through a day on the trail without multiple backup batts. Iphone would be the choice Id go with if I could carry anything. Im getting a cheap prepaid cell to carry like i did in 08, and will just carry my Canon power shot. I dont need to have all of the other crap, signals in Vermont will be spotty anyway.

[TyTy]

For those that want a phone with larger battery, there is a Droid Razr Maxx coming out with a 3300 ahm battery versus the stock one which is 1750 or 1850 in that range. Its ntot hat much thicker either.

[gatc-blazer]

I used the BackCountry Navigator app for two days on my Droid X2 and did not have to recharge or change the battery. Check the phone setting and app to maximize battery life.

[Wise Old Owl]

Have a droid X2 and HATE it. Droid in general sucks! Wont make it through a day on the trail without multiple backup batts. Iphone would be the choice Id go with if I could carry anything. Im getting a cheap prepaid cell to carry like i did in 08, and will just carry my Canon power shot. I dont need to have all of the other crap, signals in Vermont will be spotty anyway.

There has to be a reason Chaco - somthing is on or an app is chewing the battery....give it a full charge overnight - if two years old the battery can be inexspensivly replaced on line. might want to change the brightness to auto instead of full on...

[TyTy]

Have a droid X2 and HATE it. Droid in general sucks! Wont make it through a day on the trail without multiple backup batts. Iphone would be the choice Id go with if I could carry anything. Im getting a cheap prepaid cell to carry like i did in 08, and will just carry my Canon power shot. I dont need to have all of the other crap, signals in Vermont will be spotty anyway.

The reason why your charge isnt lasting is because it is searching for signal on the trail probably. You said signal is spotty, that is the worst/most battery draining thing a phone can do is hunt for cell signal. They devote a lot of resources to hunting for signal when it is spotty, mainly because people's first priority is usually to have signal on their phone. So your phone is hunting, searching, switching from one signal channel to another, one tower to another, analyzing, searching some more. That crap will drain a battery likety split. Turn it on airplane mode, I bet the battery lasts multiple days. Turn airplane mode off when you need to send a text or make a call or whatever.

Any phone is giong to lose charge hunting for signal weather it is Android, iphone, or a cheap flip phone.

[dornstar]

The reason why your charge isnt lasting is because it is searching for signal on the trail probably. You said signal is spotty, that is the worst/most battery draining thing a phone can do is hunt for cell signal. They devote a lot of resources to hunting for signal when it is spotty, mainly because people's first priority is usually to have signal on their phone. So your phone is hunting, searching, switching from one signal channel to another, one tower to another, analyzing, searching some more. That crap will drain a battery likety split. Turn it on airplane mode, I bet the battery lasts multiple days. Turn airplane mode off when you need to send a text or make a call or whatever.

Any phone is giong to lose charge hunting for signal weather it is Android, iphone, or a cheap flip phone.

It's crazy how long a battery will last in airplane mode.

Also, when you turn it off, don't go 4G. That'll kill your battery faster than anything then use common sense... turn off wifi, gps, google location services, live wallpaper, widgets, etc. Make your phone as light as possible just like we do our packs.

[Passengr57]

I'll try to keep this brief, I am an iPhone user but really a late convert, it was worth it. Great device, total game changer. No removable battery, and I use an Otterbox defender which is a bulky cover but worth it. I'm about to switch to a Mophie case as it is a good case and battery in one, the case will charge your phone when your juice runs out. A close friend uses a mophie and swears by it. Anyone on the trail with an iPhone should seriously consider it IMO. (aaaand they're not much bulkier than otterboxes.)

http://www.mophie.com/

[LDog]

Really, really happy with my HTC Droid Incredible 2 on the Verizon network. Not a big-screen, quad-core, 4g monster, and battery life is longer for it. Around town I can go for a day if connected to 3G whenever I'm out of the house - tho I rarely do that. I can easily go 2 days of use connected to wi-fi around the house On the trail, I do what others have said - turn off all services, go into airplane mode and shut it off till I want it. The 8mp camera is pretty incredible too (says the photographer). Tho I carry a better camera, I'll duplicate some shots with the droid because it's easier to upload them to my blog, social sites, etc. At the end of the day, I'll check for 3G service, and make a blog entry if I have it. Otherwise, I'll write my entries, save them locally, and upload them when I have a good signal. (I learned the hard way how trying to push something on less than a good 3G signal wastes battery power.) I carry a New Trent ACD66 battery to recharge it, tho I might look for something smaller/lighter as I don't believe I need that capacity in most cases. It comes standard with voice to text, tho I use the Swype keyboard. Got it dirt cheap, have had zero problems with it, would purchase again. Highly recommended.

[Wise Old Owl]

If you keep your phone off and only use it when you need to not as a music box, the battery will last until the next recharge. I have never had a problem with many different phones up to 12 days. What am I missing? Do people want to have the phone on all the time in case mommy calls?

No and you knew the answer to that. Isn't it nice that relatives keep in touch? but switching off when not in use has merit.

It amazes me whenever I hear people talking up their IPhone or other device and bragging that the battery lasts the entire day!

I carry a TracPhone, turn it on when I need it, battery lasts two weeks easily.

Why on earth would you want to limit yourself to a device that needs charging once a day, if you are lucky? Doesn't make any sense to me, even when at home.

No "do it all" devices for me thank you.

its a Laptop in a 4oz package... Gps, phone, MP3-4, SkyFM, news, sports, Kindle, Maps, Identification books, weather, Newspaper, etc. And it's two days... unless its a year old and the GPS is on all the time. It's an anti-bored device... for non-tree huggers.

Is the iphone the more popular smartphone? I was under the impression Android has them beat a couple times over. YUP

As far as browsing the web while on a call, you can do this on Verizon 4G it's just 3G that you can't.

Iphone is simple and I think is the best choice for older people hesitant to get a smartphone. It also currently does not have 4G and apparently won't for another 6-7 months.

To add to the discussion about removable batteries, I think if I was on a thru hike I would consider one of those stand alone battery packs that takes AAA or AA batteries and plugs into your phone to charge it. With that you could grab fresh batteries when you are in town to charge your device. You could get one that runs off your headlamp battery size (likely AAA).

I have one - $ave the money and the weight... they provide 2-3 charges.... There are lighter options. AND I am OLD and no I can live without I phone... My angry younger manager has one and he would be really angry to read your "older people..." Idea-Ouch....

[TyTy]

I have one - $ave the money and the weight... they provide 2-3 charges.... There are lighter options. AND I am OLD and no I can live without I phone... My angry younger manager has one and he would be really angry to read your "older people..." Idea-Ouch....

Haha, yeah some people might be offended by that but I will stand by it. I think iphones have fewer options, fewer customization, more has already been decided for you by Apple which some people (young, tech savvy people) see as a huge disadvantage but older, less tech savvy people see as a huge advantage. Not to say there aren't older, tech savvy people or vice versa.

I think for an older person looking to get a smartphone, but is worried about it being too much complication, an iphone might be a better option than a Droid.

Also to address some of the other comments, 4G WOW! What a battery drain! I don't have 4G where I live but I was traveling the other day and was shocked how quick it drained me.

As far as number of times you charge per day/week on a smartphone vs flip phone...for me, under normal circumstances (not out hiking) all I need is for my phone to hold a charge, with heavy use, for about 16 hours of heavy use. Usually after 16 hours (slightly more, slightly less) I go to sleep and can charge my phone to start the next day at a full charge. Anything beyond that is overkill.

[Lyle]

Lyle a smart phone has a large lithium rechargable that lasts two 1/2 days on average use - text every 16 seconds - maybe 2 days. After a year it drops to one day.... then one should think about recycling.

Thank you for re-inforcing my point. My TracFone is about 4 years old, original battery, still lasts well over two weeks vs your brand new smartphone that may last 2.5 days. Still no contest. Plus, if the battery ever does fail in my TracFone, it is replaceable. My phone cost $19, the annual service costs $120, moe if I use it more. I've never had to spend more for minutes. No contracts, and I don't have to buy a new phone every two years. Still no contest.

The posters prior to my statement were bragging that their smartphones lasted all day on a single charge.

[Beuhler]

A major differentiator for me was the combination iPhone/iPad. All iPhone apps (like Gram Weenie, which I use constantly to help determine which gear I'm bringing) work on the iPad and helps me justify the cost. I don't take the iPad hiking though. For hiking the iPhone 4s is my camera, gps, phone, book, mp3 player, night light, game console (helps waste time in the airport), reference manual, and survival guide.

[dornstar]

I'll try to keep this brief, I am an iPhone user but really a late convert, it was worth it. Great device, total game changer. No removable battery, and I use an Otterbox defender which is a bulky cover but worth it. I'm about to switch to a Mophie case as it is a good case and battery in one, the case will charge your phone when your juice runs out. A close friend uses a mophie and swears by it. Anyone on the trail with an iPhone should seriously consider it IMO. (aaaand they're not much bulkier than otterboxes.)

http://www.mophie.com/

I think there's better options out there. The iPhone's battery is 1432 mAh, so...

Mophie Juice Pack Air = 1500 mAh = 1 charge

Mophie Juice Pack Plus = 2000 mAh = 1.3 charges

Mophie Outdoor Edition = 2000 mAh = 1.3 charges

Mophie Power Station = 6000 mAh = 4.1 charges


The cases are worthless if you're doing more than just a very short trip. The power station is nice, but it weighs 8 ounces and cost $129. For comparison, 2 Ankers external batteries gives 8 iPhone 4S charges, cost less than $70 and is the same weight.

[sterling98]

My iphone 4 lasted 3 weeks on "airplane mode" without being charged and still had a good 30 percent left. My friend has a 4S that lasts about 5 days under the same conditions. Iphones seem to have very different battery lives from phone to phone. Maybe it's just me...

[DaFireMedic]

I have both the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Epic 4g Touch. I like them both, but I prefer the Epic in almost all areas except the GPS, in which the iPhone seems to excel for a phone. The Epic is the first Android phone that has a quality feel to it like the iPhone. The Epic has a larger and slightly nicer screen IMO, you can add memory with micro SD cards, removeable battery (I paid 19$ including shipping for a 3800 mAh battery), accessories are a fraction of the cost of iPhones. The "Mac Tax" seems to have been passed on and everything seems to cost significantly more for the iPhone, but I must say that service at the Apple store was very good when my wife destroyed her iPhone and they replaced it for much less than what I thought it was going to cost. Apple does strictly regulate apps which is both good and bad. Less chance of malware and I don't have to worry as much about my young sons encountering some of the pornographic trash and profanity in the titles that show up in the Google Play app store. Size wise, the iPhone is a bit smaller, but the Epic weighs slightly less.

The camera, both still and video are very comparable. Still photos are very close, a slight edge in video to the Epic. I'm a serious video hobbyist and while I mainly use "real" video cameras, both phones can produce amazing video for phones, provided you stabilize them in some way (small tripod, beanbag, etc). I'm thinking about cutting some of the Epic's footage that I shot in Yellowstone into footage from my $3500 camera to see if I can get it close enough to tell.

[Knee Deep]

I use a Droid and carry 3 spare fully charged batteries which I got from Amazon online real cheap. I use phone apps a lot and take lots of pics and video. I put in sleep mode when not using to save battery, usually will last me about a week on trail. Didn't go with Razor because of non-removable battery.

[dornstar]

I use a Droid and carry 3 spare fully charged batteries which I got from Amazon online real cheap. I use phone apps a lot and take lots of pics and video. I put in sleep mode when not using to save battery, usually will last me about a week on trail. Didn't go with Razor because of non-removable battery.

I did the same thing until I found the Ankers Astro 5600mAh battery charger. Weights 4 ounces and gives my Droid Bionic 4 full charges. Also has an LED flashlight, so you have a backup light which is nice.


anker-astro-5600mah-external-battery-pack-and-charger-power-bank-with-flashlight-for-iphone-44s3.jpg

[Wise Old Owl]

Yea thats a good find for $33 bucks.... I am on board with that... does anyone have a better unit?

[Bucherm]

My iphone 4 lasted 3 weeks on "airplane mode" without being charged and still had a good 30 percent left. My friend has a 4S that lasts about 5 days under the same conditions. Iphones seem to have very different battery lives from phone to phone. Maybe it's just me...

The 4S has a dual core CPU which no doubt increases the battery drain a lot.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[Bruno34Slifer]

The Droid Razr is a better size than the iPhone 4S, both with a larger 4.3″ display and 2mm thinner. The Razr Maxx doesn’t have that second benefit, and is almost the exact same thickness as the 4S. The only difference then is the length and width, which the Maxx is certainly larger.