14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most important aspects of smartphone usage is battery life, and a recent study conducted by J.D. Power and Associates shows that users are not satisfied with the current lifetime of their handsets’ batteries. The latest report from the company shows that satisfaction with the battery life of smartphones has significantly declined lately, and that this is by far the least satisfying aspect of smartphones.
At the same time, the report shows that users benefit from different satisfaction when it comes to the battery performance of 3G and 4G-enabled devices.
While the owners of 4G-capable devices rate their satisfaction with the phone’s battery life at 6.1 on a 10-point scale, the average satisfaction with the smartphone’s battery life is of 6.7 when it comes to 3G devices.
Apparently, 4G smartphones use more battery juice to search and stay connected to these next-generation networks than 3G smartphones.
Additionally, owners of these devices also tend to use their smartphones more for talk, text, email, and surf the Web, which also results in a faster draining of battery life.
“Both carriers and manufacturers recognize the fact that battery life needs to be improved,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates.
“However, the study uncovers the need for a greater sense of urgency–short battery life can result in perceived phone problems, higher rates of merchandise returns and customer defections.”
Parsons also notes that smartphone owners satisfied with the battery life performance of their devices tend to repurchase from the same brand.
“Approximately 25 percent of 4G-enabled smartphone owners are highly satisfied with their battery (ratings of 10 on a 10-point scale) and say they “definitely will” repurchase a device from the same manufacturer,” the report shows.
At the same time, the study shows that only 13 percent of users who are less satisfied with their device’s battery (ratings of 7-9 on a 10-point scale) would do the same.