Tests reveal the latest version of the platform is by far the most battery friendly

Aug 11, 2014 11:12 GMT  ·  By

Any tech savvy knows that the battery life of a smartphone is highly dependent on multiple factors like carrier, operating system, amount of usage and so on.

This is why a smartphone can have a terrible battery life at launch, but then jump up in charts once the manufacturer deploys a software update or a new operating system upgrade becomes available for download. The same goes for Windows Phone handsets, which do not seem to be an exception to the rule.

If you happen to own a Windows Phone handset, then you might have noticed that your battery life might have improved at some point during the multiple updates that Microsoft offered during the last couple of years.

Obviously, there’s always the chance that your phone will drain the battery much faster after a major update, but that is usually quickly solved by the owner of the OS.

Anyway, it looks like the folks over at AllAboutWindowsPhone were curious about the battery life for Windows Phone handsets starting with version 8.0.

According to them, the Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Cyan is by far the most battery friendly operating system yet. We’re talking about the Nokia Lumia 1020 in particular, which was the smartphone used for the battery test.

The most important aspect of battery efficiency is how much of the battery energy is drained by a Windows Phone handset while it’s in standby mode.

Although there are some disadvantages for making a standby battery test, at least they are listed so you know how much they can influence these tests.

For example, the inaccuracy of an OS when reporting the battery percentage is one of these caveats. Another aspect that should be taken into consideration would be network operator conditions each day you run the test, as well as Wi-Fi strength if you plan on using it.

Also, when it comes to running battery tests multiple times in the course of a year or more, you should also take into account the fact that batteries usually drain faster as time goes by.

Anyway, all negative aspects aside, it looks like the most battery friendly version of Windows Phone is version 8.1 with Lumia Cyan.

It’s also worth noting that the difference between the Developer Preview 8.1 and final version with Lumia Cyan are huge, which means you should definitely upgrade to this iteration as soon as it becomes available for your phone, in order to benefit from better battery efficiency.

Windows Phone battery test comparison chart
Windows Phone battery test comparison chart

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Nokia Lumia 1020
Windows Phone battery test comparison chart
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