BinaryWolf

Increased iPhone Battery Life Without 3G

Why did Apple leave the faster 3G (third-generation technology wide area cellular telephone networks with high-speed internet access) capability out of the iPhone?

Anandtech does an interesting analysis of a few of the reasons why the much slower AT&T EDGE network was selected and why using Wi-Fi with your iPhone makes sense.

Without a doubt, current 3G implementations do require more space and consume more power than simply outfitting a phone with support for EDGE.

At the same time, Apple’s choice to include 802.11b/g support in the iPhone makes a lot of sense. Battery life actually increases with Wi-Fi over EDGE whenever the data connection is being used, not to mention that performance goes up tremendously as well.

At least based on these initial results, it would seem that Apple’s Wi-Fi implementation is a no-brainer: you get better performance and better battery life. It definitely doesn’t have the convenience of 3G, but if you find yourself using your phone in areas where Wi-Fi is prevalent then it makes a lot of sense.

If you live near an Apple Store, go play with an iPhone. It’s the future of mobile devices.

Tags: iPhone, AT&T EDGE, 3G