[Wobble73]

Well, I'm not always around a PC with a USB port (if I were, I'd use it instead of a smartphone). Long battery life is a necessity for me, as through the day, I won't have too many opportunities to charge the phone.

Like I said, the battery life isn't great DUE TO HEAVY UASGE on my part! 

Note the Battery Stats in this specs review here 640 hours stand by time on 2G, 420 hours on 3G (11 hours on talktime for 2G and 6 1/2 hours talk time on 3G)

[Pred the Penguin]

I'd avoid some HTC phones if plan to be outside a lot... specifically the HTC Inspire 4G. o_o

[Dragon]

Like I said, the battery life isn't great DUE TO HEAVY UASGE on my part! 

Did you mean that because of heavy usage, battery drains quickly, or that because of heavy usage, the battery "wears out" (i.e. permanently lowers it's max charge) quickly? I first thought about the latter.
Also, search for the number you gave actually returns Samsung Corby II smartphone. It doesn't seem to have Android.

[jr2]

The main killer for actual battery life (ability to charge to full designed capacity) is heat.  (Well, using it 24/7 doesn't help either because a) you're wearing it out and b) that generates heat.)


Cardinal rule:  NEVER EVER EVER EVER charge your battery whilst under a pillow, or on the dash in the sun, etc.  Heat = bad.

[Colonol Dekker]

I have a Sony Xperia S now. It's nigh on perfect.  Recommend you try one

[Jeff Vader]

Also, search for the number you gave actually returns Samsung Corby II smartphone. It doesn't seem to have Android.

He probably got the numbers mixed. Galaxy Ace is GT-S5830.

And reality is that batteries just aren't very super. Smartphones have badass processors, GPUs, high-res screens and all sorts of other gizmos (2G/3G radios, GPS receivers, Wifi adapters...) that need power. As well as a bunch of software using the hardware at every given opportunity. The more you push it, the more it needs. These aren't like the really dumb phones back in the day that you could use to call people and send SMS's. Those had considerably less power-hungry hardware and you could easily get a week or more of usage from a full charge.

[Mongoose]

Apparently new dumb phones are all but extinct now, which makes me very sad.

[Dragon]

I have a Sony Xperia S now. It's nigh on perfect.  Recommend you try one

Unfortunately, this one is also outside my price range. I need something that sells for about 100$ or less (if that's even possible).

[newman]

To be honest, I have yet to see a smartphone that will not drain your battery in a single day if you use it a lot. It's just the nature of the beast - the very purpose of the smartphone is to do more than just use phone functions; you'll use your internet browser a lot, which uses either WiFi or 3G/4G/whatever your operator hooks you on the internet through, you'll use your email client which does the same, you'll run apps, games, all of which drain your battery, some more than others (games employing an actual 3d engine being the worst of the bunch), you'll use maps for navigation, GPS if equipped, etc. In addition to the internet / phone / CPU runtime draining your battery for all that stuff, the screen will be on more often (on average) and that is quite a big battery drain in itself.

Of course, once you get bored of your new toy you'll stop using it quite as much and get to that 2-3 day battery life, but over that with a smartphone? Hardly. I've seen and used quite a few over the years, had a few android based "work" phones provided by employers, and all are the same story when it comes to battery life; if you don't use it much you'll get close to what the specs and advertisements want you to believe. But if you use it as an actual smartphone the thing will be hooked up in the wall socket quite often.

ATM I own an iphone 3GS as a personal phone. It will last about 2-3 days of normal usage, but I'll charge it once a day if I've found some cool new game or app on appstore and use it a lot. Traveling and using maps tends to be murder on the battery too. But there's one thing to be said for this one (at least, my unit); coming up on 3 years of owning it and the battery isn't showing signs of decreased capacity (knock on wood). Normally I'm not an apple fan - and you won't see a Mac on my work desk, ever - but with smartphones I think the apple's principle of simple usability hits the sweet spot. Except, of course, they're (too) expensive.

tldr; any smartphone will go through it's battery in a day if used a lot as an actual smartphone, so don't get too obsessed with the specs.

[Colonol Dekker]

Very true, good personal drills are to turn off data roaming, GPS and dim the screen. My phone can idle for 340 hours if I turn it into a brick. Proven!

But even as a media/music playee I still get 9.5 -10 hours on a full charge at low volume.

[Dragon]

For navigation purposes, it'd most likely be plugged into a car lighter socket. I prefer using an actual computer when I can, so I'll only be using the smartphone when I'm out of my house. Usually, one day of running would be enough, then I'd plug it in to charge through the night. Though I'd also like to be able to play music for a couple of hours, since this might come in handy on long voyages. Though I can use a battery pack in such cases.

[Wobble73]

I meant the Battery drains quickly! Seeing as I use it a lot as a portable Wifi hotspot too, no wonder!

And yes, I got the numbers mixed up, it's a GT-S5830, running Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

[Dragon]

Unfortunately, this one also is on the expensive side around here (420PLN, used). I think I'll get either Galaxy Gio or Galaxy Y. So far, they were the only phones suggested that are sold for an acceptable price in Poland.

[Wobble73]

I'm not sure on the exchange rate, but I picked up my used, (but in mint condition) Galaxy Ace for £115 GBP (plus £10 to unlock it to any network).

[Dragon]

Well, 1 GBP is about 4PLN. As I mentioned before, Polish Zlotys are practically worthless. I'm looking for something in 50-60 GBP range.

[Colonol Dekker]

Xperia mini or maybe a Samsung toco?

[Dragon]

Could be. Also, it just turned out that my sister has a 500PLN (about 160$) phone, so it seems my budget just expanded to that (since my parents bought her that one, I might get a similarly priced one if I call them out on that ). In that case, Xperia might be a good idea.

[redsniper]

Juice Defender.