Smartphone battery life for hunting

[MontanaHunter222]

I'm looking for information on smartphones and their battery life for hunting, particularly for running OnX Maps. What works or doesn't work for you?

I have an old iPhone 6, and the battery life is absolutely awful. Just a slight bit of cold temperatures can take the battery from 100% to 0% in about 15 minutes—and that includes running my whole phone in airplane mode with energy saving options enabled. My buddy has an iPhone 8 that he took hunting and didn't charge for 4 days on a late season Montana hunt. But I don't know if he uses mapping services nearly as much as I do. I also like to take pictures. Anyway, I need to upgrade, and I'm looking for options. I like Apple a lot, but I'm open to options.

 

[Kneetopia]

I don't have experience with iX...android user here. But if I have it on airplane mode...it can last for a couple days.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I bought an anker changer and can keep my phone and garmin running for a week.

 

[ida homer]

I can usually get 3 full days on my iPhone 8 battery. Or slightly more. Up to 4 days, even on backpack hunts in October.

Phone always in an insulated pocket, on airplane mode, screen all the way dimmed, all apps closed in the background. Take about 10 pics per day and use my GPS app for 10 minutes a day. And use it for alarm.

Your phone is either shot or you got a lemon.

 

[LaSportsman]

I hunted last year with a crappy battery iPhone 6. I used downloaded maps, airplane mode, and a battery pack and I survived but I was able to recharge my battery pack every night. I tracked my route but avoided actively using the phone screen as much as a I can. Have a new phone now.

BTW, I think it's $79 for a new battery. They had a $29 deal in 2018 but I just decided to upgrade - and switch to Samsung.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

My note 9 lasts for days on end while using maps if I keep it in airplane mode and power save mode on. They fixed the battery in the notes after the catching on fire problem and they went above and beyond fixing it.

 

[mtmander]

try a new battery in your phone

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

I had an iPhone six until my company upgraded me. Our IT staff said the battery being affected by the cold was a known issue with the iPhone six, which is why they decided to upgrade me. Since I did that my battery withstands the cold ten times better than when I had the six.

 

[LaSportsman]

batteries are always going to perform worse in cold.

 

[406LIFE]

Samsung Note 8, on airplane, solid use throught the day for OnX and my InReach mini. I get 2 days. I also carry a small battery pack that I can get 3 charges on.

 

[Twolftg]

Last year on my bear hunt in mt I would get a full day out of my note 8 running onx with maps pre down loaded in offline mode but otherwise nothing shut off. I always carry an external charger with me though.

 

[wyoboypt]

Or you could ditch the phone and get a reliable gps with an extra battery and / or solar power charger. Phones suck

 

[Ajax2744]

I gave the onx phone app and I hate it in the field. I love it for pre season scoutung. Call me old school but I like the gps chip way more. I can get a few days out of my gps that's on all day. I do carry my phone as a backup gps and on airplane mode it will last 3-4 days. But when using onx it'll last about 2-2.5 days

 

[ntodwild]

I gave the onx phone app and I hate it in the field. I love it for pre season scoutung. Call me old school but I like the gps chip way more. I can get a few days out of my gps that's on all day. I do carry my phone as a backup gps and on airplane mode it will last 3-4 days. But when using onx it'll last about 2-2.5 days

I am with you on this one. Unless you are hunting close to private property and need to know boundaries it is not worth using OnX or Basemap on a phone (specially a back country hunt). I think both are extremely helpful if you are hunting boundaries and doing preseason scouting (actually pretty valuable in that sense). If you hunt close to private land it's almost a must these days to have a phone app like Basemap or OnX. The rest of it is GPS, map, compass territory in my eyes.

On that note (Back to the original question of battery life and phones) I do own a new iPhone XR and it has great battery life. I can plan on a solid 3 days with it in normal use daily and sometimes 4

Just my .02

 

[Big Fin]

We run into this issue all the time. Jackery makes a large array of these items. They have worked really good for us.

Here is what we use - https://amzn.to/2KQ69iR

 

[MLaird]

I have an iPhone 6s and use OnX. It was fantastic last year. My battery life isn't great either, but if I kept it in an inside pocket(on airplane, other apps off) I could get 1.5 days. I also bought an Anker charger and it worked great.

 

[justinch]

Definitely worth the investment in a portable charger like the Anker or Jackery. Depending on the model and phone, you can get 3-4 full charges out of it. Intermittent cell signal and cold temps will drain a phone battery fast.

 

[Rzrbck918]

You might also consider a solar charger in addition to the battery backup. I bought one although I haven't depended on it yet. The tech is improving yearly so Im hopeful it is a reasonably effective solution.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Pixel 2 w/a battery as backup here. I can get 8 solid hours of use on the Pixel, and the battery gives me 4-5 recharges.

 

[MontanaHunter222]

We run into this issue all the time. Jackery makes a large array of these items. They have worked really good for us.

Here is what we use - https://amzn.to/2KQ69iR

Thank you so much for chiming in with your experience and recommendation. I will pick up a Jackery.