How to improve Samsung Galaxy S2 battery life?

By
Jayce Ooi
-
Last modified on

Samsung Galaxy S II had a poor battery life. Yes, Samsung Galaxy S2 battery life is bad if you don’t change anything and leave it as stock settings. But no worry, there is lot of tweaks and hacks to increase Samsung Galaxy S2 battery life. How to improve Samsung Galaxy S2 battery life? In short, disable those stuffs that you don’t use.

Increase SGS2 battery life

How to increase Samsung Galaxy S2 battery life?

Reduce display brightness
Samsung Galaxy S2 Super AMOLED Plus is the biggest battery life eater of all. By disable Automatic brightness and set it to the lowest level will improve battery life a lot.

Remove unused widget
The more widget you have, the more battery life will be eaten especially those widgets that use data connection and auto sync based on schedule. Therefore, only keep those widgets that you really need.

Poor signal decrease battery life
Phone will use more power to increase signal strength. Always make sure that your phone has a good signal reception. Switch to 2G if 3G connection signal is poor at your area.

Turn off 3G data connection, use Wi-Fi
Always gets connected with Wi-Fi when available. 3G data connection eats more battery compare to Wi-Fi connection. Turn off both of them when not needed.

Disable / reduce auto-sync
Data connection eats battery life. Disable or reduce background scheduled auto-sync applications like Gmail, Twitter. And reduce the frequency of auto-sync will also help to improve battery life too.

Turn off Bluetooth, GPS
If you don’t use Bluetooth or GPS, turn them off. Only turn on them when needed.

Turn off motion sensor
If you don’t use Samsung Galaxy S2 Motion features like turn over, tilt, panning and double tap, turn them off. Or just enable those you are using only.

Turn off new Samsung Apps notification
For those who don’t use Samsung applications like me, you can turn off new Samsung Apps notification. (Settings – Application – Samsung Apps – Off).

Use solid black static wallpaper
Samsung Galaxy S2 Super AMOLED Plus uses less power on solid black wallpaper because (almost) no backlight is output. And try not to use beautiful live wallpaper. Why? Lovely animation costs you ~ CPU power == battery life.

Fully close application that not use
SGS2 is a great multitasking machine. But by letting lot of applications running at background actually increase battery usage because they still require CPU processing. So fully close those applications that not needed.

Undervolt and underclock CPU
Besides display, SGS2 CPU is the second biggest battery life eater. If you don’t need 1.2GHz processing power, underclock and undervolt it with SetCPU for Root Users.

Freeze unused bundle applications
You can freeze Samsung bundle software like Social Hub, Email, Maps if you don’t need them with Bloat Freezer or Titanium Backup Pro. Why? They are running as service even you are not using them at all.

Use latest leaked official firmware
Android OS is using too much battery? It’s time for you to upgrade to latest leaked official firmware. Latest firmware fixed bugs and improve performance. I am using XXKG5 firmware now and battery life is better than stock XWKF1 firmware. ~ How to install firmware on Samsung Galaxy S2 with Odin?

Use custom firmware
Custom firmware has lot of optimizations, tweaks to improve performance, battery life and user experience. Do try it if you can. ~ Top Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread Firmware for Samsung Galaxy S2

Any other tips and tweaks to improve battery life that I missed out? Let me know…

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94 COMMENTS

  1. how to change from stock XWKF1 firmware to XXKG5 firmware???
    bcos my sgs2 is XWKF1…

    the custom firmware need to find same kernel version with the stock kernal version???

  2. hi mate..

    Battery drain is all my problem with sgs2..I’ve read lots of thread on this problem but didnt quite understand everything as i am a newbie to techs..I really need atleast 1 full day of batt life tho.

    Android OS eating up to 70% of my batteries..is it a bug?is getting new firmware helps? should i root my device just for this problem? i cant answer all this problem because the level of talk is somehow higher than what i can chew.

    this is some information on my device:
    Android ver. : 2.3.3
    baseband ver. : I9100XXKE7
    kernel ver. : I9100XWKF3

    ofc its an unrooted device..Thank you in advance

    • Yes, Android OS eats lot of battery looks like a bug to me. Latest firmware does reduce battery usage on Android OS.

      Rooting does not solve Android OS issue. It just provide root access only. You need to upgrade to latest firmware to solve that.

      • this is how i translate ur reply. please correct me if i am wrong:

        1. i need to root my device.
        2. install latest firmware (2.3.4)

        if say i were to root my device now, do i lost all my data or apps? does the version 2.3.4 lot better than 2.3.3)

        Please give me some advise whether to root or not to root my phone just to have a better battery life.

        Thank you for your fast reply and your patience.

    • Hi Aiman,

      1.Root Your Device.
      2.Install Bloat Freezer. and freeze apps that you do not need.
      3.Install Battery Calibration and re-calibrate your battery.

      Battery should last 2 or 2.5 Days

    • Hi,
      Yes, Flash with CF-Root Kernel
      you will find it on the xda forums. That will give you Root (Administrator Rights)
      Make a backup of your phone with ClockWork

      You need to then freeze all the running apps you dont require. NEVER disable TWLauncher if you dont install and use another launcher as your phone will not boot. Happened to me.

      Personally I dnt use other launchers because I notice battery drains.

      Charge your phone to 100% and recalibrate the battery. you should do this 2 times… Im on 3G continuosly and my Battery lasts 40 – 52 hours between charging

  5. Hi all,
    I just upgraded firmware from 2.3.3 XWKF1 to 2.3.4 XXKG5. As a result it solve my battery drain and SGS 2 hot during playing game issue. Thank a lot Jayce for the video “how to install firmware into SGS 2”. Maybe will upgrade to XXKG6 (for better camera quality) or 2.3.5 Cyanogen Mod with Chameleon Rom.

  7. Hi there, I find your section very interesting. I just want to share my experience with my Samsung Galaxy SII. I bought a Galaxy SII Unit last July. After a month, I noticed that the battery gets drained easily. SO what I did I turned off all running applications; swith to auto bright etc. Until one day, the my unit power level indicator showed that it is already below 5% so what I did I switch off the phone. Althought already off, the battery still gets hot that I cannot even touched it so I decided to removed it from the unit for fear that I might explode. When the battery cooled down, I have it charged but unfortunately no power came into the batter as well as in the unit. Now my unit is with the Samsung Service Center and they told me that the “mother board might have been damaged”. They tried to use another SGSII battery and my unit still works but cannot detect any wifi.

  9. Hi

    My phone used to last less than 24 hrs, but after rooting, undervolt and freeze some service, it can last for 48 hrs now. Credits for all you advice.

    But I am still curious of the battery usage, which shows the Display used up 30%++, top in the battery usage list. I have changed the wallpaper to a more darker pic (70% black, 30% white), brightness level <= 10%.

    Is the battery usage on Display acceptable with these settings? Is there a way to reduce the Display's usage?

    Thanks.

  11. I know a way to really save battery life – switch off the fone. Whats the point of having a hi-fi device if it cant be used as one. turning off every option on it just doesn’t make sense.

  12. I bought an SG2 last july. my most expensive phone ever. But thank god that i did not trade in my E72 while buying the SG2. the battery lasts 12 hours. i take it off the charger at 8 am and it done by 8 pm. no games. hardly 10-20 mins of talking time and about 20 mins of mail reading. i am really flabbergasted. most of the time i am using my older phone that lasts more than 2 days.

    is it safe to do the firmware upgrade by ourself and not go to the service centre? i checked with them and they still do not have it yet, the 2.3.4 that is. i am not a very tech savvy guy (an E72 user :)). is there a chance that i might end up bricking the devise in the procecess of upgrading? will the warranty be valip in casei upgrade on my own? what is the benifit of rooting the device. again is there a chance of bricking the device? will the warranty get void?

    sorry for asiking so much but i want to feel that buying this was a good decission.

  13. Hi Jayce, how to root the device as i saw many talking about it. i update my Kies n sync with my device alteady but my fone still says 2.2.3 not 2.2.4 like many did.
    thanks again. Ha

  14. I was advised to let the battery run right down (to the point of death) and then recharge fully, and to go through that cycle (known as “conditioning” the battery) for up to 5 times. It sounds like science fiction but it made an astonishing difference – my brand new SG2 went from a ten hour battery life to 48 hours albeit of low usage, but certainly a whole day of real use. Can’t find where I read that now but I’m indebted to whoever posted it – I was very close to returning the whole phone.

    • Thanks Mike. I have just returned my iphone4s for a Samsung s.2 . It’s coming in 2 days time. Then I read all these scary stories. Bad choice I made? Yours give me a silver lining. I would imagine that the conditioning you mentioned would come naturally within the first 5 days of using the phone provided you run it right down as you say?

      1 day real use is about right for most smartphone. Any problems since you posted this?

      • Hi Francois. Why did you return an iPhone 4S? I am about to get a new phone and I am not sure if go for an iPhone 4S or Galaxy S2…

        • Hi Bismark

          I did an extensive research on both phone given that I was about to enter a contract and be stuck with my chosen phone for 24 months.

          I had the 4S for a whole week and played extensively and returned it.

          What I liked about the 4s

          – yes you cant tell it is an expensive, well made piece of technology. Very responsive.

          – the camera is amazing. Better than the S2’s? Well may be but honestly you cant tell that much. S2 camera is fab itself . Besides, I dont know if the 4s has panoramic setting . S2 does. It’s the type of function you think you would never use until you do it once and wonder how you can did without.

          – On that note I went to salsa bar last Saturday and video friends dancing. First with my friend’s own phone (HTC XL) . The video came out crap, very grainy. I tried with my phone. Superb! He virtually begged me to do the whole dance so crisp and light-sensitive the images were. Ok i did not try it with the iphone but that says something about S2’s video function

          What I did not like about the 4s

          – The screen is small in comparision to the s2 and the htc desire my previous phone. Hard to get used to it. For me it’s a huge downside . It depressed me each time i turned on the phone.

          – Siri – Nothing but a gimmick. The tv ad tells you that how it can become your own PA . No so t see just before the ad finishes at the bottom of the screen ‘Sequences shortened’ and how! I found that the time it takes for you to give it a command you have time to do the command yourself. That’s without taking account the time where 1. it tells you to repeat yourself 2. it tells it cant help you because you’re not in the States! More importantly, the s2 does have same function (home button twice) that give you the same service. 4s’ is slightly better but I hardly use it for reasons explained.

          – Connectivity. Iphone ‘s connectivity loses out in comparison to s2 when tested on the same Wifi. That’s a fact. Check out you tube . It’s either slightly slower or way slower. I have also tried in the office with colleagues when I got the phone. Yep no contest.

          – The phone is really heavy. When you hold the S2 you see the real difference. Colleagues at work who have the 4s have all agreed that my phone is far more portable and in fact sleeker than the 4s. 4s has sharp edge and the screen is very fragile. (I worried I would crack it during the 7 days I had it). A waist-level drop would that. S2 far less likely. It’s sturdier. People knock the plastic cover of the s.2 . Honestly, it makes the phone smooth. Besides I use a cover to protect it so you can customise. S2 is wide yes but in your pocket it does not feel bulky because it is not thick like the 4s.

          – I can see myself getting bored with the 4s over 2 years given that you cannot customise the phone at least not like the S2 which allows you to do that (admittedly because it stole the format from htc and apple (hence legal battles last year) but who cares if you have the benefits of their alleged thieving in one phone!) Makes a huge difference. You can remove /add screen/ create folder. 4S does that last one but is too rigid.

          – Android market has more free apps. There is consensus that given that most companies are making android phones the market will continue growing and Apple’s being one will lag behind and possible join the party.

          – Text speak ,which I use all the time, is slightly faster on S2.

          Little things.

          S2 is full of additions that makes it so special

          – you can reject calls by sending ready made message ‘Am busy right now’ or any message you can to prepare.

          – The calculator keeps a records of all previous calculations.

          – You have many ways of locking your phone (finger across screen/diagram or 4s like combination)

          – Every time I turn it on I marvel at the brightness of the screen!

          Too many to lists. Sorry.

          Battery Life

          The real concern I had over the s.2 is battery life. I think the 4s fared better but only slightly. Yes s.2 battery life is rubbish if you leave it on wifi / GPS (half a day). To do that would be stupid anyway. Just turn them on when you need them. If you do that you do a day easy. Better, download JuiceDefender Android app. I have whole day easily that include using Skype video for 1 hour at least . I really worried about this and found that I did not have to do half the stuff that drove me to look up the site when you read my email.

          S3?

          S.3 is coming out . Some say June some October. They say that phone will be the best on the market (will outshine the Iphone 5 the way s.2 did 4s). Apple know that the exclusive market strategy is no longer working. That’s why you can now get their phone for free (eg. with 3) (and that’s why everybody get the phone like sheep without asking themselves if it really is the better phone). Apple feels the heat and realise they are not so special.

          You may want to wait the s.3. I considered it then thought s2 is a great phone why not profit from it now. I don’t regret it. No doubt S4 will come out next year so may be I will sell that one and get it may be not.

          Hope that’s useful.

          Francois

          • Hi Francois,

            Thank you very much for replying with such an extensive analysis. I really appreciate it. I have to say that was really helpful to make up my mind.

            I have already gotten the S2, what a gorgeous phone!! Is really beautiful and responsive. Really like it a lot. A friend of mine just got the iPhone 4S and she was like very happy for her phone but as soon as she saw the S2 she said “Damn, I should’ve got one instead of 4S”… jajaja sorry, too late.

            Thank you very much for your help, I am very happy with my acquisition.

            Best regards
            Bismarck

  16. Hi All,

    I have had the SGS 2 since April, and i too suffred with poor battery life. Reading forums the consensus is that it is a bug in the android OS as other phones running the same version of android also have the same problem ie LG Optimus amongst others.

    I found that if fully charged the phone and then turned it off and on again the battery would last more than 3 days on a single charge!! that is with 3G always on, background data syncing constantly to fb and emails and normal usage for calls/ texts etc.

    It would seem that turning the phone off after each charge resets the battery callibration in some way.

    Hope this helps!

  17. Hi! i just bought the SG2 for Tmobile, which comes with 2.3.5 android version firmware…. the battery life still sucks with the black background, no autosync, etc.. What else can i do to save battery??

  18. I got a locked phone with a carrier. I tried updating the firmware via Kies but still Android OS is eating up a lot from my battery. can I flash a FW using ODIN even if my phone is locked?

  19. Hi.. I just want to ask how to freeze running applications (social hub, voice command, email, settings, etc) coz I am not actually using them?

    is it ok to ‘force stop’ them even though it says “stopping service may cause applucation failure”?!

    THANK YOU!

  22. Good Day!

    my battery last only for 5hrs. The display is eating up 70%. I already re flash my custom ROM, calinrate the battery.and still.the same. By the way, i’m using dark knight ROM, firmware 2.3.6

  23. Good day

    I am considering the purchase of a new GS2 next week. I am disturbed to read the lack of battery life. My Blackberry Torch will last 2 days easy.
    Is there a phone similar to the GS2 that has a better battery life.
    I like the big screen and large keys and the camera.
    Thanks
    Dick

  24. I’m a little confused and disgusted: why have a powerful phone only to disable all of its features that make it the wonderful phone it’s supposed to be? I think we should let the manufacturers’ know we are not pleased with the sub-par battery performance. It doesn’t even last a full day!!!

  25. I read several reviews of the Note and many have complaints about the battery life on them also.
    I think that it boils down to the fact that our instant/instant gratification, wants a big devise, that does things only possible on the Space Shuttle a couple of years ago, and we want it thin and light as well. Well that is like, having your cake and eating it too. Now days we want, what we can’t have, because we know technology will have it for us tomorrow; we hope?

  26. I SOLVED this issue and it’s very easy. Just charge the battery up to 100% and then switch the phone off for approx. 5 mins. Switch the phone on and problem is solved. The main reason is that the applications and processes that have been started are eating the battery.

  27. hi…

    I do not have a problem with the battery life, that one is sorted. I do however wants to know how to temporarily close applications in the background?

    Whats happening is… if i close it, and i go to Task manager all 17 apps is back. and this is irratating me.

    Can you please please help me!!!

    thank you

  28. At first I thought this would be an informative article on how to improve the battery life on a “specific phone model”. But then as I skimmed though the list of things to check for, saying to myself out loud “did that already, did that already…”, I was immediately hit with the thought that the author is insulting everyone’s intelligence.

    The “smartphone” has been around for many years now and almost all of these items are things that most people almost automatically know to look for. And they do not apply “specifically” to the Galaxy S II. They apply to almost every phone out there. So the article should have been titled “how to improve a smartphone’s battery life”.

    This is kind of like throwing a tech question at a help desk or on a tech forum sometimes. If the person is smart enough and knowledgeable enough to know what to ask for (and in this scenario, knows what information he/she is searching for), they do not need to be brought down to the elementary educational level first.

    There are dozens of articles exactly like this one out there. Please stop wasting our time. If you ACTUALLY have SPECIFIC information that has to do with the SPECIFIC phone model in question, then post an edit.

    Geez.

  29. JuiceDefender Ultra is what I use and it’s awesome. I’m not a shill or anything – a friend told me about it and it’s really stretched my battery life because it does stuff like automatically turn on/off my data and wifi usage and improve efficiency of brightness settings and all that jazz

  31. hi jayce, i have problem about upgrade firmware,i was currently on going process to change my samsung s2 firmware to make 2.3.6 with odin,but accidentally it was interrupt the download,and it dosent contenue download,and now my phone was stock, pls, advice me what im going to do to make it back to normal.plsss….reply

  32. jayce this my first time to have an android phone,i dinnt try to boot into odin download mode again. can you tell me how it does to make sure,im going to try…

  34. What have you heard about an echo problem? When someone calls you they could hear their own voices and static and even if you dont have a cover on your cell, its so annoying people keep complaining about hearing an echo, tried noise reduction, tried everything and nothing :/

  35. Thank u for your answer and yes I will have to take it back, but now according to them sgs2 is back ordered!! Do you know if there is a permanent way to turn noise reduction off? I have to be turning it off every single call that I receive…again thx!

  36. Hi Jacye, you’re awesome! Thanks for all the info. The comments have great info too. My question to you is, I’m going on vacation for 3 weeks and I can’t take my phone (SGS2). I’m wondering if I can just switch it off and come back or if I should remove the battery from the phone and keep it separately? Someone told me that otherwise the battery would get ruined?

  38. Im using 2.3.6 gbread firmware already, yet my sgs2 still gets hot. Is there anything that i can do? Im freaking out. Is it possible that the heat can occur internal damage?

  39. my battery on my SGS2 is only lasting 1/2 a day at the moment even though i am going in constantly into task manager and exiting everything PLEASE HELP

  41. Hi Jayce,
    I’m sorry if I’m posting on an irrelevant thread.
    I tried hard to find a relevant new post about S2 battery problems in vain.

    Jayce, I’m having terrible battery problems with my S2. Its 1.5 years old and has a new battery for almost 3 months. I did the battery calibration. But even after all this time, one night drains the battery like almost 50%. I thought I’ll restore it to factory settings, but wanted to take your advice before doing it.

    Can you please help me?
    Thanks,
    Suresh

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