LTE phones are fast, but they can also suck a battery dry in a few hours. Nokia Siemens Networks did some preliminary studies on LTE phone’s power drain versus their HSPA (3G) counterparts and found that LTE devices consume from 5 percent to 20 percent more than previous-generation phones, depending on the application used. Those numbers, however, seem conservative compared to the anecdotal evidence. In its review of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Engadget found that the Google Navigation running over the LTE network ate battery power faster than the Nexus’ car charger could restore it.Why is LTE so greedy? For starters, the radio in your LTE device is doing a lot more than it ever did in your old 3G handset. The radio is the single biggest source of power drain in any device apart from the LED screen, but unlike the display, the radio is always on. And LTE is particularly hungry.
Why LTE sucks (your battery, that is) — Mobile Technology News