As users, we are all very tuned into the idea that our attachments and applications on our devices certainly drain batteries. This is especially true for phones, which can be drained significantly by some demanding applications like games. So it makes sense that many people develop misconceptions about Bluetooth speakers.
Bluetooth speakers are externally connected devices that seemingly provide data wirelessly by our phones. It only makes sense that the endeavor should be costly in terms of battery power for our phones. But is this just a myth, or is this reality?
Bluetooth speakers do not drastically deplete your phone’s battery. Although they do take some additional battery power to function, this can amount to as low as 1.8% of your phone’s total charge. And if your phone is dying too quickly, then that might be due to other reasons.
Although we know that there is a slight impact that Bluetooth Speakers have on your phone’s battery, it is pertinent to discuss other factors that might also influence your battery life. We’ll be going through all you need to know about how Bluetooth speakers impact your phone’s battery.
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Do Bluetooth Speakers Drain Phone Battery?
The question of whether Bluetooth Speakers drain the battery on most average phones is a pertinent one. There are many important and often demanding activities that we do on our phones, and if their battery life is significantly hampered by Bluetooth speakers, then that can be a problem for many people.
The truth of the matter is that we use a host of different applications on our phones constantly throughout the day. Whether that be for work or because we’re huge audiophiles and can’t get enough of our favorite tracks. Nonetheless, we’re constantly demanding a lot from our phone batteries, and that’s no myth.
So it’s understandable that people have generated a dubious position when it comes to using Bluetooth. After all, how different can it be from running an ordinary application on your phone, and considering the added functionality of wireless connection, it has to impact battery life? These might be thoughts that you’re thinking.
However, let us put your mind at ease when we say this; your Bluetooth does not function like you’re running an application in the background. Rather it works more like you’ve turned on the Wi-Fi and are using that to access the internet on your phone. It’s a key functional asset of your phone and doesn’t demand significantly greater power to work properly.
Although to be clear, this is only true if your Bluetooth is turned on and there are no devices connected to your phone. Instead, when you have a device like Bluetooth speakers connected, you need the connection to be stable and the phone to constantly transmit data through the Bluetooth channel to your speakers.
Ultimately, both of these facets can be slightly taxing on your battery life. However, even so, the demand is not a massive one on your system. Rather because of the seamless data transferability that Bluetooth provides, often a large power investment is not required for all of its functions to be carried out.
How Much Power Does A Bluetooth Speaker Use Exactly?
There have been numerous tests that have been conducted by various outlets, attempting to demystify Bluetooth connections and their various connected devices. This is why in one such test, typical smartphones were tested to reveal the actual battery usage by Bluetooth devices such as Bluetooth speakers.
From what we know already, if you only leave your Bluetooth on, and do not use your phone’s battery afterward, then you only risk draining 1.8% of your battery. This means on its own, the Bluetooth functionality is not a significant power drain that can cripple your phone.
For many people with high-end phones, you can turn your Bluetooth on and have subsequent devices paired and practically forget about it. Never having to wonder if it was meant to be closed at all. However, things do change once you apply some more stress on your devices after turning on Bluetooth functionality.
With intensive Bluetooth activity, such as using Bluetooth speakers, the battery consumption rate on your phone will go up by a slight degree. Most tests averaged about 6.6% additional power consumption. This percentage was achieved after extensively using speakers and audio applications that are compatible with them.
These tests indicate an important factor that the battery life of your phone has very little to do with the usage of Bluetooth speakers or other associated devices. Rather if you extensively use such devices in tangent with your phone, then their overall impact on your phone’s battery life will be negligible at best.
So if you’re only going to be using your Bluetooth for a short period of time every day, maybe less than 10 to 15 minutes, then you can safely turn it off otherwise and will get a very, very small boost to battery life. But if you are connected to numerous devices and need Bluetooth for most of the day, then you can do so without having to worry about your phone’s life.
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What Are The Different Types Of Bluetooth?
Contrary to popular belief, there exist a few different types of Bluetooth in the market space. Although we will admit, not all of them are as popularly produced as some of the latest versions. Nonetheless, there is always the potential to have a different type of Bluetooth on your phone, causing you problems.
It is thus better to be aware of all the complexities of Bluetooth devices that are available in the market so that you can make an informed decision when trying to go out and get one for yourself. It is precisely why, in this section, we’ll be discussing two major types of Bluetooth and how they can affect your Bluetooth speaker experience.
The first Bluetooth version that we’ll discuss is the latest version of it. This version is often regarded as Bluetooth 4.0. This is because it was a significant upgrade from the Classic Bluetooth in almost all facets and is the most likely version you currently have on your laptop or phone.
The Bluetooth 4.0 has some significant advantages over the Classic version. This particular Bluetooth has very low energy consumption. And is optimized to be as efficient as possible when trying to secure a connection. Moreover, the connection formed is particularly stable. This makes it far less likely to disconnect.
The latest Bluetooth version aligns perfectly with what we’ve stated above. That most Bluetooth speakers will very minimally drain your phone’s battery, largely because of the better quality product that, the newer Bluetooth is and because of its integration with the latest Bluetooth Speaker technology.
The Classic or Standard Bluetooth version is the other, older variant out of the two. And it was particularly great for the phones that had it. This particular version is known for its great and steady connections. Often these are installed in devices built specifically for streaming and energy-intensive devices.
This is because the Classic Bluetooth is a high-powered variant. And can steadier connections for longer and more accurately than the older variants. However, this feature also makes it far more intensive on your phone’s battery life. So if you’re primarily using your phone with your speakers, then Classic Bluetooth will be more battery intensive.
So if you’re using the older variant of Bluetooth, your phone will probably be losing far more battery life than you would have reckoned through the earlier parts of this article. And if you’re using the newer Bluetooth 4.0, then your battery life will feel far better conserved, and the applications and devices running just as smoothly.
Other Factors That Might Be Draining Your Battery
Now we should probably move on to why you’re facing phone battery issues in the first place. Since we’ve already discussed, your Bluetooth speakers will hardly be taken more than 6 to 7% of battery life, so where is the rest of it going? To answer this, let’s delve deeper into the specifics of usage that might be happening.
If you’re an Android user, then chances are that you’re going to have a major rundown of the applications and functions on your phone that are draining the most battery life. This can be quite simply accessed if you go select your battery icon and then press the Battery Usage option.
You will find a massive list of apps that might be working in the background. These background apps can often reduce the overall battery life that your phone might have. Largely because they drain your phone’s battery little by little until a massive chunk of it is dedicated to them, leaving you with very little.
It’s usually best to close these applications. Anything that is taking resources away from your phone in an attempt to keep running in the background is going to be a problem. By shutting them down, you save your phone from having to do all the extra effort to continue to make those applications function.
Another good step to take is usually to clear up any viruses or bugs that might have entered your system. These can be terrible for the battery life of your phone as they continuously siphon important resources. This means that it is quite necessary to have an anti-virus on your phone or other important applications that can scan and clear threats.
Once these are removed, your phone will likely begin to last longer and even function better. For iOS phone users, however, the path is slightly trickier but ultimately has many more benefits. Click on Show Activity in the options of your battery, and you’ll get an overview of all the major applications and their usage.
Simply shut down systems that are bothering your usage, and leave others, especially if they’re important, open. Once that aspect is concluded, your phone’s battery should improve significantly. And you should even be able to play Bluetooth speakers on it at this point. Regardless of the myths surrounding it.
In summation, if you will be streaming media, such as music or even movies, through your Bluetooth Speakers, then there will be a slight effect of the connection on your phone’s battery. But it will be negligible at best, and in most cases, even letting Bluetooth run in the background will have a minimum effect.
You’re safe to use your Bluetooth speakers with your phones. Do not worry about the battery life. Unless your phone’s completely busted, in which case we can’t help you, a technical support agent certainly can. So go search them up.
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Best Bluetooth Speaker
Now that we’ve discussed so much regarding the efficacy of using Bluetooth Speakers with your phone, it would be a shame if we didn’t give you any recommendations on which Bluetooth Speaker we think is the best.
Regardless of how much your battery life might be affected by it, we believe that the UE Boom 3 is perhaps the best overall Bluetooth speaker that you can buy right now. Several factors support this assessment of ours.
The first is that the UE Boom 3 is bigger than other Bluetooth Speakers, thus giving it that weight and look that is missing with other speakers. However, this does not severely affect its portability and your ability to take it along with wherever you might travel.
It has great audio fidelity, and its sound quality is excellent. It has a waterproof cylindrical shape and comes in various colors that you can choose from. It has a battery that lasts up to a whopping 15 hours between charges.
Finally, it has incredible range and can seamlessly play music even a hundred feet away from your other device. We believe that it is simply unmatched in what variety it can provide the user. And we cannot recommend it enough to those interested in a good Bluetooth speaker for their phones.
That is it, folks, all that you would ever want to know about is the impact of Bluetooth speaker connections on your phone’s battery life. We hope this has answered all of your major questions regarding this topic. But if you’ve got more, then let us know.
Till next time! Ciao.