Samsung SIII mini battery issues

[kjsmyth]

Hi,

I have started having issues with the battery life of my S3 mini.  Not only is the battery draining really quickly, even when not in use, but it's taking much longer to charge too.  It had also started to freeze when in sleep mode, but after checking for a software update and installing it, this seems to have solved that problem.  I have checked the basics like screen brightness, and syncing of emails etc. but beyond that I'm fairly clueless.  One thing I have checked is what's using the battery, and 'media' seems to be a major culprit at over 50%.  But what does this mean and how do I fix it?!  I travel a lot for work and the battery uncertainty is becoming a real issue and worry!  Thanks for any help in advance

[hrym]

Battery usage guides are handy, but they only tell you part of the story as what they show is percentage, not actual use.  The first thing to do might be to go into Settings|Apps, open Music Player (or whatever it call itself) and clear the cache and data.  If that's got corrupted and is running in background, with luck that'll stop it.

However, I suspect the issue may be with the battery itself and I'd suggest trying a replacement.  Lithium batteries have a charge-cycle life of 500-100 times, but this can be lessened if you've been alowing it to go flat.  They have no memory effect and perform better if regularly topped up.

[sophiel_87]

Hello....I too have suddenly started having serious battery drain problems.
Just the last few days really but I've gone from a day - day and a half of battery to charging twice a day...something is not right and I've read a few things on Google about the battery issues (but I'm not at all techie or understand it!!)
I've also noticed that its charging really quickly.
Any suggestions...
Thanks

[drey_p]

Hi there

It could be something like an app playing up and causing the drain or it could be that the battery is now warn out after being charged and discharged.  How long have you had the phone?

[sophiel_87]

Just over 12 months.

I'm not sure it's an app...I've uninstalled a couple of the usual culprits. Seems to have been OK overnight but I turned the wifi off and I don't get any data signal indoors anyways. .

[drey_p]

It could just be that your battery is worn out and needs replacing. They are only good for a certain number of charging cycles. Keep an eye on it and perhaps see if you can borrow a battery from a friend and see if that improves things

[kjsmyth]

Following on from my original post - my phone ended up having more issues than just battery drainage and within a few days stopped working altogether.  It was returned to Vodafone for repair which worked; however the battery life a few months on still isn't great - have to charge twice daily for not very heavy use, so might just consider getting a new battery.

[hrym]

I'd certainly try a new battery.  Litihium cells generally have a charge cycle life somewhere between 500 and 2000 times, but don't like being allowed to go completely flat - if you've ever done that,

[sophiel_87]

Thanks all.

I got a new battery at the weekend and it seems to have sorted the problem - ended up in several places before getting one and everyone was shocked at the state of the battery! 

Apparently the S4s have the same issue but Samsung are fixing those but it appears they've not admitted it for S3 minis - Ironically a friend of mine fell short to the same issue over the weekend - no conincidence - major fault!!! 

[hrym]

The issue with the S4 was a known one - there was a faulty batch.   It would be worth asking Samsung if they'll reimburse you for this one, but they may not if its an isolated case as battery life can also be affected by usage patterns.  Afaik, the 3 mini doesn't use the same battery as the S4.

There isn't a huge demand for replacement batteries, so they're often in short supply retail.   The best buying option is usually online.  Go for ones that are sensibly priced as you're more likely to get a genuine, or at least good quality, one.