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Also from my experience, 2G feature phones have better battery characteristics, longer standby time. I've a 4G feature phone, and even when only its 2G modem i

Also from my experience, 2G feature phones have better battery characteristics, longer standby time. I've a 4G feature phone, and even when only its 2G modem is enabled, it doesn't last as long as the prior 2G phone did. When the 4G modem is enabled (which also uselessly enables its 3G capabilities), it discharges a lot faster.

Paianni 2y ago
I suspect that would be offset by efficiency gains on the infrastructure side. And thanks to smartphones, people are used to charging their phone every night, so it doesn't feel like a hindrance like it used to. Incidentally, 3G capabilities would only be used when the phone's searching for networks or connected to a 3G network (I think), which are becoming very rare nowadays.
- egberts1 2y ago
  Nobody is going to buy a phone that charges more frequently than once a day.
- TrueDuality 2y ago
  Look a bit farther out than the first world countries you're used to. Reliable energy, and energy to your night stand aren't available everywhere and the countries still sticking to 2G largely fall into that category. Having the flexibility to only need a charging once a month makes these devices actually usable tools. 2G due to its lower information density is also easier to receive and transmit generally allowing significantly lower density of towers and longer reliable range. In largely rural areas there aren't enough customers for companies to invest in towers for the same level of 4G coverage.
  - Paianni 2y ago
    I used to carry a Nokia 6310i with a new battery and it couldn't make it to a month without a charge. Maybe 2 weeks. My 235 4G can last about a week on standby. I'm not sure what the expectation is in the sort of places you're referring to, but I know some economically poorer regions are investing in 4G masts, like India thanks to Jio phones.
    - dfawcus 2y ago
      As I recall, my old Nokia 1616-2 would last over 3 weeks between charges if not used. Only somewhat less if only used for texts, say 2.5 to 3 weeks. It was actually making calls which cut in to the battery, but still it could last 7-10 days with the pattern of usage I had. That is really what is needed for simple "feature phones"
aceazzameen 2y ago
Yep. I'm currently using my old Samsung Galaxy smartphone as a "house phone" simply because the battery life is beyond any other new cell phone. It gets charged once every 2-4 weeks depending on usage, and it's an ancient battery, which is even more surprising! The issue isn't the size of the battery, it's that 4G and 5G devices drain batteries on standby at a much higher rate, whether data is on or off. This is why I turn 5G off on my new smartphone. The increased speed doesn't justify the increased energy consumption for me.

Paianni 2y ago

I suspect that would be offset by efficiency gains on the infrastructure side. And thanks to smartphones, people are used to charging their phone every night, so it doesn't feel like a hindrance like it used to. Incidentally, 3G capabilities would only be used when the phone's searching for networks or connected to a 3G network (I think), which are becoming very rare nowadays.

egberts1 2y ago
Nobody is going to buy a phone that charges more frequently than once a day.
TrueDuality 2y ago
Look a bit farther out than the first world countries you're used to. Reliable energy, and energy to your night stand aren't available everywhere and the countries still sticking to 2G largely fall into that category. Having the flexibility to only need a charging once a month makes these devices actually usable tools. 2G due to its lower information density is also easier to receive and transmit generally allowing significantly lower density of towers and longer reliable range. In largely rural areas there aren't enough customers for companies to invest in towers for the same level of 4G coverage.
- Paianni 2y ago
  I used to carry a Nokia 6310i with a new battery and it couldn't make it to a month without a charge. Maybe 2 weeks. My 235 4G can last about a week on standby. I'm not sure what the expectation is in the sort of places you're referring to, but I know some economically poorer regions are investing in 4G masts, like India thanks to Jio phones.
  - dfawcus 2y ago
    As I recall, my old Nokia 1616-2 would last over 3 weeks between charges if not used. Only somewhat less if only used for texts, say 2.5 to 3 weeks. It was actually making calls which cut in to the battery, but still it could last 7-10 days with the pattern of usage I had. That is really what is needed for simple "feature phones"

aceazzameen 2y ago

Yep. I'm currently using my old Samsung Galaxy smartphone as a "house phone" simply because the battery life is beyond any other new cell phone. It gets charged once every 2-4 weeks depending on usage, and it's an ancient battery, which is even more surprising! The issue isn't the size of the battery, it's that 4G and 5G devices drain batteries on standby at a much higher rate, whether data is on or off. This is why I turn 5G off on my new smartphone. The increased speed doesn't justify the increased energy consumption for me.