I was just curious to write about whether Wi-Fi on our smartphones uses more battery. So, I conducted a five-minute experiment where the internet is most used on the phone. I ran only a speed test where download and upload take place on the smartphone.
Most people think that using Wi-fi consumes more battery than using cellular internet. But it is the reverse when we use Wi-fi to connect to the internet. It uses less battery than cellular data. I will tell you the reason later but see a small experiment I did to get to the conclusion.
Using Smartphone on Wifi Data.
So I used my smartphone by connecting to my home wifi and did the speed test. A speed test is the best way to check which adapter uses more battery. I used speed tests continuously for 5 minutes, so in total, I have done 10-speed tests, and in 5 minutes’ time, only 1% battery dropped.
Read – Phone battery draining fast -7 reasons and how to fix them.
In the second test, I used the internet using cellular data and did the same at this time. A total of 10-speed tests were done in 5 minutes. During this time, a total of 2% battery is discharged, which is 50% more compared to when we use the internet on Wi-fi. But this percentage can differ with internet usage.
Main Reason
There are two adapters in the smartphone. The first one is cellular, and the second one is Wi-Fi. When we use the internet in cellular mode, it uses more battery as it constantly finds the network. This happens due to the presence of mobile towers at a distance. Whereas in Wi-Fi, the router is near.
The main reason for smartphone battery loss is that the phone uses constant power to find the network in 4G or 5G mode, and in Wi-Fi mode, it uses less battery power.