Sure, the new iPhone 3GS may come with many new features and improvements compared to its predecessors, but at what price? Many have noticed that it’s difficult to make it through the day without needing to find a power outlet to recharge it as these many new improvements are taking a toll on the iPhone 3GS’ battery.

IFixIt.com, a repair company that focuses on Apple products claims that the iPhone has a 15% shorter battery life in comparison to the original iPhone. Several factors, such as the 3G functionality contribute to the rather large consumption of battery life, a problem that is faced by other smartphones on the market as well. The phone is constantly sending data packets to and from communications towers, not to mention the speeds at which this is done thanks to 3G, and all of this requires much more energy than that of your average phone. The fact is that iPhones are more than just phones and people will use them longer than they would if not for the added functionality, thus leaving they will leave the screen on longer and this eats up battery as well.

The distance between towers is also another thing that will affect the battery life on the phone. AT&T, the iPhone’s exclusive carrier is slow to deploy new, more expensive 3G towers, and so in many cases the iPhone is far away from the closest 3G tower. Phones are becoming more than just phones, but the Achilles heel to these devices is battery life, and it can certainly prove to be a problem say, when people are unable to place a phone call during an emergency because the battery died.

Source: The LA Times