Energy Consumption in Smartphones: An Investigation of Battery and Energy Consumption of Media Related Applications on Android Smartphones

Modern smartphones have become indispensable for many people around the world as they continue to evolve and introduce newer functions and operations. Battery capacity has however failed to keep up with the rate at which smartphones have evolved in recent years, which has led to rapid battery drain and the need for users to discard and replace them very frequently. This inevitably leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and harmful consequences the world over due to poor disposal and reuse practices among users. Using the Samsung Galaxy Note as an android platform for experimentation, the factors most responsible for energy consumption and battery drain in smartphones are identified as the network, the device specifications, the applications on the device, and the common practices by the smartphone user. Interviews conducted with varied respondents further reveal that user practices impact energy consumption in smartphones more significantly than perhaps all the other factors. It is recommended that information be better conveyed to smartphone owners, while smartphone manufacturers should improve their design specifications in keeping with the Green Code. Further study is also suggested to distinctly clarify the impact of the stated factors on smartphone battery drain.

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