battery life?

[daftsynth]

How is the battery life of the mini? Is it supposed to be significantly better than the iPod?

[ajm]

About the same I hear, about 8 hours - athough i am sure someone that actually has one will know exactly

[daftsynth]

I know they're spec'd to be the same on the website but was just curious because some of the media reviews reported battery life of 9 and 10 hrs with the mini. Whereas 8 hours for the regular iPod seems to be only under ideal/optimal conditions.

[dordale]

daftsynth--

I read in a review by the Wall Street Journal that the iPod mini's did exceed their rated battery life of 8 hours--

This would make the battery life significantly better than the 3g iPods. I'm lucky to get five hours on my 3g.

The mini I bought for my husband for his birthday just arrived, so soon I'll have some real world comparisons.

dordale

[ajm]

I heard one review said 10 hours, but another said 7hours45 so no idea...

[ZoidbergD]

I have consistently heard 8-9 hours, which is really good.

[Kenny]

I would hope it's better. Comparing it to the upcoming muvo2 which boasts 16hrs (more likely it'll have about 12-14hrs real life hours), the new mini iPod better be an improvement over our Gen3's. Especially considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player.

[chrish]

considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player

Controversial!!!

[Kenny]

Originally posted by chrish
considering that the muvo2 and the upcoming ipod mini are almost the same player

Controversial!!!

How is this controversial? Both use the exact same HDD.

The main differences is that the iPod has the extra features like calendar, games, etc...
Also the iPod uses a scroll wheel (non mechanical) while the muvo2 has buttons. And of course the iPod mini has the larger LCD.

Take that all into account, and dont use the extra software features, and JUST use both players for pure music playing (no backlight), then shouldnt the battery life be nearly the same?

I think they should.

[duffy]

There are a couple more factors that determine battery life:
1. Earphone/output volume
2. Capacity of the battery. LiIon batteries can be a myriad of shapes, sizes, and capacities.
3. The larger LCD display of the mini will use more power than the muvo.
4. I believe the scroll wheel uses more power than a regular push button design live a muvo. Active circuity is constantly monitoring the scroll wheel so that uses power. A switch only uses power when you activate it.

I think if both players use the exact same capacity battery their run time would be comparable, but since Apple doesn't publish the battery capacity we won't know until someone hacks up a mini.

[sparks9]

Since the iPod mini is smaller than the muvo maybe it has less room for battery causing Apple to use a smaller battery which ofcourse gives less charge.

You have to balance between long battery life and small size.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by sparks9
Since the iPod mini is smaller than the muvo maybe it has less room for battery causing Apple to use a smaller battery which ofcourse gives less charge.

You have to balance between long battery life and small size.

The iPod mini is 3.6 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches
The muvo2 is 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.8 inches

Possibly, but the size difference is very very small between the two players, while the battery life difference is very very big.
If it werent for the muvo being such a cheaply built player, having poor menu systems, and showing almost nothing on the LCD, this would make the decision for me alot easier.

[duffy]

Possibly, but the size difference is very very small between the two players, while the battery life difference is very very big.[/B]

Going by your dimensions the mini is 33% smaller. So if the battery life of the mini is 8-9 hours * 33% longer = 10.6-12 hours.

[red devil]

Again, for those of us who may not be so math-savvy:

mini volume = 3.6 x 2.0 x 0.5 = 3.6 cu in
Muvo volume = 2.6 x 2.6 x 0.8 = 5.4 cu in

3.6/5.4 = 0.66

Meaning the mini is fully 34% smaller than the Muvo. Plus, if you hold the mini you'll notice something--it just seems to be the perfect size in your hand. The ergonomic engineers at Apple hit the nail right on the head.

[Kenny]

Originally posted by duffy
Going by your dimensions the mini is 33% smaller. So if the battery life of the mini is 8-9 hours * 33% longer = 10.6-12 hours.

Okay... before I continue this discussion, let me just say that Im in no way trying to bash the iPods, but...

You also have to take into consideration that the muvo2's size is alot more thicker than the mini for one reason... it's replaceable battery. If the muvo2 had the same internal battery the mini has, it would probably be quite a bit smaller than the mini, while still maintaining the superior battery life.