How to Get Better DROID Turbo Battery Life

In recent years our smartphones have continued to get bigger and more powerful, but sadly battery technology has remained the same. That isn’t stopping smartphone makers though, as they continue to put bigger batteries inside our phones, and the impressive DROID Turbo is a prime example with a massive 3,900 mAh battery.

Released late last year Motorola’s DROID Turbo is unlike any other phone available from carriers in the US. It has a large 5.2-inch Quad-HD display, a powerful processor and more, and that’s all powered by a huge 3,900 mAh battery promising 48 hours of usage.

Read: DROID Turbo Review

However, most phones rarely last more than a day, so with that below we have a few useful tips, settings, and suggestions to help owners get the most out of their DROID Turbo. It already has class-leading battery life, but for those seeking even more from their smartphones here’s how to get better battery life with the DROID Turbo.

Starting with the original Moto X released in 2013 Motorola has done an excellent job with some neat software features for most of their smartphones. These are useful, while also managing to sip on the battery so owners can get the most out of their phones for as long as possible. Things like always-listening modes for hands-free voice controls with Moto Voice, Active display, and another awesome feature we’ve talked about lately called Attentive Display. All of these and more can help you get better battery life and a longer lasting Turbo.

Before we begin, it’s worth noting the first thing you’ll want to do is use the charger that came with the DROID Turbo. It, combined with some technology inside the device, you’ll enjoy Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 that allows for over 60% faster charging from previous years. When the device is under 20% battery they have a new Turbo Charge that gets you 8 hours of usage after just 15 minutes connected to the wall. This same technology is in the Nexus 6, Galaxy Note 4, and a few other devices released late last year.

Improve Battery Life

The DROID Turbo already has some of the best battery life of any Android smartphone, but we can always use a little more. There’s no point in disabling features so our phones last longer, because then what’s the point of having a smartphone. With that, here’s some options you can do that won’t hinder the experience while getting more from the Turbo.

Moto Display

First up is Moto Display. Simply navigate to the Settings menu and tap the “Moto” button which brings you to Moto Assistn, Actions, Display, and Voice. Moto Display will let the screen fade in and out of being turned on, in a low-power black and white state giving you at-a-glance details about incoming notifications.

From here you can slide up to instantly go into that app, or dismiss the notification. Rather than fully light up that big screen and drain the battery, this feature uses a low power mode to easily show notifications without sacrificing battery life. Something we wish more smartphones could do.

The black and white display uses far less power than a fully lit and colored screen, so make sure this is enabled in the “Moto” menu in settings.

Screen Brightness

Speaking of that big 5.2-inch Quad-HD display, nothing drains the battery quicker than the screen. It’s good to have a fair screen brightness, and a sleep timer that shuts off the screen when not in use or being interacted with. This, alone, will save you more battery than almost anything else. The screen is the #1 drain on your battery, so remember that.

Head into settings > display > brightness and adjust it to what works best for you. Many use auto, but personally I stick to around 30-35% brightness on the slider. Then set the “sleep” feature to turn off the screen after 30 seconds of inactivity. This will turn off and dim the screen when you’re not using it, to preserve that important battery life.

Attentive Display

Alternatively, users can opt not to mess with the sleep timer and settings mentioned above, and use another fantastic Moto feature called Attentive Display. This uses sensors on the front of the device to essentially know when you’re looking at the phone and keep the screen on, ignoring the sleep timer, and will automatically dim and turn off the screen when you look away.

It’s a very smart feature that many don’t know about, and one you’ll want to use. I have this enabled on my Turbo, rather than use the sleep feature mentioned above.

Read: How to Use Attentive Display on the DROID Turbo

For this head into settings by taping the gear shaped settings icon in your app tray, head to display, and tap Attentive display. From here turn this on and adjust to your preference.

Location and GPS

Another large drain aside from the actual screen is location data and GPS. These chips inside the phone can constantly be talking to Facebook, Google Maps or Navigation, and other 3rd party apps and will make a huge dent in your battery life. With Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Google changed this, and it’s even better in Android 4.4 and Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Head to Settings > Location > and set the mode to Battery Saving. This uses WiFi and mobile networks to determine your phones location, rather than the power-hungry GPS chips inside your device. Navigation may not be as accurate, but still seems to work just fine and get me to places when battery saving mode is enabled.

Battery Saver (Android 5.0)

The DROID Turbo is currently running Android 4.4 KitKat, but an update to the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop should be here soon, possibly before the end of the month. With Android 5.0 Google introduced a new battery saver mode that’s rather useful and customizable, and this will be one more feature DROID Turbo owners can use. It turns off non-essential apps and services once your battery gets to a certain point, to save as much as possible for important things like calls and texts.

Final Thoughts

The DROID Turbo already comes with a Turbo Charger in the box, but you can get another one from Motorola that costs $34.99 and will boosts battery life by 8 hours after a 15 minute charge. I have a spare for the living room, and a high output charger for the car. Whenever I’m sitting around, my device is plugged in just to top-off as much juice as I can whenever possible. It’s a habit, and something others should try. It’s bad to let the battery completely drain often, so do top-offs to keep a healthy charge in the long run.

The Power Pack Micro from Motorola is also a great way to keep the Turbo charged on the go. It fits on your key ring and acts as a finder when you have your DROID Turbo but can find where you left your car keys. The Power Pack Micro costs $39.99 and comes in a few different colors. That or get one of the many different awesome portable battery chargers available today.