Samsung Outperforms Apple in Cold Weather Test

[RadioRaiders]

Interesting article....
...if you're heading out int he cold, better leave the iPhone at home and grab a Samsung or Nokia

iPhone 4S can't compete with other smartphones in a sub-zero environment Can your smartphone stand the cold? Ossi Jääskeläinen, MikroPC Some smart phone manufacturers don't allow their devices to be used in cold weather while others guarantee smooth functioning even in -20 degrees Celsius (-3degrees Fahrenheit). According to Apple, its iPhones can be used only in temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95degrees F). In other words, an iPhone user taking his device outside in typical Scandinavian winter conditions will do so at his own risk. If the phone breaks down, Apple claims they will not be responsible and it is not covered by the phone's warranty. HTC and Nokia have not given out operating temperature guidelines in user manuals or on their websites. Samsung, on the other hand guarantees its phones to function in temperatures between -20 and 50 degrees Celsius (-4--122degrees F). Bring On the Freeze! MikroPC (PCWorld Finland) decided to test if the manufacturers can back up their claims in real life. We picked up the 15 most-sold mobile phones in Finland and three others for comparison, and took them into the Technical Research Centre of Finland and their "Weather Room", a specialized research lab where the temperature can be adjusted to a fraction of a degree. The initial temperature was set to 0 degrees Celsius (32degrees F). From there, we kept lowering it by steps of five degrees Celsius (9degrees F) until even the most persistent devices gave up and stopped working. Failing First: iPhone 4S At 0 degrees Celsius / 32degrees F, it was business as usual. At -5degrees C/23degrees F, iPhone 4S and Nokia N9 started showing symptoms: the iPhone reported a sim card error and the N9 claimed its battery was nearly empty. Lowering the temperature even further to -10 degrees Celsius / 14degrees F was more than the iPhone could handle. The Apple device suddenly announced a dead battery and shut down. All phones with LCD displays experienced difficulties when the temperature dropped below this. Amoled displays proved to stand cold much better and kept on going. In addition to displays, the dropping temperature also affects the device's connections. The Cheaper, the Better? The majority of smart phones couldn't handle temperatures colder than -15 or -20 degrees Celsius / 5degrees F to -4degrees F. Even if they managed to stay on, most died when put to actual use. Feature phones did better. Apart from slowness in the display, they showed no symptoms until the temperature dropped to -25 degrees C / -13degrees F. By this time most smart phones were completely useless. Against all odds, South Korean Samsung smart phones outlasted Finnish Nokia's touch-screen devices. Only one of the smart phones we tested kept running smoothly when the temperature reached -30 degrees C / -22degrees F, and it was a Samsung. Even if Korean engineers don't face such temperatures as often as their Finnish colleagues, they've managed to design a better phone for such conditions. Galaxy S II doesn't shut down until it is -35 degrees outside. And until that point, there's not even a sign of slowness in its display. The Ultimate Limit: -40 Degrees -35 degrees Celsius / -31 degrees F proved to be the ultimate limit for smart phones. Even the most persistent one, Samsung Galaxy S II, shut down when we tried to use the phone. None of the tested touchscreen smartphones could stand such extreme conditions. But, perhaps surprisingly, some feature phones did work, even though their LCD displays showed serious slowness. But when the temperature dropped to -40degrees C / -40degrees F, none survived. Even the toughest ones shut down. Out of the 18 phones we tested, only two feature phones could survive until these temperatures: a very cheap Nokia C1-01 and a five-year-old Nokia E65, which was one of the devices chosen for comparison. In the end, the Finnish engineers did design the best mobile phones for sub-zero environments. They may not be equipped with high-end touch-screens, but they work! And it's probably not a surprise: the coldest temperature in Finland peaks at -40 degrees almost every winter. Blame the Battery When the temperature drops enough, a cell phone thinks that its battery is empty -- even if it's fully recharged -- and shuts down. A chemical reaction takes place inside the battery. The product of the reaction is electrons, and the flow of electrons creates an electric current which the cell phone uses as its source of power. The speed of this reaction depends on the temperature: the colder it gets, the slower the reaction, and the smaller the current that the battery can provide. The voltage of the battery isn't stable, either. The nominal voltage of a lithium-ion battery is typically 3.7 volts, but in reality the voltage is between 2.7 V (empty battery) and 4.2 V (fully charged battery). In cold temperatures the internal resistance of the battery grows, causing the output voltage to drop. When the voltage drops too low, below a threshold voltage, the cell phone thinks the battery is empty -- even it is fully recharged -- and shuts down. How the Cold Affects Different Displays An LCD display consists of layers. The actual liquid crystals are positioned between the polarizing filters and electrodes. A TFT layer (thin film transistor) is positioned behind the screen to control the pixels of the screen. When the temperature drops, the viscosity of the liquid crystal material grows exponentially. Depending on the material used in the liquid crystals, the viscosity grows 2-3 times larger when the temperature drops 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit). This means the pixel changes its color slower in the cold. When it's cold enough, the pixel acts so slow that it can't change its color fully before the next frame is already drawn on the screen. This is when the display seems to work slowly and ghosting or image blur appears on the screen. In AMOLED displays the colors are produced with a layer covered in organic material, organic light emitting diodes. This lack of liquid crystals explains why AMOLED displays work better in the cold.

iPhone 4S can't compete with other smartphones in a sub-zero environment - iPad/iPhone - Macworld UK

[budney]

Very interesting article.

The apple on the back of the next iPhone will turn green when "cold", and red when "super cold".

Ice Cube and Coors Light: Cold Challenge - YouTube

Ice Cube and Coors Light: Cold Challenge - YouTube

[viewfly]

Ah, sigh, another dumb article at Apple's expense (from the headlines) Instead the article should be headlining components that all cell phones share in common ( and indeed are made by the same suppliers), and the physics of such. The article should have headlined that instead, and teach people something universally useful.

When your hands are cold, your brain tells you so, before frostbite sets in, and you can no longer feel your fingers, they die, and fall off (in severe cases). Keep that in mind.

Focusing on batteries, like people, they don't do well under stress situations; its not good for batteries or people's health.

Charging a Li- ion battery below 32F ( 0C) will permanently damage them

See chart below from Battery University This is where the 0 to 45 C probably comes from.

And while Li ion can perform in sub freezing temperatures, their discharge performance goes down, and also can permanently damage their long term performance, while maybe not killing them like charging will.

So Apple cleverly warns the user by shutting the phone down at near 32 F, warning the user to place the iPhone inside their coat and use headphones, or just warm it up a bit. They also shut the iPhone down at high temperature, to prevent battery and phone failure.

Personally, just like my hands without gloves, I can use the iPhone in sub freezing whether for long enough periods of time, as it is in my inside coat pocket the rest.

So I know that you don't want to hear this, but I think Apple did the right thing: They are protecting the users battery and phone investment by giving an early warning signal to take care of things...just like your brain does. The batteries are the same in all phones...it is the user experience that Apple is good at: They try to take care of their customers...

You may disagree and think that Apple should allow you to use the phone at your temperature...but realistically and in practice, you can use your phone outside in the cold for your few minute phone call...the thermal mass will prevent it from reaching 14 to 32F for quite some time, probably a good 20 minutes to half an hour. I like how my brain/body warns me to take action to protect myself...I know...I got frostbite once by not paying attention ( it was -40C outside).

I'm really getting sick of these physicless dumb articles and the viral newsfeeds that pick up on them.

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by viewfly So I know that you don't want to hear this, but I think Apple did the right thing: They are protecting the users battery and phone investment by giving an early warning signal to take care of things...just like your brain does.

And on the bright side, when they do find your frozen body (because you couldn't call 911) your heirs will have a perfectly functioning iPhone on their hands...

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by viewfly Ah, sigh, another dumb article at Apple's expense (from the headlines) Instead the article should be headlining components that all cell phones share in common ( and indeed are made by the same suppliers), and the physics of such. The article should have headlined that instead, and teach people something universally useful.

Yes the headline mentions Apple but the original article is from Macworld and under Iphone new with the title of "iPhone 4S can't compete with other smartphones in a sub-zero environment".

Originally Posted by viewfly I'm really getting sick of these physicless dumb articles and the viral newsfeeds that pick up on them.

Blame Macworld.

That article talks about more than just the battery. I for one did not know that AMOLED displays fared better than LCD displays, which explains the Samsung win.

Feature phones faring better is definitely a surprise for me, and although there wasn't a detailed explaination given, I can speculate/guess at some of the factors.

All in all, the article was interesting.

[viewfly]

Nope dumb article. Regardless of source. Sorry. Leaves out the most important info for users who wish to protect their phones.

I know it is from Macworld btw.

Sent from my iPhone 4S with TapaTalk.

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by viewfly Ah, sigh, another dumb article at Apple's expense (from the headlines) Instead the article should be headlining components that all cell phones share in common ( and indeed are made by the same suppliers), and the physics of such. The article should have headlined that instead, and teach people something universally useful.

If it was common thread to all phones, then why do some perform better than others in cold weather? Maybe, because they don't all use the same components? As noted in the end of the article, by AMOLED screens performing better than LCD in cold weather?

Originally Posted by viewfly So Apple cleverly warns the user by shutting the phone down at near 32 F, warning the user to place the iPhone inside their coat and use headphones, or just warm it up a bit. They also shut the iPhone down at high temperature, to prevent battery and phone failure. So I know that you don't want to hear this, but I think Apple did the right thing: They are protecting the users battery and phone investment by giving an early warning signal to take care of things...just like your brain does. The batteries are the same in all phones...it is the user experience that Apple is good at: They try to take care of their customers...

What makes you think Apple designed the phone to smartly shut itself down rather than it just malfunctioning? If the phone was intelligently shutting down it should display something on screen like "The phone is operating outside of specifications and will now shut down". But it seems more like it sputtered and died. I suppose it would make sense if Apple did have an auto-shutdown feature to save the battery however, as the battery is non-removable and damage to it would mean having to ship it off to the factory to be replaced, rather than just popping in a shop and swapping it yourself.

If I recall correctly, most outdoor network-side equipment I work with is rated to -20C° (I'm remembering, I'll check tomorrow at work). The LiOn battery graph you posted showed discharge was OK to -20°C as well. As the dumb-phones could work to -40°C (in extreme), I think the phones LCD screen is probably the phones "weakest link" and probably the main reason of failure in cold weather.

Originally Posted by viewfly When your hands are cold, your brain tells you so, before frostbite sets in, and you can no longer feel your fingers, they die, and fall off (in severe cases). Keep that in mind. .... So Apple cleverly warns the user by shutting the phone down at near 32 F, warning the user to place the iPhone inside their coat and use headphones, or just warm it up a bit. They also shut the iPhone down at high temperature, to prevent battery and phone failure.

A few years ago, I remember walking around Kiev for several hours on end in -20°C with my Nokia N95 tucked in my jacket pocket. A few times I pulled it out and the screen was black and the phone wouldn't work. I had to stick it under my arm for like 10 minutes before it would work again. Very annoying.

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by Charlyee Feature phones faring better is definitely a surprise for me, and although there wasn't a detailed explaination given, I can speculate/gies at some of the factors. All in all, the article was interesting.

I would guess since they are more simple/basic there's less things to fail on them. In particular the screen, but maybe some other more complicated circuitry not found in dumb-phones.

Originally Posted by viewfly Nope dumb article. Regardless of source. Sorry. Leaves out the most important info for users who wish to protect their phones.

...which is...? That LiOn batteries are rated down to -20°C? True, they probably should have mentioned that. But they were just pointing out which phone was functioning overall at the lowest temp. Not telling you how you should operate your phone in certain conditions. That wasn't the aim of the article.

[josephd]

Originally Posted by dmapr And on the bright side, when they do find your frozen body (because you couldn't call 911) your heirs will have a perfectly functioning iPhone on their hands...

[Yankees368]

Ok, we will have to do this test over again to make sure the results were accurate. Everybody put their phones in the freezer and report back what happens. Make sure it is on the coldest setting, we have to be fair. Also, don't forget to spray it with water first, we want as much front on it as possible!
:-/

[viewfly]

I believe this MacWorld story is poor, because it leads one to believe that since something can be done, it can be done without adverse consequences. The authors of this article, didn’t think to ask that question at all! Even MacWorld is not perfect and my criticism is based on science, not bias.

I focused on the battery, because it is the weakest link. A phone with a dead or broken screen can generally still make phone calls (with voice commands or keyboard).

Li-ion battery internal impedance increases and output voltage goes down rapidly to 2.7 volts with lower temperatures (below 32F/0C). The phone measures this battery voltage to determine the displayed battery level. At 2.7 volts, the iPhone determines a dead battery condition, displays a battery warning and shuts the phone off. At very high temperatures, the voltage doesn’t rise really, but the iPhone measures the temperature, and if too hot, shuts the phone down, and the charging circuit, if that is being done. The phone circuitry is turning off the phone.

Why? Because charging or discharging a Li-ion battery outside the ‘sweet spot’, 32 to 45F, does irreversible damage to the battery. It the physics of Li-ion, even if the battery can be used to minus 20C/minus 4 F, damage is being done. The graph says that the battery will work at -20C, not that it was OK to do so, with no consequence.

A potentially bad situation: If someone is using a cell phone in very cold temperatures, they will see the battery meter go down very rapidly below 32F. If they are working outside, they may naively think that they need to charge it. They are damaging the battery by plating the anodes of the battery while at sub freezing temperature. But the article doesn’t cover this. FAIL.

The second problem? So after covering 15 odd phones in this article, one may chose one Nokia over another Nokia, or one Samsung over another, etc. The phone may remain on at 32F, 14F, or even down to 5F. But once in RF use, how long will the phone actually last? Answer: not very long as it begins to draw power to make a call: the discharge rates are faster at low temperatures too, and the battery Voltage is already low. They don’t really say how long any phone can be used at any temperature…another FAIL, without practical information.

This is why I find these articles so useless…because I am an experimental physicist and it just annoys me how poorly the information is written.

The saving grace reality here? These experiments were done in ‘cold ovens’ a phone by itself. In real life the phone is in your coat being warmed by your body, or even your hand when in use (we are at 98.6F) most of the time. I have used all my phones (Nokia, Moto and Apple) in sub freezing temperature (0Fto 32F)…with no problems…that is just how I use them. If it is 25F outside…your phone will not reach 25F for a long while…just like your gloveless hands don’t freeze right away.

So by shutting the phone down, the battery is not being discharged. The battery can be stored at much lower temperatures than it was meant to be in use.

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by Yankees368 Ok, we will have to do this test over again to make sure the results were accurate. Everybody put their phones in the freezer and report back what happens. Make sure it is on the coldest setting, we have to be fair. Also, don't forget to spray it with water first, we want as much front on it as possible! :-/

1. Put my Samsung Google Nexus into my Samsung freezer
2. The freezer promptly shut itself down to prevent the phone from freezing over

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by RadioRaiders I would guess since they are more simple/basic there's less things to fail on them. In particular the screen, but maybe some other more complicated circuitry not found in dumb-phones.

On a related note my Nokia 6131 has been extensively used at 15°-20° F, during pheasant hunting through 6 winters and still humming along. Just changed out the battery with my less used 6126.

I don't believe my Atrix will be able to match that performance, and no I am not putting the Atrix in the freezer to check it out.

Ofourse having physical keys as opposed to capacitive touch screen helps.

Originally Posted by dmapr Put my Samsung Google Nexus into my Samsung freezer The freezer promptly shut itself down to prevent the phone from freezing over

Hope the icecream didn't melt.


*Off topic* didn't know I could multi quote with Tapatalk - neat!


Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

[dmapr]

Originally Posted by Charlyee Hope the icecream didn't melt.

Oh crap!

[Elroy Stolle]

Just have a look at it.

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by viewfly Why? Because charging or discharging a Li-ion battery outside the ‘sweet spot’, 32 to 45F, does irreversible damage to the battery. It the physics of Li-ion, even if the battery can be used to minus 20C/minus 4 F, damage is being done. The graph says that the battery will work at -20C, not that it was OK to do so, with no consequence..

I read several other articles/reports about Li-Ion batteries (ex. this), and while most report a drop in performance at around -10°C, there's not too much said about how much damage is actually done to the battery. Anecdotal evidence says the affect on the battery life from using it in cold weather isn't much at all (charging seems to be alot worse). And anyway Li-Ion batteries deteriorate daily under normal use and aren't meant to live forever. Which is why there is a huge demand for after-market cell-phone batteries. For phones with non-removable batteries, like the iPhone, I can see how battery detrioration would be much more of a concern.

Originally Posted by viewfly This is why I find these articles so useless…because I am an experimental physicist and it just annoys me how poorly the information is written..

I can understand that as a physicist these kind of tests could annoy you, as they aren't actual "scientific experiments", however on the bright side, these kind of articles open up a conversation among people, like we are doing here, and as a result of this people research, talk, learn and become more informed as a result. And I think that's a good thing in the end

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by dmapr Put my Samsung Google Nexus into my Samsung freezer The freezer promptly shut itself down to prevent the phone from freezing over

If Apple made a freezer, would you only be allowed to put Apple products in it, and could only shop for food at a special Apple store?

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by viewfly I focused on the battery, because it is the weakest link. A phone with a dead or broken screen can generally still make phone calls (with voice commands or keyboard)..

That's true, with my Nokia N95 I couldn't see the screen and dial a number, so I assumed it was dead, but maybe the rest of the phone was actually still functioning. In the test of these 15 phones, the battery is most likely the weakest link, or at least one major variable. Speaking of which, the iPhone 4S has been receiving alot of complaints about premature battery drain (yes, still after iOS 5.0.1 update), which means it could be "sucking more juice" than other phones, and hence a slight drop in power due to a cold battery would have a greater effect (ie: the phone not having enough power and shutting off).

Apple 'Continues to Investigate' iPhone 4S Battery Drain, Despite iOS 5.0.1 | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by RadioRaiders If Apple made a freezer, would you only be allowed to put Apple products in it, and could only shop for food at a special Apple store?

If I had an Apple freezer, I would have it full of this:

Edy's®__Apple Pie Ice Cream



Unfortuantely, being an Apple freezer, there would be no room for this:

http://turkeyhill.com/products/premi...s.aspx?pID=148

[RadioRaiders]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue If I had an Apple freezer, I would have it full of this:

...I'd put ice-cream sandwiches in mine

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by RadioRaiders I can understand that as a physicist these kind of tests could annoy you, as they aren't actual "scientific experiments", however on the bright side, these kind of articles open up a conversation among people, like we are doing here, and as a result of this people research, talk, learn and become more informed as a result. And I think that's a good thing in the end

That would be refreshingly wonderful if it were the case. Mostly I'm seeing sarcasm and ribbing, and sheepish acceptance of the article's results.

So, to stay on the 'new topic', I would say, based upon google results, most people are constantly having problems with their smartphone's freezing, and at room temperature, due to plain old Android crashes....

It is 21 F out here today, and I have no worries during my 20 min walk to the office.

From the original article, here is the chart at the bottom. I missed it during the first reading, maybe others did too.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I think you would have to jailbreak your Apple freezer to put those in there...

Originally Posted by RadioRaiders ...I'd put ice-cream sandwiches in mine

[Irish Rose]

Either way it don't matter to me because me butt wouldn't get anywhere close to temperatures like that anyway, so neither would my iPhone.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk.

[goodboy]

Very interesting article.Very useful to me, I buy a mobile phone