Nokia Vows to Fix Lumia 800 Battery Woes
Smartphone users looking at the market and wondering what handset to buy this Christmas might have been hoping it was only the iPhone 4S battling battery problems.
First mentioned on Apple forums, then in hands-on reviews, users began reporting issues with the battery life of the new device a fortnight into its launch. Quick to drain even when the phone was inert overnight Apple had to act. First they issued advice on how to reduce battery consumption by switching off features, like location services. Then they announced an iOS 5.0.1 update which it was hoped would eliminate the problem once and for all.
While reviewers and users have been looking at this and expecting a follow up to “antenna-gate” – the sensor issue that marred the launch of last year’s iPhone 4 – the story has masked the same issue affecting another manufacturer with a device just launched.
Reports suggest it has only affected a minority of customers yet some Nokia Lumia 800 owners have complained they are having problems charging up their phone, and then seeing the battery life drain away quickly.
Nokia responded to the problem speedily. They confirmed there was a problem and posted online to let customers know they had two fixes in the pipeline. One would begin in December, the second in 2012. A quote on the Nokia website reads, “A software update in early December will include improvements to power efficiency, while a second update in early January introduces further enhancements to battery life and battery charging."
Whether waiting until the New Year to address the ability to charge the device successfully will put off users remains to be seen. Nokia reported that the Lumia 800 marked the most successful first week of sales the Finnish manufacturer had ever had. The device has also, reportedly, sold out in the UK. Not only is this good news for Nokia but also for Microsoft.
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