I Changed 8 Settings On My Motorola Phone To Significantly Improve The Battery Life

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Google's Pixel phones aren't nan only ones pinch battery-saving secrets to explore. Motorola offers almost arsenic galore features wrong its menus. After 3 weeks pinch nan Moto Razr Ultra and separately, nan Moto G Stylus 2025, I discovered a fistful of tweaks hiding successful plain show that you'll apt find connected your Motorola instrumentality if you cognize wherever to look.

1. Battery Saver keeps nan lights connected erstwhile your gauge hits nan red

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Battery worry is nan worst, and Battery Saver is simply a no-brainer characteristic that helps astatine conscionable nan correct time. Standard Battery Saver steps successful astatine nan 20% mark, dims nan interface, drops nan surface refresh rate, and pauses immoderate non-essential inheritance information that mightiness usually eat distant astatine nan artillery complete time. Calls, texts, and mapped navigation still break through, but almost everything other waits until you plug successful again. It's an easy and effective solution.

Also: 6 hidden Android features each personification should cognize - and really they make life easier

Open Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and pat Standard Battery Saver. While you're astatine it, caput into Schedule and Reminders to group a default artillery level that will trigger erstwhile nan characteristic turns connected automatically for you.

Maximum Battery Saver goes moreover further by freezing unrecorded wallpapers, shutting down Moto Actions, forcing a 15-second surface timeout, and moreover deactivating nan 5G modem. I group my astir basal apps to bypass these drastic changes truthful I tin enactment safe and connected to mission-critical tasks.

2. Adaptive Battery locks freeloading apps successful nan backmost room

Most applications dream to summation inheritance privileges, but fewer merit unfettered access. Adaptive Battery studies your habits, spots nan apps you seldom open, and moves them into a restricted bucket that ramps these devices down erstwhile they're not successful use.

Head into Settings > Battery > Adaptive Battery to move nan characteristic on, and from there, Android handles nan gatekeeping while increasing much meticulous complete clip arsenic it gathers information astir your usage.

3. Adaptive Brightness handles nan dimmer move pinch nary other effort

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Screens are often nan number 1 user of artillery connected smartphones. Adaptive Brightness is present to help, utilizing an ambient ray sensor to prime a comfortable brightness level for your environment. Over time, it monitors really you manually tweak your settings successful different environments and refines those automatic settings moreover further.

Also: The champion Motorola phones you tin buy, and wherever nan caller Razr ranks

Enable nan characteristic successful Settings > Display > Adaptive Brightness. Remember to springiness it a fewer weeks to study your usage. That's erstwhile nan benefits show.

4. Efficiency-First refresh rate, soft capable and acold leaner

High-refresh displays look amazing, nary question, but they tin dramatically effect artillery life. The Razr Ultra tops retired astatine a whopping 165Hz, successful fact, and that complaint tin effect longevity during dense usage days. I sometimes move to nan 60Hz Efficiency mounting earlier recreation sprints. Sometimes, I'd alternatively opt for 120Hz, which looks astonishing while still being a redeeming from nan max mounting connected nan Moto Razr.

Change nan complaint by going to Settings > Display > Display Refresh Rate > Efficiency First for 60Hz operation, aliases Smart & Balanced for 120Hz.

5. A shorter surface timeout trumps camera-based look detection

Jason Howell/ZDNET

If nan surface isn't on, it isn't depleting battery. That truth makes nan surface timeout mounting 1 of nan easiest ways to alteration artillery life connected smartphones. I mostly take a 30-second timeout for astir occasions, but sometimes I'll bring it down to 15 seconds to make it done tech events for illustration nan Consumer Electronics Show.

Also: This $300 Motorola has a amended artillery life and show than immoderate flagships - astatine half nan price

Motorola offers Attentive Display, which keeps nan surface lit up arsenic agelong arsenic it sees your face, but beryllium careful. As well-intentioned arsenic that characteristic is, it requires nan selfie camera to occurrence repeated checks, and that attack burns artillery successful nan process.

Open Settings > Display > Screen timeout and group your preferred delay. Leave Attentive Display abnormal truthful nan camera tin enactment disconnected and your artillery tin breathe.

6. Dark Mode lets OLED pixels return a nap

OLED panels tie almost nary powerfulness erstwhile pixels enactment black. A imperishable acheronian theme, therefore, acts for illustration a free power rebate. I unrecorded wrong Dark Mode almost full-time, but nan sunrise-to-sunset schedule still delivers a respectable boost for anyone who prefers a agleam daytime palette.

Flip nan move successful Settings > Personalize > Dark Mode and prime Dark aliases Transition. You could moreover spell 1 measurement further and group a pure-black wallpaper connected your location surface truthful unused pixels enactment disconnected much often. Every small spot helps.

7. Turn disconnected Mobile Data Always Active wrong Developer Options

Jason Howell/ZDNET

Android keeps nan cellular modem awake while Wi-Fi handles data, truthful you ne'er consciousness a handoff delay. However, that readiness comes astatine nan costs of dependable current. I move that emblem disconnected and judge a half-second region erstwhile moving distant from connected Wi-Fi, which is simply a reasonably unnoticeable tradeoff for artillery gain.

Also: Why I urge this $200 Motorola complete phones that costs doubly nan price

This characteristic is simply a spot hidden, though, truthful carnivore pinch me. First, unlock Developer Options by opening Settings > About phone, tapping Build number 7 times, and activating Developer Options. Then unfastened Settings > System > Developer options, scroll to Mobile Data Always Active, and disable it.

8. Optimized Charging guards tomorrow's artillery health

Lithium cells dislike to beryllium astatine afloat voltage for hours connected end, which is often nan lawsuit erstwhile we plug our devices successful overnight. Optimized Charging studies your nightly routine, holds nan artillery astatine 80% astir of nan night, and tops up to afloat conscionable earlier your siren rings.

You tin activate nan characteristic nether Settings > Battery > Optimized Charging. Fewer peak-voltage hours should grow nan lifespan of your battery, truthful you tin support your instrumentality moreover longer.

Also: This $500 Motorola proves you don't request to walk much connected flagship phones

Whether you bought a Motorola smartphone for its foldable nostalgia aliases that useful stylus, these 8 adjustments should support you from experiencing a nasty lawsuit of artillery anxiety.

Follow my latest tech reviews and projects crossed societal media. You'll find maine connected YouTube at YouTube.com/@JasonHowell, connected X (formerly Twitter) at @JasonHowell, and connected Instagram at Instagram.com/thatjasonhowell.

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