Microsoft's KIN: A Eulogy
by Brian Klug on July 13, 2010 3:42 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Microsoft
- KIN
- Mobile
Battery Life Testing
Battery life on the KIN was a shocker. It was superb.
Both of the KIN not only delivered above average call times of around 6 hours, but also 3G web browsing times of around 7. But the real shocker was WiFi web browsing battery life, which came in at around 13.5 hours. I ran this test twice on both phones because I was confused. It really lasts that long.
As a quick reminder, our web browsing benchmark loads a set of nearly two dozen webpages, pauses for 20 seconds on each one, and then loads the next page. None of the pages use flash, and the set loads endlessly until the phone's battery is exhausted. Screen brightness is set to 50%, and configured to remain on the whole time. Testing over WiFi is done in the same room as the AP.
For call time testing, we play music on repeat into the microphone of the phone and call another phone, also playing music into it. This simulates voice transmitted and received. The displays are also allowed to go to sleep as they would when used in a normal call.
The result of all this testing is the obvious conclusion that the KINs have incredible battery life. In fact, the WiFi battery life on these devices was nothing short of amazing. It's entirely possible that Sharp aggressively underclocked the NVIDIA Tegra APX 2600 to get these numbers, or that there's other throttling going on when the device is idle. We don't measure standby time yet, but whereas my HTC Incredible would be dead within 24 hours of being unplugged, the KINs would last multiple days in standby.
Performance in the browser wasn't stellar, but pinch zooming and other multitouch gestures felt snappy. At other times, the browser and UI would really feel choppy while scrolling. It was a mixed bag. One thing was for certain however, the JavaScript engine on the KIN browser was abysmally slow, so even though the browser felt decently fast for most browsing, the JavaScript heavy tests we run on smartphones gave very poor results.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
60 Comments
View All Comments
Brentcsi101 - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
someone saying "Droid X" anyone?? But come on... between Android and iOS, there is nothing right now that can compete with them.Diesel Donkey - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
You must have never used a Palm Pre or Pixi.mrjminer - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
Yea, I was going to get a Palm Pre... but the cost of the required plan was far more than what I'm willing to spend for a cell phone. I ended up going on Craigslist and getting someone to transfer their SERO plan over to me for $75. Can't really beat $35 a month (after taxes) for 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and unlimited data -- I can deal with using a Palm Treo Pro in the meantime.As for the Kin, I really like the form factor of the smaller one. However, it will be tough to decide between WebOS and Windows 7 Mobile, assuming HP actually continues development on WebOS.
Stuka87 - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
Why would anybody buy a phone from a company that no longer exist?mrjminer - Thursday, July 15, 2010 - link
..... "assuming HP actually continues development on WebOS."inspire - Friday, July 16, 2010 - link
Palm exists today just as much as Mobil does.mcnabney - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
The WebOS devices have fallen into the same category as the Kin. A nice try, but too little and too late. If the Pre had come out on schedule (two years ago!) they would have kept in the race and likely not have been acquired by HP.aebiv - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
Amazing how everyone is so quick to forget the most flexible and powerful mobile OS, Windows Mobile. Yes, Android comes close, but the roadmap for 3.0 doesn't look good locking down the UI more. Battery life? Why is it my HD2 with a smaller battery gets better battery life than the EVO? They're virtually the same phone hardware wise, just a difference in mobile OS.sprockkets - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 - link
"Amazing how everyone is so quick to forget the most flexible and powerful mobile OS, Windows Mobile."We forgot about it when the iphone and even others at the time made us realize how horrible it was to use.
Only thing keeping WM alive before ver 7 is HTC and their skin.
aebiv - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 - link
Horrible it was to use?How was it horrible?
Quit making generalizations and give some points.