reading or listening to books

[AK Granola]

Random question. What uses up more phone battery, reading books or listening to audiobooks? Anyone compared these? I generally bring a small paperback (found only in thrift stores now!) that weighs about 6 ounces or less. But eventually I’ll run out and I’ll want to read on my phone (which I don’t like much due to the screen size), or listen to audiobooks. This would only be about 1-2 hours at night, but maybe there’d be enough of a difference in battery usage to drive my decision one way or the other.

[Atif Khan]

If you do consider returning to paper, may I suggest the sacrilege of tearing pages out of a book. Classics from used book stores (and Abe Books online) often come in small font sizes on diaphanous Bible paper. Weightless.

[Joe S]

Audiobooks should use way less battery than reading on your phone. The screen and GPU are what really drains your battery.

[Brad W]

On older iterations of iPhone software, listening to music wired or wireless used about 1% per hour battery. It’s all over the board now with current software. It may be a wash with screen on reading vs listening. Might be worth doing a test with your particular phone.

[Jerry Adams]

I listen to podcasts on Galaxy phone.  It consumes a few percent of the battery per hour.  I use bluetooth earbuds.  When I use the phone speaker it consumes more battery.  Turn the screen off.

Yeah, you just have to try it and see.  Note how much battery you have before and after a session.

Yeah, I hate reading my phone screen, too small an area.  Either micro type, or it’s like looking through a straw at a large document.

[Bill Budney]

Reading/screen time will burn more battery than sound and bluetooth. But they are two entirely different “sports”. I don’t find them interchangeable: audio while walking, and reading when I feel like reading. Just bring a larger battery pack: for this purpose, it’s probably worth the weight.

Try turning the phone sideways and enlarging the font.

[Iago Vazquez]

I prefer to read on my phone over audiobooks, but it has nothing to do with battery usage but rather with the experience. First, I just prefer reading to listening to a book. Second, I like to be able to listen to the sounds of nature and not tune out. For me listening is part of the immersive experience. I do not carry earbuds on outings. And I do not bring a portable speaker to blast the sounds of civilization onto the wilderness either.

The font size and color can typically be changed in the app to both minimize battery drainage and improve the reading experience.

But if I am going out for more than a night or two I bring my Kindle reader. Plenty of hours of reading without worrying about recharging and much more enjoyable than the phone. If you prefer reading to audiobooks, a dedicated e-reader may be worth the investment. If there is a significant travel component to the trip, it definitely comes with me.

[Jerry Adams]

some reading material I can read on my phone screen just fine, like this web site

some reading material isn’t formatted good.  Like in order to increase the font size so I can easily read it, one line doesn’t fit on the screen, so I’d have to sideways back and forth for each line.  Sometimes it works better to rotate the phone sideways but not always.

Sometimes easier to just listen with ear bud.  In one ear I can then use the other ear to detect mountain lions sneaking up on me.  Or enjoying nature.

[Miner]

If I’m hiking, listening makes sense. But if I’m taking a break or in camp, I’d rather read then listen unless I’m doing camp chores.  When I hiked the CDT and AT, I did a lot of reading during the day/evening (hiked alone most of the time) and had no problem keeping my phone charged for each section, but I did have a 20k battery bank.

That said, your screen will use more power then listening, if you are using earphones/earbuds. Using the phone speaker will drain more then headphones, but the screen on will still drain your battery faster then anything else. Though if you are using bluetooth earbuds instead of wired, you’ll have to consider how often you’ll have to charge them. You can reduce the power drain of the screen a little by reducing brightness.

[AK Granola]

I like reading better than I like listening, but it sounds like audiobooks are the way to go in the tent at night, to use minimal phone battery. So be it! it’s only for an hour or two before going to sleep. I won’t listen while on trail. If I distract myself on trail, I don’t pay attention to the trail, so why am I even there? I can even distract myself with thoughts, and I find I miss whole sections, can’t remember a thing about them, if I am too focused on something else.

[Kevin Babione]

I listen to a lot of audiobooks and will suggest you get a set of wired earbuds instead of going wireless for the simple reason that they’re a lot easier to find if you fall asleep while listening and one (or both) fall out.  I typically put just one earbud in (keeping the other available to hear the environment) – stereo isn’t an issue with audiobooks.  Also – If you’re one who might fall asleep while listening (like me), take advantage of the sleep timer.  It’s much less annoying to restart your book after 30 minutes when the timer expires than to find your place again with no clue how long you’d been asleep.

[Dan]

If you’re willing to carry a 6oz paperback, then maybe a kindle would be a consideration. Mine is 5.5oz. The backlit e-ink display lasts forever, so no light or battery needed. That is one of the luxury items I bring because I’m not a good sleeper, even at home, so I like to have something to do at night.

[David Sugeno]

I’m another e-reader user.  It’s a small amount of added weight, but a much more pleasant reading experience than a phone, and battery life is not a concern.  Many of my backpacking trips are during the winter when the nights are long, so I do a fair amount of night-time reading, making the weight of an e-reader well worth it.

[AK Granola]

Well, you guys have me convinced to look again at an old Kindle I have, inherited from one of my kids. If I can manage to get this thing operational (It’s a 5th generation Kindle I think), maybe it will be worth a try. At least with something this antique, I am not too worried if I inadvertently break it. Plus I can bring multiple books!

[Dan]

Sensible not to make an investment until you’re sure it’s going to work for you, but FWIW, the latest gen Kindle that is small and light costs about $110. It’s a loss-leader for Amazon – they make their money from the downloads – so sometimes they are even cheaper on sale.

[AK Granola]

I appreciate the suggestions of an e-reader. I have spent too much time now trying to resurrect my old Kindle, which will no longer connect to amazon. Given the planned obsolescence of these devices, I’m not inclined to get a new one. They won’t support this one, and i’ve tried every reddit suggestion I can find. I guess I’m back to audio books and thrift store paperbacks! At least with the paperback, it doubles as fire starter, especially if it’s dirty content. (jk)

[Kevin Babione]

Just don’t let your paperback get wet or it will become a brick that won’t even burn!

[AK Granola]

I’ve managed to find a way to use my old Kindle. It weighs 5.9 ounces so it’s not super lightweight, but I have yet to find a paperback book that is much lighter. So I may use it backpacking; we’ll see! Maybe on shorter trips but longer trips with heavy food carries, probably not.

I wasn’t ever able to get it to connect to Amazon to my Kindle account. But I did figure out how to sideload books from Project Gutenberg, and I can read them offline. That’s a bit limiting, only things out of copyright. But Ulysses surely is good for falling asleep in my tent at night!

[Terran]

I downloaded the app. Use my phone.

[Author]

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