I'm using Lumia, but I've heard similar comments from users of other brands. It's just ridicilous that you need to charge the battery during a working day even with very moderate use, about a dozen phonecalls, a few text messages and hardly any internet use. What's the use of a navigator when you're walking around if you can use it only for less than an hour?
 
My previous, "conventional" Nokia E75, could navigate me mushroom picking for three hours, marking the good spots and guiding me back to my car, and I still could use it for the rest of the day. Now I need to carry the charger with me everywhere, and it still lets me down now and then. ANNNOOYYIIINNGG!

My Android recently started eating it's battery.
 
Coincidentally, I over heard a conversation at lunch the other day where some one claimed the new OS on his iPhone 4S caused the battery to get sucked dry.
 
???
 
 

 I think the more recent iOS update cleared that up. For one thing, the update installs and launches with bluetooth on. If you don't know it's on there goes at least 20% of your battery if you don't use bluetooth.
 
 One thing I can say is that I have never ran out of battery on my iphone 4. I put it in a charger every night. Maybe eventually it will happen. 
 
 

I don't have an answer to the inquiry, but will be seeking the same eventually. These smartphone batteries.... well they just suck. Batteries. I predict the next big investment trend will be in long-lasting battery storage when they finally figure it out.  I want a smartphone where I can go at least a week without re-charging. Instead, when I am at work, or at home, I just automatically put it on a charger so I know it will be ready. Maybe my next phone will be the older basic flip-phone type that just takes phone calls and pictures. The heck with everything else. At least their charge lasted a week.

I ended up having to buy a Morphie battery case last June when I spent 3 weeks in Vegas installing a trade show.  Expensive, but it doubled my battery life.  

+1 for the Morphie charging case. I've never been caught with a dead phone since I had it.

i think 4-6hrs of use was like 3-4 years ago?.. i get a day and a half out of the Galaxy S3 typically, and still a solid 10 hrs with very heavy use...

well look at the published "specs" and even the on-board projected expectations for usage/life and they are magical..
 
In real life use, it is far different, I have an Android now ( I had IOS devices) and went through all the steps about disabling radio, only wifi, killing running processes, bla bla
 
I mostly text don't use apps use wifi and sometimes can get a day and a 1/3 . sometimes I have to charge the same day..
bottom line there are "fixes" to slim down battery usage,, bur its a crap shoot
 
OHHh in the "old" days bag phones and flip phones you could go for days,, BUT that was archaic electronics that didn't have a huge structure