When discussing iPhone prices, most of the time the amount of money is pretty daunting. However, a new report coming from energy analytics firm Opower claims that the iPhone 5 costs a minuscule 41 cents a year to keep charged. Considering that the iPhone 5 boasts 8 hours of 3G talk time and 8 hours of cellular Internet browsing, the fact that it consumes less than half a dollar’s worth of energy a year is pretty impressive.

According to Opwer,

“iPhone 5: consumed 9.5 watt-hours to charge, taking 1 hour and 50 minutes. Maximum wattage was 6.3 watts, with an average of approximately 5.0 W. Multiplying 0.0095 kWh/day by 365 days = 3.47 kWh per year. Annual charging cost is projected to be $0.41/year.”

Now, recently the Samsung Galaxy S III has been mentioned quite a bit in relation to the iPhone 5. It comes in a bit higher than the fifth-gen iPhone at 53 cents a year to stay alive. Barry Fischer, one of the guys at Opower, had this to say on the matter:

“The paramount point here though is not the difference between the two phones, but rather their striking similarity: the energy consumption of a modern smartphone is minuscule”

What do you guys think? Are you surprised that a powerhouse phone like the iPhone 5 requires such little power to run? Sound off in the comments section below or hit me up on twitter @TiP_Jake.

Via: CNET