system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: If cell towers need lots of power to send data, how does my phone have enough power to send back?

I was talking about 2 way radios with friend the other day and it just got me thinking about this. Is signal strength a combined send and receive measure on a cell phone?
gpt
A few things here.

First, the "signal strength" bar on your phone is entirely the receiving signal from the tower to your phone.

Second, sending data from your phone to the cell tower is one of the most power intensive things that your phone does. Simply being closer to the tower and being able to use a lower transmission power will greatly increase your phone's battery life.

Third, the cell phone tower has the advantage of being in an ideal location, high up with good line-of-sight to a large area. Plus, they have much better antennas than your phone so they can pick out much weaker signals than your phone can.