As much as there is to love about Google’s Pixel lineup, it’s occasionally had more than its fair share of issues. Tensor’s performance remains lackluster, Google is only now fixing its lifeless photo colors with the Pixel 10 series, and — perhaps worst of all — the intermittent battery problem seems to have reared its head once again.
From Pixel 6 cellular drain to faulty batteries in some A-series models, battery woes have long been the Pixel’s Achilles’ heel. Yet Google is charging more than ever for phones that still can’t match key rivals in arguably the most important metric for everyday users.
In fact, last year’s Pixel 9 series outperforms the Pixel 10 in some of our battery tests. Crucially, the new models seem to fare worse in more demanding tasks like video calls and content capture, though they do score wins in web browsing and video playback. At best, battery life might average out to around the same as last year’s models, but that’s hardly convincing for phones touting larger batteries and more efficient processors.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
To see exactly what the issue is, I dusted off my testing gear, grabbed the Pixel 10 Pro XL and its rival, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and ran some low-level power drain tests. The results: Pixels can have higher power draw with poor cellular signal, but also that the Pixel 10 Pro XL fared worse than last year’s model in some scenarios. Whether you spend a lot of time on Wi-Fi versus in poor signal areas can significantly impact whether your Pixel 10 makes it through the day.
While it’s difficult to investigate every conceivable use case, this isn’t the only concerning sign. Gaming power draw can also spike significantly on the new model in ways we haven’t observed in the previous generation. Thankfully, it’s not a consistent issue in every game, but it’s another potential contributor to more uneven battery life than we’d like.
When worst cases overlap, it's easy to see how some users experience terrible battery life when others don't.
Looking at all the data I’ve collected, I’m not suggesting that the Pixel 10 series has terrible battery life. However, there’s a considerable level of inconsistency that appears to be worse than last year’s model. When those worst cases start overlapping, it’s easy to see how some users experience terrible battery life while others make it to the end of the day with far fewer problems.
How do you feel about battery life on the Pixel 10 series? 1795 votes Great, I get through the day no problem. 37 % Consistently average. 31 % Very inconsistent. 19 % Bad all the time. 13 %
... continue reading