The new Pixel 5 was announced at a recent Google event and it comes with a few improvements over last year’s Pixel 4. This includes battery life thanks to a boost in mAh capacity. However, the milliamps on paper is only one of the changes Google has made with the Pixel 5 to ensure an improved battery experience.
With the flagship Pixel 5 and the budget Pixel 4a (5G), Google has officially joined the 5G race. Faster speeds might mean people using their phones more often and for heavier data-consuming reasons which can further impact on battery life. Google has had a tough run in the battery department for years. The Pixel 4 had a 2,800 mAh battery (the bigger size Pixel 4 XL featured a 3,700 mAh battery) which on heavy use would make all-day usage difficult.
Pixel 5 has pared down some features on the phone to fit in with the pandemic times. The company has downgraded the processor to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G, which also powers the OnePlus Nord. This bucks the flagship phone trend considering most premium devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, use the Snapdragon 865+. Also missing from the new flagship Google device is the Soli radar technology that lets the phone detect the user’s movements. Plus, unlike other premium phones, the Pixel 5 doesn't include a telephoto lens, opting for an ultrawide instead. Google’s announcement comes days after the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S20 FE, packing a 4,500 mAh battery.
What To Expect With Battery Life
Since the Pixel 5 features Snapdragon 765G silicon with an integrated X52 modem for 5G, battery drain will be lower overall. More milliamps doesn’t always mean longer battery life, but with Google adding a feature like Battery Share for reverse wireless charging, the figure could have been slightly higher than 4,080 mAh, or at least merit a ‘Pixel 5 XL.’ Nonetheless, Battery Share will help wirelessly charge one’s Pixel Buds, at the cost of the Pixel 5's daily battery.
Two other elements that will help reduce power consumption are the 6-inch FHD+ OLED display (which doesn’t consume too much power) and Extreme Battery Saver mode (which limits the phone’s features to keep it running for up to 48 hours). The device also supports 18-watt Qi wireless charging and 18-watt fast-charging. Overall, the Pixel 5 has seen changes, compromises and in some cases, features removed that would otherwise directly impact on the battery life. Therefore, despite lacking a top-end processor, many of the Pixel 5 decisions seem intentionally designed to offer a better battery experience than on previous Pixel phones.
Source: Google Store