Pixel 8 users are complaining about poor battery life when using mobile data

One of the reasons I finally gave up on my Pixel 6 Pro and just took delivery of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the poor battery life that the phone has had since the first day I excitedly unboxed it. I had hoped that the 5000mAh battery that Google listed on the phone's specs sheet would deliver at least all-day battery life even for a power user like myself. The modem that Google gave the Tensor G1 chip powering the Pixel 6 series was not a Qualcomm Snapdragon X-series modem and failed to keep the phone connected at times and drained the battery too quickly at other times.

So Google upgraded to the Exynos 5300 modem for the Pixel 7 line but complaints about the battery life continued. And even though Google slightly increased the capacity of the batteries inside the Pixel 8 series, using the same Exynos 5300 modem has led users to once again complain about poor battery life. 

I'm not trying to be mean here, and I do miss some great Pixel AI-based features such as Hold for Me which allowed the Google Assistant to monitor a call when I was placed on hold and alert me when the other party returned to the phone. But I can't shake this feeling that when it comes to key components, Google is cutting corners.

As noted by Android Police, Pixel 8 series users are posting in the usual places. On Reddit, a Pixel 8 Pro user with the handle "dURDENN7" moved from the Pixel 7 to Pixel 8 Pro and wrote "With the Pixel 7, I could easily make it through the day with an average of 7-8 hours of screen time. However, with the Pixel 8, same apps, same usage, same routine, it struggles to reach 5 hours, or at most 6 hours with Wi-Fi. This is a phone that's €150 more expensive, with a supposedly "more efficient" processor, a larger battery capacity, a smaller and "more efficient" screen, and yet it's getting worse battery results."

She continues, "I believe the modem is partly to blame, or perhaps the configuration. Although I don't understand why it's still using the same modem as the Pixel 7 when this is supposed to be an improved version. Previously, I had no issues with mobile data usage and coverage. With the Pixel 8, I'm noticing worse coverage and the battery drains much faster, even without 5G enabled...They should fix this urgently because the current state of the battery is just pathetic, and it seems like Google either isn't aware or doesn't want to be."

On Google's support forum, "Dan L138" also has issues with the battery life on his Pixel 8 Pro. "Phone is a week old and battery performance is awful. Under 3hours screen time and it's at 20%. Checked system battery usage and network is using 75%. This has only started to happen over the past 2 days."

A Gold Product Expert suggested that the problem occurs when the phone is using mobile data. Under this theory, the battery is depleted as the phone keeps looking for 5G signals and switches back and forth between towers. "Dan L1238" wrote back to agree with this theory and said that he turned off 5G and WiFi calling which seemed to help. But as this Pixel 8 Pro owner wrote "Very annoying that I have to turn it off just to get decent battery usage from Google's new flagship. Hopefully a future update sorts these issues."

If you want to turn off 5G and stick with 4G LTE, go to Settings > Network & internet >SIMs> The name of your carrier > Preferred network type. The question is whether you want to give up a faster 5G experience for longer battery life. Considering that you spent your hard-earned money on a new flagship, you should not have to be making this decision. This comes back to my previous comment about Google cutting corners.

Hopefully, the monthly November update will fix the battery draining. But it is no surprise that both the iPhone 15 series and the Galaxy S23 line both use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X70 5G modem. Samsung won't even use an Exynos modem on its flagship line, why should Google? At this stage, Pixel buyers wouldn't mind spending more to have the best components inside their phone. Until Google understands this, the Pixel line will not be considered a serious competitor to the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S flagship phones.