We subjected the Google Pixel 8 Pro to our rigorous SBMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in terms of battery life, charging and efficiency. In the results of these tests, we will analyze how it performed in a series of tests and in several common use cases.
Overview
Key Specifications:
- Battery capacity: 5050mAh
- 30W charger (not included)
- 6.7-inch OLED display, 1344 x 2992, 120 Hz
- Google Tensor G3 (4nm)
- Tested ROM/RAM combination: 512GB + 12GB
Pros
- Good battery life when gaming and streaming videos
- Decent battery life when using GPS navigation
- Low residual consumption of the wired charger
Against
- Poor battery life when streaming music
- Poor charging efficiency
- Higher than average discharge currents
The Google Pixel 8 Pro outperformed its predecessor, the Google Pixel 7 Pro, thanks to better experiences in terms of battery life, efficiency and charging, but the overall battery score remained below the average of our database.
When used moderately, the Pixel 8 Pro managed nearly 55 hours of battery life, just above our database average. Uses such as gaming and video streaming showed good battery life, but for other individual test cases, the performance was slightly below average. Battery life was poor when listening to music.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s charging experience was an improvement over the Pixel 7 Pro. Using wired charging, the device took 1 hour and 40 minutes to fully charge the battery, 30 minutes faster than the Pixel 7 Pro. But despite this improvement, charging time remains longer than average compared to other phones. With wireless charging, using the Pixel Stand 2, the battery was fully recharged in 2 hours and 34 minutes, a bit longer than other devices in our database.
The device’s charging efficiency was poor with both wired and wireless charging, and the chargers’ residual power was good regardless of whether the device was plugged in and fully charged. Regarding discharge currents, the Pixel 8 Pro showed higher than average consumption, especially when streaming music and scrolling social apps on the go, indicating that the device was not well optimized.
Compared to other Ultra-premium devices ($800+), the Pixel 8 Pro ranked in the middle of our database thanks to good battery life for this segment. However, the charging experience and efficiency were below average.
Test summary
Information on SBMARK battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests over a period of one week both indoors and outdoors. (See our introduction and how we test articles for more details on our smartphone battery protocol.)
The following section brings together key elements of our comprehensive testing and analysis performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
| Drums | Battery charger | wireless | Screen | Processor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | 5050mAh | 30W (not included) |
23W | OLED 1344 x 2992 |
Google Tensor G3 |
| Google Pixel 7 Pro | 5000mAh | 23W (not included) |
23W | OLED 1440 x 3120 |
Google Tensor G2 |
| Huawei P60Pro | 4815 mAh | 88W (included) |
50W | LTPO OLED 1220 x 2700 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
How the autonomy score is composed
The battery life score is made up of three performance subscores: Home/Office, On the Go, and Calibrated Use Cases. Each subscore includes the results of a full range of tests to measure battery life in all types of real-life scenarios.
78 hours
Light usage
Active: 2h30/day
55 hours
Moderate use
Active: 4 hours a day
34 hours
Intense use
Active: 7 hours a day
Home office
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a series of touch-based user actions during what we call our “Typical Usage Scenario” (TUS) (making calls, streaming video, etc.) – 4 hours of active use over the course of 16 hours. -a period of one hour, plus 8 hours of “sleep”. The robot repeats this series of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
In movement
116
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
Using a smartphone on the move puts a strain on battery life due to additional “hidden” needs, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellular network selection. SBMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a series of well-defined activities following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, subway…) for each device
Calibrated
110
Samsung Galaxy M51
Samsung Galaxy M51
For this series of tests the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our bots repeatedly perform actions related to a specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have consumed at least 5% of their battery charge.
In charge
116
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
How the charging score is made up
Charging is a full part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where battery life is at its lowest, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The SBMARK Battery Charging Score is made up of two sub-scores, (1) Full Charge and (2) Quick Boost.
Full charge
116
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Full charge tests evaluate the reliability of the battery charge indicator; measure how long and how much energy the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the user interface, and until actually fully charged.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) show the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the energy consumption in watts during the charging phases towards full capacity.
The charging curves, in wired and wireless mode (if available) show the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the energy consumption in watts during the charging phases towards full capacity.
Quick push
117
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), the Quick Boost tests measure how much charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The graph here compares the average battery life gain with a 5 minute fast charge.
Efficiency
95
Oppo Reno6 5G
Oppo Reno6 5G
How the efficiency score is composed
The SBMARK Energy Efficiency Score is composed of two sub-scores, charging speed and discharging speed, which combine both data obtained during a typical robot-based usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into account battery capacity of the device. SBMARK calculates the annual energy consumption of the product, shown in the graph below, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge Up
117
Nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
Nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
The charging subscore is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to the amount of energy needed to fill the battery compared to the energy the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when the phone is fully charged and still connected to the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The graph below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
86
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
The discharge subscore evaluates how quickly a battery discharges during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio between the capacity of a battery divided by its autonomy. A small capacity battery may have the same battery life as a large capacity battery, indicating that the device is well optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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