Pixel 8 series plagued by battery drain and connectivity issues

Google can’t seem to get the better of the network and battery drain issues that have plagued Pixel phones in recent years, particularly since it started using custom Tensor processors in 2021. The Pixel 6, which was the first to feature a Tensor chip, was infamous for its poor connectivity. Most of those issues carried over to the Pixel 7 despite the company switching to a newer modem. It appears the newly launched Pixel 8 series has the same problems.

Pixel 8 users complain about heavy battery drain and poor connectivity

Google’s Tensor chips are manufactured by Samsung. They feature Samsung-made CPUs and Exynos modems. The first-gen solution had major connectivity issues with users suffering from frequent call drops. The modem was also a power hog and caused excessive battery drain on the device. The company used a newer modem on the Tensor G2 for the Pixel 7 but to no avail. Users noticed massive battery drains when using mobile data.

Now, as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro reach early buyers around the world, a similar story is unfolding again. Online platforms such as Reddit, XDA, and the Google support forum are full of reports about battery drain and connectivity issues. Users say their phones eat up the battery faster when mobile data is in use. If mobile data is turned off and the device is switched to a Wi-Fi connection, the battery lasts longer.

Pixel 8 users have also noticed that mobile data speeds on 5G are slower than they should be. On top of this, the devices are getting abnormally hot when mobile data is used for a prolonged period. An Android Police staff confirmed these issues on their Pixel 8 Pro. “When connected to a 5G network, the phone gets warm if I browse the web for over 5 minutes,” they said. “The battery life is noticeably worse on mobile data as well, with the phone getting around 4-4.5 hours of screen-on time over 12–14 hours of general use.”

The Tensor G3 has the same Exynos modem as the Tensor G2

An inefficient modem appears to be the root cause of the problem. The Tensor G3 chip that powers the Pixel 8 series has the same Exynos 5300 modem as the Pixel 7’s Tensor G2. The 2022 Pixels had these issues and they are coming this year as well. Google and Samsung don’t seem to have done enough to improve the efficiency and network reception of the modem.

Interestingly, switching to LTE-only mode seems to reduce the battery drain a little. You can do that by navigating to Settings > Network and internet > SIMs > [operator name] > Preferred network type. However, this means you won’t get a faster 5G connection. Hopefully, Google can fix the issues at least to some extent with a firmware update for the modem. Considering the recent history, we aren’t expecting radical improvements. Watch out for the November update in the coming days.