Battery life and verdict
Battery life goes down after the first six months
Sections
- Page 1 Google Pixel 2 Review
- Page 2 Performance and Software Review
- Page 3 Camera Review
- Page 4 Battery life and verdict Review
Verdict
Google Pixel 2 – Battery life
Out of the box, the Pixel 2’s 2700mAh battery works well enough. When I first started using it, I managed to get just about a day of use from the Pixel 2, which is bog standard. A standard day entailed browsing the web for a couple of hours, taking a series of photos and streaming some Spotify and YouTube.
However, battery degradation started to creep in after around six months of use. Initially, the drop in life was barely noticeable and only occurred when I ran demanding processes, like 3D gaming. Playing PUBG Mobile the phone lost over 10% to 15% of its charge within 20 minutes.
But in the following months battery life fell off a cliff. These days the phone loses 10% of its charge playing music during my morning commute. I constantly need to give it a top-up charge before leaving the office and charge it again in the evening.
Thankfully, standby times remain excellent. Leave it unplugged overnight and you’ll lose only a few percent. The same is true if the device is unused in your pocket.
It also charges ridiculously quickly thanks to its USB PD fast charging tech. Expect to go from empty to full in 1hr 10mins with the supplied USB C charger and USB C to USB C cable. A 15-minute charge will see you regain about 30% of the battery too.
Related: Best Android phones
Why buy the Google Pixel 2?
Despite being near the end of its life as Google’s flagship smartphone the Pixel 2 remains a great phone. The Pixel 2 doesn’t have the alluring design of the iPhone XS or Galaxy S9 but performance is excellent and the camera remains one of the best on the market.
The only downside is that Google is still charging over £600 for the base model. With the fabled Pixel 3 expected to launch on October 9, this feels a little extortionate. As a result we’d recommend most buyers hold off parting with their cash unless they need a new phone this very second.
Verdict
A great phone, but its time in the sun is drawing to a close.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
