Smartphones and 5G have not always been a love affair. The technology is known to be much more greedy than 4G, but this difference is much more noticeable on certain models.
Since the release of 5G, we know, the technology is more energy-intensive than the previous generation. However, this difference in consumption is not felt in the same way on all smartphones. If 5G for example melted the autonomy of the iPhone 12, the first smartphones from Apple to have been compatible, this is no longer really the case today on the latest Galaxy S23 from Samsung.
In question, the improvements in the modems used by smartphones, which are becoming more and more energy efficient, and which better support the 5G standard. Most recent smartphones behave quite well when 5G is activated, but this is not really the case with other models, according to data from Ookla’s latest report.
Tensor chips don’t like 5G
Ookla has measured the loss of battery life during 5G use of various smartphone chips, including the Tensor and Tensor G2, which are found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7. On Ookla’s report, we can see that the Pixel 7 lost 38% of autonomy over the period measured in 5G, against only 28% in 4G. The finding is worse with the Pixel 6, since it loses no less than 11% more when using 5G compared to 4G.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 does a little better, but still loses 9% battery life in the test. By comparison, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 uses just 6% more battery over 5G, supporting the manufacturer’s claims that its newer chips are much more power efficient.
5G and Pixels therefore do not go very well together for the moment. If you want to maximize the autonomy of your smartphone, we advise you to deactivate 5G networks in the settings, and particularly on Google devices. If you don’t need the extra speed that 5G brings, selecting 4G as the default choice in your SIM options seems like your best bet.