Google’s new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones were released on Thursday and diehard Android fans were excited. In fact, unlike Nexus phones from Google, the new Pixel phones even managed to generate some interest outside the enthusiast crowd thanks to the recent cancellation of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7. Android users are in search of a new star now that Samsung’s most recent flagship phone is more than seven months old, and Google’s first self-designed handsets could be just what the doctor ordered.
Early reviews were mostly positive, though bloggers who didn’t like the phones really didn’t like them. Google Assistant is a bright spot and the Pixel’s rear camera really shined as well, even managing to capture more impressive photos than Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus in many cases. But a new test reveals that there’s another key area where Google’s new Pixel XL is no match for Apple’s flagship phablet.
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There are a few features that always seem to be at the top of every list when consumers are surveyed about the things they consider most when buying a smartphone. Camera quality is absolutely near the top of the list each time, and the Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus both have you covered in this important area. The #1 answer is almost always battery life though, and Apple’s phablet beat the newest Google phone by a wide margin in one recent test.
Mobile blog Phone Arena put both phablets through its standard battery test, which is intended to measure how long a smartphone battery lasts during continuous “typical” use. According to the site’s tests, the new Google Pixel XL lasted for an admirable 7 hours and 19 minutes, one minute longer than Samsung’s Galaxy S7 edge. But the iPhone 7 Plus ran for 9 hours and 5 minutes, crushing the Pixel phablet by nearly 2 hours.
