If the Pixel 10 doesn’t have great battery life, there really is no saving Tensor

The switch to TSMC should result in Pixels with better battery life, but what if this doesn't happen?

May 26, 2025 - 15:10

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Google has used semi-custom Tensor chips for its Pixel phones since the Pixel 6 series back in 2021. However, it’s fair to say that these processors haven’t been a smashing success for the company.

One frequent complaint is that Tensor chips are underpowered compared to rivals, but we knew this from the start as Google publicly focused on real-world usage and AI tasks. What’s more worrying is that these phones have historically suffered from disappointing battery life compared to rivals. Things have improved with the Pixel 9 series, but colleague Joe Maring still expressed disappointment with the Pixel 9 Pro’s battery life. Meanwhile, the standard Pixel 9 trades blows with the standard Galaxy S24 despite having a much larger battery than the Samsung phone.