Good upgrade? - Google Pixel 4a Questions & Answers

I'm looking at the pixel 4a as a replacement for my Huawei Mate 10 Pro.... my main usage is photos, whatsapp, instagram, youtube, email - no gaming.
Wondering if this is even worthwhile? Will I be disappointed with battery life?

If the Mate 10 battery life was anything like the Mate 9 (which I had before the 3a) then you might be disappointed with battery life. I could usually get about 36 to 48 hours of battery out of that thing. But the 4a is somewhat better than the 3a. Your usage sounds similar to mine. I can get around 20 hours on the 4a currently. I have A11 on it also and that might be helping matters.
Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

Should be fine with that. I can almost squeeze 2 days out of mine. I use mine similar to yours. It's no xperia phone but they did pretty good with battery on this one.

The other day, I went to bed with 6 hours screen on time, and it had 22% remaining. I don't know about your old phone, but this is significantly better than my old lgv20. I have no complaint about the battery.

My last was M10Pro. P4a getting daily 7hr SOT with 50% at bedtime. Obvious differences but battery is better on P4a for my usage.

major_major said:
My last was M10Pro. P4a getting daily 7hr SOT with 50% at bedtime. Obvious differences but battery is better on P4a for my usage.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, some decent replies - specifically is there anything else moving from the M10Pro you'd say was a big pro/con?

Mostly screen and device size, both are pro for me on P4a but that's a personal determination.

major_major said:
Mostly screen and device size, both are pro for me on P4a but that's a personal determination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think I'd actually prefer a slightly smaller handset - I think my main concerns for moving away from M10P was if battery was going to be at least as good and I was hoping photo quality would be better. Also the added benefit of moving away from huawei to make sure I get clean android with plenty of guaranteed updates.
I think the only other thing worrying me a little are these recent reports of touch screen issues from people moving to A11.

CRNeo said:
I think the only other thing worrying me a little are these recent reports of touch screen issues from people moving to A11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you install a screen protector. I never do and have had no issues with A11 touch sensitivity/accuracy.

Related

Got a new Pixel. Battery Life sucks. Is it normal?

Hello,
I've sold my S7 and bought a Pixel phone because of updates and design. It is very elegant phone and very very fast. But I've got a problem, battery life sucks seriously.
Here's some screenshots.
Because it is a new Pixel, don't think there is a faulty. I did Geekbench 4 battery benchmark and got 1700-2000 points and got over 162k Antutu.
Is it normal? Should I roll back to Nougat? Or else I will send it back and Pixel XL. I cannot afford Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL.
Rolling back to Nougat will do nothing good. Did you buy a new Pixel or an used one?
Same here. Bought a used Pixel 128 GB model last week that provides only 3 hours of SOT with normal usage (browsing, music, videos).
It's on Oreo 8.1 with latest security patch and NFC, location turned off. Still no good.
Excluding gaming, for chrome browsing, reddit, YouTube and Instagram plus a few other misc apps, I get approximately 3.5 hours on data and 4+ on wifi. Rma brand new set from Oct 17.
SD 820 is not really known for its battery efficiency vs the 835.
raffaels said:
Hello,
I've sold my S7 and bought a Pixel phone because of updates and design. It is very elegant phone and very very fast. But I've got a problem, battery life sucks seriously.
Here's some screenshots.
Because it is a new Pixel, don't think there is a faulty. I did Geekbench 4 battery benchmark and got 1700-2000 points and got over 162k Antutu.
Is it normal? Should I roll back to Nougat? Or else I will send it back and Pixel XL. I cannot afford Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first 5 apps listed are using about 50% of your battery. On my pixel XL I could easily get 8 sot if I wanted. You should look for ways to reduce battery useage, like battery optimization and limiting power to apps not in use. What does the acc battery app say your battery health is? My battery preformed better after installed dp2, but was very good before installing dp2, it just got better.
I've got 100% battery health. Now I get 3-4 SOT, 10-14 hours standby. It is not the best, but it's ok.
How can you limit power to apps not in use? You mean deactivating background process? I did that already.
raffaels said:
I've got 100% battery health. Now I get 3-4 SOT, 10-14 hours standby. It is not the best, but it's ok.
How can you limit power to apps not in use? You mean deactivating background process? I did that already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That doesn't sound particularly bad. I normally end a day on about 20-30% with 3 hours of screen time or so. I know it's a bit of a cliche, but it really is hard to compare two setups like for like. Even SOT is not a great measure because if you watch a 2 hour downloaded movie on Netflix with low screen brightness (for example) that will consume A LOT less power than playing a game or browsing the web for 2 hours... but both will just show on battery stats the same. Let's not get into whether you are a user of Google location services (for things like Google fit or Assistant etc), or streaming Podcasts over bluetooth...
Some people have already reported better battery life on Android P - though I take that with a slight pinch of salt as every Android release supposedly did that already.

Highly disappointed with battery and heating

So 2 weeks with the phone. I absolutely love it, except for this huge problem. Is this normal??:
- It gets very overheated quickly, specially with camera or videocalls.
- Battery life is the worst one I have ever experienced. It will go from 100% to 15% in around 8h with 2,5h SOT. It's insane. Exact same setup with pixel 2 XL, lasts double
Do you think might be a damaged device? I tried ofc clean flash. Both Android 9 and 10 beta. Same issue...
Thank you
I've been having pretty bad battery life myself. Average of 3 to 3.5hrs SoT. Usually need a pick up charge during the day before bed.
Really annoyed cuz I love this phone. I've been trying out OnePlus 7 Pro and S10+. Don't like Samsung, used to love them, but I just hate that UI and their apps they push on you. OnePlus is amazing in terms of everything but the camera, and that is a big thing for me. OnePlus 7 Pro has been really great in performance, battery, everything, but the camera which is pretty mediocre.
I'm returning my OP7 Pro and going back to my Pixel 3. While I love the speed and smoothness of the 7 Pro, the camera is really bad. Too bad to compromise. Returning it and going back to my pixel 3 which also suffers crappy battery, but the camera is still the best
Yeah the battery life is mediocre, you would think they would have added some kernel profiling for such. Pubg eats battery when I play it and it gets so hot it's rather concerning. But on the plus side, it makes my wife put her phone down when she's riding on empty.
I might not be a power user but I get solid 5h SOT with DP3. Sometimes I can reach 6h SOT.
Standy by is around 14-16h, so it last a day.
As I am using DP3, I dont have any custom kernel not even root.
Signal at home sucks, I use wifi. But leaving home gives me the same result. If I stay in a place with good signal I can get even more.
Exactly the same issues I'm having. Overheating might usage and battery drain is horrendous.
Used the s10e with the same issues unfortunately. So went back to the pixel 3 knowing these compromises.
I think you may have a wakelock issue or a bad battery. I am running q beta 3 and still am at ~50 % after 11 hours
Dr-akbar said:
Exactly the same issues I'm having. Overheating might usage and battery drain is horrendous.
Used the s10e with the same issues unfortunately. So went back to the pixel 3 knowing these compromises.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think the pixel 3 is a good value phone today ?
I can have pixel 3 black in 128go for 400 € so I'm hesitating .....
Did the lasts updates improved battery life ?
Or it is more efficient to change the kernel to improve battery life ?
Thanks for your advices ?
Well after some days I have to say battery improved. It's not dramatic now but still being very weak. I changed location so maybe it's related to signal
For me now the dramatic point is the heating. There must be a bug or something, when you use front camera. It gets extremely hot. Videocalls are totally awful then
Gesendet von meinem Pixel 3 mit Tapatalk
totib38 said:
Do you think the pixel 3 is a good value phone today ?
I can have pixel 3 black in 128go for 400 € so I'm hesitating .....
Did the lasts updates improved battery life ?
Or it is more efficient to change the kernel to improve battery life ?
Thanks for your advices ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the phone is great in all other aspects. I am currently on Android Q beta 3 and the issues are the same from the time of purchase last October.
Regarding using custom kernels, I'm not into unlocking my phones and rooting nowadays so can't help you in that.
However if you are not into heavy gaming or editing, I've heard the 3a lineup performs better in regards to battery life. Might want to check them out before you decide.
I've been with beta for a while. Battery sucks but no overheating. This is the same with the official pie firmware.
I just got used to this and to be honest this happens with previous pixels.
It's an Android feature ?
I'm loving the size, camera and future navigation gesture.

Pixel 3a XL battery life

I knew battery life would be great, taking into account the mid-range CPU and small (by todays standards), low-res screen.
But on this youtube test, the 3a XL wiped the floor with these phones,
and had half an hour more endurance over the Zenfone 6, which has a monstrous 5000mah battery.
These are excellent results.
Edit: changed title to battery life, since I find no dedicated discussion.
The did not have the Moto G7 Power in that test. The battery life on the Moto G7 Power is incredible.
alphahere said:
The did not have the Moto G7 Power in that test. The battery life on the Moto G7 Power is incredible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True. I've seen people reporting 12-14hrs sot. But the G7 power has a 26% bigger battery and an even lower mid-range processor.
I've got 7.5 hours of screen on time with auto brightness, Bluetooth, and wifi always on and still had about 30% remaining. 10 hours+ of SOT is totally possible.
Geo411m said:
I've got 7.5 hours of screen on time with auto brightness, Bluetooth, and wifi always on and still had about 30% remaining. 10 hours+ of SOT is totally possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got 7 hours sot, but with a ton of music streaming, Facebook, and phone calls. Sitting at 18%. Pretty sure I could get to 8. This is on Q beta.
What do you guys think of this drain test? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thBrVRTqXVQ&t=104
It is weird, makes no logical sense and contradicts many other comparisons..
dezz said:
What do you guys think of this drain test? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thBrVRTqXVQ&t=104
It is weird, makes no logical sense and contradicts many other comparisons..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think he's a good reviewer. He also has a strong bias for a lot of the china phones like xiaomi, vivo, huawei etc.
For the purpose of this thread, I've been averaging over 7 hrs SOT with over 1.5 days usage easy. Mixed LTE and WIFI use.
i had 10 hours of the span of 3 days.I do a lot of battery test with my pixel and my poco and my other phones and even pixel is above poco on the battery sot.
JimboTheDeveloper said:
i had 10 hours of the span of 3 days.I do a lot of battery test with my pixel and my poco and my other phones and even pixel is above poco on the battery sot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any specific measures to achieve that sot?
dezz said:
Any specific measures to achieve that sot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say disable Wellbeing for sure turn on saving mode ,use grayish theme,and a dark wallpaper,and restrict ur apps to not work when they are closed.I have mine all closed except messenger cause i notice that dont get my messeges. Usually i have 3 days and more and around 10 hours sot but i was editing a lot of pictures on snapseed and lightroom,and that can drain battery by a decent amount.
dezz said:
What do you guys think of this drain test? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thBrVRTqXVQ&t=104
It is weird, makes no logical sense and contradicts many other comparisons..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm obviously late to the party, but from what I gather, the screen and SOC are power-efficient compared to high end phones. The radios (wifi, bluetooth, LTE, etc) are not, though. So in the Youtube video you posted (2-DAY Drain Test), the guy started off by using four hours of Youtube, which requires data. Whereas the video by Mrwhosetheboss only has things going on locally (on the phones) until the last tests.
Veiran said:
I'm obviously late to the party, but from what I gather, the screen and SOC are power-efficient compared to high end phones. The radios (wifi, bluetooth, LTE, etc) are not, though. So in the Youtube video you posted (2-DAY Drain Test), the guy started off by using four hours of Youtube, which requires data. Whereas the video by Mrwhosetheboss only has things going on locally (on the phones) until the last tests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is very interesting insight!
Mine been running for around 48h for my normal day to day use with 15-20% left. For comparison my previous LG V30 with same usage that lasted one day, one night and was at 5% around 22:00-23:00 next day.
I'm pretty happy especially that no optimization or dark mode yet (running Pie)
Hope to see few % extra on android Q
Android Q beta 5 9 hours sot
Like the title says, I'm on Q beta 5, stock, no root or special apps like naptime, only disabled a few apps that allowed it like Google Play music.
Close to 9 hours SOT with 11% still in the tank.
This is awesome.

Battery on the regular Note 10

I know its too early to tell yet, but id be really interested to hear how the battery is fairing up, I have the S10+ atm and really like the smaller Notes form factor, seems the perfect size for me. Ive compared my phone to the Note and it does feel like a downgrade in a few area's, but yeh really interested in the battery really. Thanks.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Battery life is mediocre at most, maybe 1 full day with medium use, nothing exceptional.
Yea I bought it. Was expecting a little more from it battery. I knew this would be an issue going into it but did t realize it would be so bare minimum.
I purchased the regular Note 10. I'm only on day 3. I'm happy with the battery life. The 1st day I used it I got between 5.5-6 hours SOT and that was mostly WiFi. I charged it and took it off the charger at 2am to see how it drained overnight. I woke up and it was at 95% after being idle for 7 hours. I went to work with the phone and my stats from yesterday was 4.5 SOT with almost 24 hours being off the charger.
I think I use the phone pretty regular. Most of my user is from YouTube and Netflix. With yesterday's use I watched the 1st half of the Jets vs Saints.
So far I think its a little better then Pixel 3. Thanks to my recent increased use and Pixel 3 I started freaking out and plugging in charger all the time, need to go back to normal use where you unplug in the morning and plug back in before bedtime.
Here are some screen shots of my user of the regular Note 10. I'm at almost 16 hours off the charger. It's 9:20pm here. The battery life is better than my S10. I'm going on vacation tomorrow, depending how the photos are for me trip will determine if this phone is a keeper. So far I'm happy.
Thanks for everyone's replies, I'll wait a bit until I bite the bullet and thats if I do. I'm happy with the s10+ battery, obviously it won't be as good as that but I'll wait to hear more info on it. Cheers.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Here is a comparison with mixed usage on both Notes https://youtu.be/IrX0rp_Bnbw
Iam feeling the same way. I have pulled the trigger on the plus model mainly because i got it at a good price, and for the bigger battery plus i kinda feel that it's the real note 10 and the smaller version just seems like a downgrade.
Iam having some regrets now though after handling both in person. I just much prefer the size of the smaller note 10 and iam telling myself that the battery should be good enough to last a full day which is all we need really. Expandable storage isn't an issue as 256gb is more then enough for most users (certainly for me)
Iam now tempted to return my plus model when it arrives even though deep down i love that on paper it's technically the superior device. I wish the smaller note had a bigger battery, quad HD screen and the depth sensing camera.
If they had of just made one model somewhere in the middle in terms of size with maybe a 6.5 screen it would have been perfect but oh well.
It's ironic too that most ppl love the idea of a bigger screen but how many of us actually take advantage of that and make use of it. Most of us use our phones to communicate with each other so why do we even need bigger screens? Nice to look at but that's kinda it or am i wrong?
Blaalad12 said:
It's ironic too that most ppl love the idea of a bigger screen but how many of us actually take advantage of that and make use of it. Most of us use our phones to communicate with each other so why do we even need bigger screens? Nice to look at but that's kinda it or am i wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ehh media consumption? Many people play games too.
Well I couldn't wait any longer and have the regular Note 10 coming tomorrow. I still have my S10+. I just hope the battery doesn't spoil it for me. With my S10+ I never worry about the battery because its never let me down. But I love the size of the Note 10. Like alot of people have said its just a shame they had to strip it down so much compared to the Note 10 plus. Anyway I have 14 days to compare. I'm really excited to see how i get on, hope its not a let down. If it is then I'll wait on the S11 or even the next huawei phone. I had the Huawei Mate 20 pro just before the S10+ and it was great phone. I think I just like to try new things.
Best I've got yet
Image didn't show but it was
6hrs 21min SOT
14hr 8min on battery
That's not too shabby
Fille84 said:
Ehh media consumption? Many people play games too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i mean is that there are a lot of people that crave a bigger screen but dont even take advantage of it when they have it! Some people dont need a bigger screen but want it anyway imo!
James.Markham0757 said:
Best I've got yet
Image didn't show but it was
6hrs 21min SOT
14hr 8min on battery
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Click to collapse
I don't have an image to post but I have gotten similar SOT and standby battery life as you have. I've been able to nearly squeeze 6.5 hours of SOT and got over 24 hours of standby time. I would get better if I didn't keep locations services on full blast all the time plus I have a few survey apps running at all times which also use location/data services so that dings my battery. If you aren't using those things it'll likely be even better. I am totally fine with this battery life.
mtweisenbarger777 said:
I don't have an image to post but I have gotten similar SOT and standby battery life as you have. I've been able to nearly squeeze 6.5 hours of SOT and got over 24 hours of standby time. I would get better if I didn't keep locations services on full blast all the time plus I have a few survey apps running at all times which also use location/data services so that dings my battery. If you aren't using those things it'll likely be even better. I am totally fine with this battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow that's great. I keep Bluetooth active for my gear s3 but not location. What kind of settings are you using?
I have an exynos standard note and like the S10/S10+ before it I would describe battery as acceptable but IMO below par. What bugs me is that it drops at quite a steady rate just sitting there doing nothing, goes from 100 to 99% within a few minutes of coming off charge and continues on from there.
Overall on my Note 10 exynos, the battery is really good. You have to put apps you dont want running in the background to sleep.
AOD I set to tap to show + aodNotify app to wake it up with incoming notifications + edge lighting. Power savings mode when at 50%. Mostly on wifi, no gaming and some light youtube usage.

Question Poor Battery

Got the pro delivered today. Ive noticed battery life is quite poor. Dropping 5-10% every 30 mins or so. Battery usage seems to suggest the google app is using about 25% of the battery. Usage is nothing over the top. Coming from a pixel 5 with excellent battery
trevagreene said:
Got the pro delivered today. Ive noticed battery life is quite poor. Dropping 5-10% every 30 mins or so. Battery usage seems to suggest the google app is using about 25% of the battery. Usage is nothing over the top. Coming from a pixel 5 with excellent battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude it's your first setup and install. Give it a day or two. Normal. I have used the 7 and 7 pro now for 3 weeks which is great.
wildlime said:
Dude it's your first setup and install. Give it a day or two. Normal. I have used the 7 and 7 pro now for 3 weeks which is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea. I agree. But drain seems very rapid. Just dropped 3% since i posted the question. Will wait a few days and report back
wildlime said:
Dude it's your first setup and install. Give it a day or two. Normal. I have used the 7 and 7 pro now for 3 weeks which is great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hows the face unlock and fingerprint ? Fast and responsive or laggy ?
Iam waiting for my 7pro and iam affraid about problems from 6 series
saiiint said:
Hows the face unlock and fingerprint ? Fast and responsive or laggy ?
Iam waiting for my 7pro and iam affraid about problems from 6 series
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pixel 6 fp issues are mostly fixed now because of software updates
trevagreene said:
Got the pro delivered today. Ive noticed battery life is quite poor. Dropping 5-10% every 30 mins or so. Battery usage seems to suggest the google app is using about 25% of the battery. Usage is nothing over the top. Coming from a pixel 5 with excellent battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just try to charge it fully and use it for a few more days, also for new phones there will always be updates for battery issues!
Been using both 7 series for 3 weeks. Fingerprint is perfect. Hardly use it with face unlock though
wildlime said:
Been using both 7 series for 3 weeks. Fingerprint is perfect. Hardly use it with face unlock though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK...let's have it...how in the world have you been using the phone(s) for the last three weeks?
It's a 5nm(or 4nm) Samsung fab made SOC, it's going to have poor efficiency.
jaseman said:
OK...let's have it...how in the world have you been using the phone(s) for the last three weeks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because I work for a network in the UK. Only allowed to talk about them after launch
I'm not sure if others have issues with battery drain and I did see the article on display on the Pixel 7 Pro being a battery killer...but after using the phone for a few days now, I can confirm that the phone, software, all the fancy features are absolutely great but the battery sucks. This phone is a battery killer indeed. I'm monitoring with accubattery and trying greenify but no luck yet. I have even tried keeping the Smooth Display disabled/turned off (to prevent refresh rate being increased to 120 Hz) but the brain drain literally is insane. I am not an expert and I am not sure if more battery charge cycles, optimization through phone use etc will help over time either. I have tried restricting battery use for many apps as well and tried disabling background data for some apps - no luck on this one too. Hopefully the underlying cause can be fixed with some usual Google software patch magic...if not, it's going to a year of battery misery I guess. I'm curious to hear others experience and any suggestions. Thank you.
I am on the same page when it comes to battery... I have the 7 Pro and since 6PM last night it dropped to 38% with only 1h 45 min of SOT... That is never going to get close to even 3h of SOT.
It is on 1440p and 120hz but still, I don't think this is ok.
Mine is so much better than what my P6P was, yesterday i had 54% left after 17 hours off charge and playing with it given its a new toy, My P6P would have been down to 20%'ish.
I've lost 20% today (since 6.20am) but i have had Poweramp playing music for a couple of hours, i have been out and about taking photos and i made a 30 minute call.
MrBelter said:
Mine is so much better than what my P6P was, yesterday i had 54% left after 17 hours off charge and playing with it given its a new toy, My P6P would have been down to 20%'ish.
I've lost 20% today (since 6.20am) but i have had Poweramp playing music for a couple of hours, i have been out and about taking photos and i made a 30 minute call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, mine has been really good also. Really good idle drain and overnight it's in deep sleep around 97% of the time. Active drain has been good as well.
Mine seem to be be about on par with my P6P. Not great, but not horrible.
Compared to my poco f2 pro which only has a 4700mah battery the pixel 7 pro's battery life is pretty abysmal. I used to run twice the **** on that phone and it still didn't die as fast as the p7p. Hope a few firmware updates will get it to a better place. Turing off pick up and tap screen to wake made a little bit better but it's still abysmal imo.
For whatever it's worth, I've had mine (unlocked google / 512) since Thursday. Accubattery has been on since Friday when I rooted and started restoring apps . Just checking it and coming off a full charge overnight (trickle charge) it's estimating I have 11 hours of SOT, 62 hours screen off time. Since it was off the charger around 3 hours ago it's dropped 2% with 26 minutes of SOT.
To be fair I use my phone for email, texts, minor information/news gathering and music streaming and light photo/video recording without much running in the background so I'm not a high power user. YMMV
Weird. My experience is completely the opposite - 6 hours 23 minutes SOT with 21% remaining yesterday on my first full cycle when I put it back on charge. No complaints at all.
Did anyone with poor battery performance transfer apps to the new phone through cable? This has been bad for battery on new phones as ooposed to letting the new phone download the apps.....
crusht said:
Did anyone with poor battery performance transfer apps to the new phone through cable? This has been bad for battery on new phones as ooposed to letting the new phone download the apps.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Pixel 7P and 6P I have here ran like total garbage when I transferred data between the two with a USB cable. A fresh install made both phones run great.

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