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Battery-life test results are useful only when you know what the phone was doing. In one continuous-video comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted longest; in a separate mobile-web test, a gaming phone led the listed results. Those outcomes are not contradictory: the tests use different workloads, settings, and conditions, so neither predicts how long every Android phone will last in your daily routine.

What the Android battery tests found

Android Central contributor Sanuj Bhatia reported a continuous YouTube playback test of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro on August 5, 2026. The Pixel 9 Pro lasted longest, followed by the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 9. The result is a single publication’s comparison, not an independently replicated lab ranking.

Phone Reported shutdown time Approximate time from the 5:45 p.m. start
Pixel 9 Pro About 1:41 p.m. Almost 20 hours
Pixel 10 Pro About 1:17 p.m. About 19 hours 32 minutes
Pixel 9 About 1:08 p.m. About 19 hours 23 minutes

The start and shutdown times are reported approximately; the elapsed durations for the last two phones are calculated from those approximate times. Under this workload, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted roughly 24 minutes longer than the Pixel 10 Pro and 33 minutes longer than the Pixel 9. The phones were close at interim checkpoints: after four hours they had 83%, 85%, and 83% battery remaining, respectively; after six hours, 74%, 75%, and 73%; and around 11 a.m. the next day, 12%, 16%, and 13%.

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How Android Central ran its comparison

The phones were updated to the then-latest Android 17 version, connected to the same Wi-Fi network, charged to 100%, set to roughly the same brightness, and made to loop the same YouTube video. The publication cautions that continuous video playback is not a perfect representation of everyday phone use. The test does not establish how the devices compare during mixed use, mobile data, gaming, calls, or standby.

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Read the Android Central test report for its results and setup.

Why other published runtimes do not rank the same phones

Tom’s Guide uses a different protocol: continuous web browsing over 5G, or 4G where 5G is unavailable, with the screen set to 150 nits until the battery runs out. Its page, accessed in 2026, lists these examples:

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Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro 20 hours 34 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 16 hours 10 minutes
Pixel 10a 15 hours 16 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra 14 hours 33 minutes
Pixel 10 13 hours 13 minutes

Tom’s Guide describes 11 hours or more as good and results above 15 hours as among its best phone battery-life results. These are web-browsing results, not video-playback results, so compare them within that test rather than using them to rank phones from Android Central’s experiment. Tom’s Guide’s page presents the ROG Phone 9 Pro figure as “20.34” in an hours-and-minutes table; the value above follows that table’s hours/minutes format.

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See Tom’s Guide’s battery-life test method and results for the protocol and current entries.

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What a battery-life number does—and does not—tell you

A runtime is evidence about a phone under a particular workload and setup, not a promise of everyday screen-on time. Before comparing results, check which device and battery condition were tested, the software version, workload, network and signal, brightness and display settings, starting charge, test environment, and whether the figure comes from a vendor lab estimate or an editorial test. If these details differ or are missing, the numbers are not directly interchangeable.

Vendor tests use their own procedures

Google’s disclosed Pixel testing uses a mixed profile that includes calls, data, standby, Chrome browsing, audio, and YouTube streaming. For Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro, Google says it tested pre-production hardware and software in a lab on a major US carrier network in California in mid-2026. Tests began fully charged, with default settings except for adaptive brightness, screen timeout, volume, and Google Play Store updates. Google also describes tests for Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro in mid-2025, and Pixel 10a in late 2025. Its Extreme Battery Saver test restricts the workload and disables features including 5G.

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Google says actual Pixel battery life may be lower than its estimates. These figures reflect Google’s disclosed procedure, not an independent reproduction, and should not be treated as equivalent to a reviewer’s continuous-playback test. See Google’s Pixel battery testing disclosure.

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Samsung’s published procedure separates talk time, audio playback, video playback, and internet use. It describes laboratory tests with simulated networks and development-stage prototypes and software. The video test uses a 720p standard file; the audio test uses 192kbps MP3 files with the display off. Samsung Support Singapore dated its notice January 16, 2025, and warns that actual results can differ with network status and usage. See Samsung Support Singapore’s battery lifetime test procedure.

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Why an Android phone may drain quickly

Android’s guidance identifies screen brightness, background apps, connectivity, and location use as possible sources of battery drain. A single test result cannot diagnose your phone: the useful first step is to look at its own battery-usage breakdown and recent behavior.

Start with display and app activity

  • Lower brightness or enable adaptive brightness, and shorten the screen timeout.
  • Review battery use by app and check whether an app is active in the background or sending frequent notifications.
  • Use battery-saver features when you need to extend the remaining charge.
  • Check whether location services or a weak or changing network connection coincide with the drain.

These are troubleshooting checks, not guaranteed savings; Android’s guidance does not assign a fixed number of minutes or percentage to each change. See Android’s battery-saving guidance.

Pixel-specific checks

On Pixel, Google recommends leaving Adaptive Battery and app battery optimization enabled, with apps set to “Optimized.” Review Battery usage by apps and adjust background-use settings for any app that is consuming more than expected. Battery diagnostics are available on Pixel 6 and later, and some troubleshooting steps apply only to Android 14 and later. After a new setup or factory reset, optimization can take a few weeks to take full effect.

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Google also says some additional drain for a few days after a software update is normal while the phone downloads and optimizes software. If unusually high drain continues beyond that period, its guidance is to seek support. See Google’s Pixel battery-drain troubleshooting steps.

Use Google’s overnight check if you have a Pixel

  1. Charge the Pixel to 100%.
  2. Close open apps, disconnect the phone from power, and leave it idle overnight as you normally would.
  3. Check the battery level in the morning. Google says less than 10% drain means the battery is working as expected under this check. If drain exceeds 10%, inspect usage by app and system.
  4. If a system component—such as Android OS, Screen, CPU, Wi-Fi, or Mobile network—uses more than 10%, Google says to contact Pixel Support.

This threshold is Google Pixel support guidance for its overnight check, not a universal Android battery-health standard. See Google’s Pixel overnight battery-drain check.

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