Is The Google Pixel 11's Battery Life Actually Better Than The Pixel 10's?

Despite its general popularity, the Google Pixel lineup has historically struggled with battery life. Chalk it up to the inefficient Tensor chips, but most fans of this particular device expected the new Pixel 11 to come with a significant upgrade to the battery. Yet, when the phone was eventually announced, the upgrade seemed marginal on paper. This, alongside the lack of other potential improvements, led many to pass on purchasing the Pixel 11. 

The battery update everyone was waiting for? Seemingly non-existent, as the capacity went from 4970 mAh to just 4985 mAh. Nonetheless, Google has been claiming that the new version can go for over 30 hours, which only ended up confusing everyone even more and doubting the company's promises. Now that the phone is here, did Google lie? How is it possible that the newer phone has better battery life despite just a 15 mAh difference?

Truthfully, Google may have overestimated the battery life a bit — which is a fairly standard practice, since the company is ultimately trying to sell you the phone. Still, online users report that the battery does hold for most of the day, and many are positively surprised. So, yes, the battery is better than it was on the previous incarnation of Pixel. This is likely due to the stronger Google Tensor G6 chip that is also 20% more power-efficient, at least according to Google. Optimization and Google's Adaptive Battery feature also play a role, reducing the power draw of the apps you don't use all that much.

The Google Pixel 10 was hands down one of the best Android phones in 2025. A flagship through and through, it scored high points on all fronts, and owners were (for the most part) very happy with it. Still, what stopped it from being flawless was the battery life, which was considered to be horrendous. In fact, it's so horrendous that a few unlucky users found themselves squeezing only a few hours of screen time out of it, even with no use of social media apps.

The Pixel 11 seems to have solved the issue. Though extra battery capacity would have been a welcome addition (most models in this price range routinely rock over 7,000 mAh), what Google is doing is working. One user on Reddit reports that their Pixel 11 Pro XL, the model with a 5,115 mAh battery, survived continuous use (including YouTube and social media apps) from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM. Many others are getting similar mileage out of the Pixel 11, with some even claiming 16 hours with regular use. Of course, this is much less than the 30+ hours Google promised, but it's still a massive improvement compared to the predecessor — which could slip to 40% battery in less than three hours.