Google Pixel 4 might not solve the Pixel 3 battery problem, but make it worse

Google Pixel 3 battery
Google Pixel 3 (Image credit: Future)

The Google Pixel 4 is set to launch today, and we're expecting to find out about the upcoming generation of Google smartphones – however several retailer pages have accidentally been put live early. 

These show us a lot of what we were already expecting, like the use of the Snapdragon 855 chipset, but there's a potentially worrying stat in there.

The retailer page comes via UK phones retailer Carphone Warehouse – although it's been taken down now - which detailed some of the specs of the handset.

One of those specs? The battery size – supposedly you'll get a 2,800mAh power pack in the Pixel 4, and 3,700mAh in the Pixel 4 XL. That suggests that not only has Google not fixed a big Pixel 3 problem, but it may have actually made it worse.

What's the problem?

The Google Pixel 3 is a great phone in many ways, but one of its biggest issues is that the battery life is severely lacking. The handset's 2,915mAh capacity is below industry averages, and as such we often had trouble getting the device through a day of use without powering it back up.

We were hoping the Pixel 4 would fix that issue, but if the battery capacity truly is lower than the Pixel 3, not only is the problem not solved, it'll actually be worse!

That said, the Pixel 3 XL had a decent 3,430mAh capacity that we had no problems with, and at 3,700mAh, the Pixel 4 XL could give us even better battery life - potentially making it the handset of choice when it comes to deciding between the two.

Of course, since Google hasn't officially announced the battery sizes itself (or launched the Pixel 4), we can't be 100% sure these are the exact sizes – but it seems highly unlikely that a major retailer would have a page full of information, ready to go live in a few hours time, with facts that are wrong.

What other Pixel 4 specs were leaked?

The Snapdragon 855 chipset has been confirmed by the CEO of Qualcomm, the company that makes the chipset, and the retailer page lists this processor. There's also said to be 6GB of RAM, which is a step over the 4GB in the Pixel 3, and 64GB and 128GB storage options.

We've been wondering what the handset's second camera is, and it seems joining the 12MP snapper from the older phones is a 16MP telephoto camera for zoom shots.

The Google Pixel 4 screen is set to be a 5.7-inch AMOLED display, with the Pixel 4 XL slightly bigger at 6.3 inches (hence the XL name).

What about the price? Well, that's still unconfirmed, and it's the biggest piece of news we're waiting to hear about.

The Google Pixel 4 is set to launch in just a few hours time, at 10am EDT (7am PDT, 3pm BST, 1am AEDT), and TechRadar will be on the ground ready to report all the news, reviews and analysis you need. We're set to launch a live blog soon, but if you want to watch along with the event by yourself, there will be a Pixel 4 live stream you can watch too.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.