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Google Pixel Fold
Ultra-Premium ?

Google Pixel Fold Battery test

OTHER AVAILABLE TESTS FOR THIS DEVICE

We put the Google Pixel Fold through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.

Overview

Key specifications:

  • Battery capacity: 4821 mAh
  • 21W charger (not included)
  • 7.6-inch, 1840 x 2208, 120 Hz, OLED display
  • Google Tensor G2 (5 nm)
  • Tested ROM / RAM combination: 256 GB + 12 GB

Scoring

Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.

Google Pixel Fold
Google Pixel Fold
88
battery
88

221

110

195

80

198

105
Charging
104

224

106

212

114

205

47

194

Key performances

Charging Time
1 day 23h
Battery life
Charging Time
1h00
80% Charging time
Charging Time
1h50
Full charging time
Quick Boost
2h46 autonomy
after 5-minute charge

Pros

  • Good autonomy when using GPS navigation
  • Low residual power drained by the wired charger

Cons

  • Weak autonomy when testing individual usages
  • Very high consumption during the night and when idle with screen off
  • Poor autonomy recovered after a quick 5-minute charge
  • High discharge currents overall
  • Poor wireless charge efficiency

The Google Pixel Fold’s  autonomy, charging, and efficiency performances in our battery test protocol resulted in a global score that was at the low end of our database.

Moderate use of the Google Pixel Fold provided slightly less than 2 days of autonomy, which is below average but near the autonomy of other foldable devices we have tested. However, testing individual usages drained the battery quickly, especially when streaming music and calling, except when using the  GPS navigation on the go. Moreover, the device drained a lot of power when idling with the screen off, losing more than 4% per night, a time when the device is supposedly doing nothing.

The charging times were slower than average whether wired or wireless. Wired charging took 1 hour and 50 minutes to fill the battery, and wireless charging took 2 hours and 56 minutes to reach a full charge. The autonomy recovered after a quick 5-minute boost was poor, averaging only 2 hours and 46 minutes.

The device’s overall wired charge efficiency as well as the adapter’s efficiency were slightly below average. Yet, the wired charger showed a very low residual power drain, whether the fully charged device was still plugged in or not. However, the wireless charge efficiency was poor, and the residual consumption of the wireless stand was high when the device was fully charged and still on the stand. In addition, the discharge currents for all usages were higher than average, meaning that the device is not well optimized.

Compared with other devices from the Ultra-Premium segment ($800+), the Google Pixel Fold ranked near the bottom of our database. Its autonomy was decent, but slightly below average for this segment, and its efficiency and charging scores were very poor compared with other devices from this segment. When looking just at foldable devices, the Google Pixel Fold’s performance was comparable to other foldables, especially in autonomy, but when it came to efficiency, the Pixel Fold was far below the others.

Test Summary

About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)

The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.

Battery Charger Wireless Display Processor
Google Pixel Fold 4821mAh 21W
(not included)
8W OLED
1840 x 2208
Google Tensor G2
Honor Magic Vs 5000mAh 66W
(included)
- OLED
1984 x 2272
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ gen1
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 4400mAh 25W
(not included)
15W AMOLED
1812 x 2176
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1

Autonomy

88

Google Pixel Fold

195

Honor X7b
How Autonomy score is composed

Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.

Light Usage
61h
Light Usage
Active: 2h30/day
Moderate Usage
47h
Moderate Usage
Active: 4h/day
Intense Usage
33h
Intense Usage
Active: 7h/day

Home/Office

88

Google Pixel Fold

221

Honor X7b

A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.

Typical Usage Scenario discharge curves

On the go

110

Google Pixel Fold

195

Samsung Galaxy M51

Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device

Autonomy for on the go use cases (full charge)

Calibrated

80

Google Pixel Fold

198

Samsung Galaxy M51

For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.

Autonomy for calibrated use cases (full charge)

Charging

105

Google Pixel Fold

218

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
How Charging score is composed

Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.

Wired
Wired
45%
in 30 min
1h00
0 - 80%
1h50
Full charge
Wireless
Wireless
17%
in 30 min
2h18
0 - 80%
2h56
Full charge

Full charge

104

Google Pixel Fold

224

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.

Power consumption and battery level during full charge
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
Power consumption and battery level during wireless full charge
The charging curves, in wired and wireless (if available) showing the evolution of the battery level indicator as well as the power consumption in watts during the stages of charging toward full capacity.
Time to full charge
Time to full charge

Quick boost

106

Google Pixel Fold

212

Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)

With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.

Average autonomy gain for a 5 minute charge (wired)

Efficiency

63

Google Pixel Fold

154

Oppo Reno6 5G
How Efficiency score is composed

The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.

Annual Consumption Google Pixel Fold
5 kWh
Efficient
Good
Bad
Inefficient

Charge up

114

Google Pixel Fold

205

Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.

Overall charge efficiency

Discharge

47

Google Pixel Fold

194

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.

Average discharge current

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