Google is prepping to bring a new battery health management tool called “Battery Health Assistant” to Pixel devices. Oddly, it will appear first in the budget-friendly Pixel 9a instead of the company’s flagship phones, but hopefully, it will expand to other models as well.

Apple and some other manufacturers already give users more visibility into their device battery status and health. I remember Pixel used to do the same in Android 15, but one day it disappeared, never to be seen again.

Recently, AssembleDebug managed to activate the battery health on a Pixel 9 device and shared screenshots of how it works. The setting is found under the Battery health option in the phone’s settings, just below the Charging optimization preference. On most Pixel models, users can turn this on or off, but on the Pixel 9a, it will probably be enabled by default and not optional.

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According to the available information, the battery health will automatically adjust the maximum voltage and charging speed as the battery accumulates more charge cycles, beginning after 200 cycles and continuing up to 1,000. This is meant to help slow down battery degradation and keep the phone running smoothly for longer. The phone will also give users information about battery health and suggest when it might be time to replace the battery, as reported by Android Central.

Battery health is not customizable by users, and the system manages its settings automatically. It will probably be added to Pixel phones later this year, possibly with Android 16.

Google this week debuted the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, which, on paper, look fantastic. But as we mentioned in our hands-on coverage, it all depends on Tensor G3, which literally just needs to pass the bar of being not terrible.

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Google Tensor first debuted in 2021 as the AI-focused chip for Pixel 6 devices, and it put out a decent first show. Initial impressions were good with decent performance, but things quickly went downhill as connectivity issues became common among buyers, and thermals struggled once the summer months rolled around.

When Tensor G2 arrived in Pixel 7, the story didn’t change all that much. The new chip brought a considerable improvement to cellular performance, but it still struggled greatly with thermals and, in turn, power efficiency. That was only emphasized by Google’s use of the chip in the $1,800 Pixel Fold. While I’ve personally always been fine with Tensor’s shortcomings, that’s only in the context of phones that are cheaper than the competition.

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With all that in mind, Google’s latest chip, Tensor G3, just has one job.

Don’t. Be. Bad.

And, really, it does seem as though Google is stepping things up. On paper, Tensor G3 is quite a leap from previous models. Early benchmarks have confirmed that the chip is using much more modern hardware, with specs including a Cortex-X3 main core, four Cortex-A715 cores, and four Cortex-A510 cores. Those cores debuted from Arm in 2022 and are found in chips such as Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and MediaTek Dimensity 9200. In other words, Google is finally on the same playing field when it comes to the raw components.

But, really, it all comes down to how the package as a whole stands up.

That’s not to say it needs to be some performance champion, because it absolutely doesn’t, but it just needs to be an objectively decent chip. It needs to be able to handle modern apps and games without having a literal meltdown. Users should be able to use their phones without heat building up to uncomfortable levels. And, while the same modem appears to be in use, signal performance improvements would be more than welcome.

With a higher price and the better part of a decade where the chip needs to keep going, Tensor G3 is literally what will make or break the Pixel 8 series.

Stay tuned for more later this week…

This Week’s Top Stories

Pixel 8 and Pixel Watch 2 have arrived – what else could we possibly talk about?

Google this week revealed Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and Pixel Watch 2 after the literal mountain of leaks that came out over the past few months. In case you missed it, here are the key stories.

Also of note, Android 14 started rolling out this week, and Google also further launched the second beta for its next Feature Drop.

Non-Pixel Top Stories

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