Pixel 10 Pro Outlasts iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 in Extreme Battery Test

For years, Google’s Tensor chips have carried a reputation for being powerful but inefficient, often struggling with heat and battery life compared to Apple’s A-series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. But the Pixel 10 Pro may have finally changed the narrative. In a fresh battery drain test, Google’s latest flagship not only held its ground — it beat Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro by nearly an hour and edged out Samsung’s Galaxy S25 as well.

The Test That Turned Heads

The results come from YouTuber Ben Aboagye (Lover of Tech), who has built a reputation for carefully controlled “extreme battery drain” videos. His latest test pitted the Pixel 10 Pro against the iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S25 under identical conditions.

To ensure fairness, Aboagye set all devices to around 200 nits brightness, disabled adaptive brightness and battery savers, and ran them exclusively on cellular data via the same UK carrier. Wi-Fi was switched off. He also ensured each device was fresh with minimal charge cycles, leveling the playing field for Google’s newest release.

The phones were then pushed through a gauntlet of real-world tasks:

• 4K video recording

• Endless scrolling on TikTok and Instagram Reels

• YouTube playback

• Music streaming

• Gaming — capped off with Asphalt

The entire test was shot in one continuous take, no skips or edits — the way a proper stress test should be.

The Final Results

Here’s how the three phones stacked up:

• iPhone 16 Pro: 6 hours 15 minutes

  • Battery: 3,582 mAh

  • Chip: A18 Pro (3nm)

  • Despite finishing last, Apple’s efficiency kept it competitive given the tiny cell.

• Samsung Galaxy S25: 6 hours 20 minutes

  • Battery: slightly larger capacity

  • Chip: Exynos/Snapdragon variant

  • A solid showing, but not enough to take the crown.

• Google Pixel 10 Pro: 7 hours 1 minute

  • With 8% left, it powered into gaming before finally shutting down mid-load in Asphalt.

  • That’s 46 minutes longer than the iPhone 16 Pro and a comfortable lead over Samsung too.

Why This Is a Big Deal

For Pixel fans, this test is more than bragging rights — it’s a sign that Tensor G5 has finally cracked the efficiency problem.

Earlier Tensor generations, built on Samsung’s foundry, often lagged in battery performance, running hot under stress and draining faster than rivals. The Tensor G5, fabbed on TSMC’s 3nm process, represents a major shift. And it’s already paying off.

Not only did the Pixel 10 Pro last longer than its rivals, it did so without overheating — even under hours of demanding apps and continuous video playback. That’s a milestone for Google silicon.

Should You Take This as Gospel?

Of course, no single test can perfectly represent real-world use. Your battery life will depend on your personal habits — how much you game, stream, or shoot video. But controlled tests like this give us a valuable benchmark, and the Pixel 10 Pro’s win is hard to ignore.

A Turning Point for Pixel?

If the Tensor G5 is already showing such gains in efficiency and endurance, it could mark the start of a new era for Google hardware. For the first time, Pixel doesn’t just rely on AI smarts or camera tricks to stand out — it can claim genuine hardware efficiency that competes with (and even surpasses) Apple and Samsung.

With nearly an extra hour over the iPhone 16 Pro and 40 minutes more than the Galaxy S25, the Pixel 10 Pro proves that Google’s gamble to switch Tensor production from Samsung to TSMC was the right move. The future of Pixel silicon suddenly looks a lot brighter — and longer-lasting.

Author: Marcus Carlsen