Several Pixel 8 and 8 Pro users have taken to Reddit, Google support forums, and XDA forums to report excessive battery drain and heat issues when using mobile data.
Android Police gathered several of the reports and noted the issues seem to primarily affect 5G users. The publication also points out that the Tensor G3 chip in the Pixel 8 series uses the same Samsung Exynos 5300 modem as the Tensor G2 that powered last year’s Pixel 7 series, which also had notable modem issues.
It’s particularly disappointing to see Google reuse the same problematic modem in its newest phones. If Google or Samsung made any improvements to the modem in the Tensor G3, those details have not been shared.
Android Police notes that a firmware update could ease some of the modem’s issues but doesn’t hold out hope since the Pixel 7 series suffered from the same issues.
Given the problems seem tied to 5G, switching your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro to LTE-only mode may improve the situation for some people. For what it’s worth, I haven’t had many significant heat or battery drain issues with my Pixel 8 — I have a plan with Rogers-owned Fido, which only offers LTE service. That said, I have noted using the Pixel 8’s hotspot feature drains the battery quickly, but I’ve always found hotspot hits the battery hard.
You can enable LTE-only mode by heading to Settings and navigating to Network and internet > SIMs > [carrier name] > Preferred network type. You might miss out on the faster speeds of 5G, but so far in Canada, 5G’s ‘blazing fast speeds’ haven’t been particularly blazing or fast.
Either way, it’s quite frustrating that Google’s Pixel line once again suffers from modem issues and that people might need to downgrade their network from 5G to LTE to avoid those issues.
Source: Reddit, Google support forum, XDA forums Via: Android Police
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