- For the EU’s new energy label program, smartphones advertise a rated number of charge cycles.
- We’ve complied a list of those cycle counts for popular phone and tablet brands and models.
- Samsung finds itself at the head of the pack, with many devices boasting batteries that will endure 2,000 cycles.
With Google just announcing the start of its Battery Performance Program for the Pixel 6a, set to get underway next week, battery health is very much on our mind. It’s a little odd thinking about your smartphone as a consumable, but to an extent that’s what it really does come down to, and every time we put one of our devices through a full charge cycle, we end up with batteries that are just a little bit worse for the wear. Repeat that process hundreds upon hundreds of times, and you’ll really start to notice those losses.
One thing this whole fiasco with the Pixel 4a and now Pixel 6a has really driven home for us is that not all batteries are created equal. The problem is, we tend to only learn about devices with batteries that cause problems years down the line. Isn’t there any good way to set your battery expectations when you’re initially purchasing your phone? Sure enough, we just got one.