Ookla, the owner of Speedtest, recently conducted a battery consumption test on flagship SoCs (System-on-Chips) from popular brands including Qualcomm, Samsung, Google, and MediaTek, specifically focusing on their 5G performance. The test results highlighted the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the SoC with the lowest battery consumption.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm's flagship SoC introduced in 2022 and refreshed in 2023, demonstrated a battery consumption of 31% when connected to a 5G network, which is 10% lower than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Surprisingly, the Gen 2 chip exhibited even lower battery consumption on 5G than the Gen 1 chip did on 4G LTE, with a 25% battery drain compared to Gen 1's 7% drop.
In the case of Google's Tensor chips, the Tensor G2 recorded a battery drain of 38% on 5G and 28% on 4G LTE. The first-generation Tensor chip showed slightly higher battery consumption, with 40% on 5G and 38% on 4G LTE. The Tensor G2 chip powers several recently released devices such as the Pixel Fold, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Tablet.
MediaTek's Dimensity 9200 ranked as the second most efficient chip, with a 34% battery consumption on 5G. Overall, the test results demonstrated that all the chip brands included in the battery consumption test had made improvements to their chips.
For example, the Dimensity 9200 exhibited an 11% improvement in 5G battery consumption compared to the Dimensity 9000, marking the highest improvement among all the SoCs tested. The Dimensity 9200 also significantly reduced battery consumption on 4G LTE, achieving an 8% improvement.
Ookla explained that the battery consumption was measured by comparing the devices' battery levels at 100% in the morning to their minimum levels in the afternoon.
While 5G networks offer high-speed data transfer capabilities of up to 20 Gbps, they are primarily designed for data usage and are not optimized for voice calls and texts. This limitation contributes to reduced battery life in smartphones, as they typically connect to 3G or LTE networks simultaneously to enable calling and texting functionality. It's also worth noting that 5G technology has been known to cause interference with aircraft equipment, potentially leading to disruptions and delays during low-visibility landings in adverse weather conditions.
