Google has detailed a new feature for its Pixel devices called Battery Health Assistance where the Pixel 9a is the first smartphone to come with it while other Pixel devices may also get it soon through a software update. The feature allows for efficient management of battery health to enable a long-term use for the smartphone.
With Battery Health Assistance, “Pixel software will manage battery performance to help maintain battery health as your battery ages.” The feature will likely be made available on all Pixel devices going forward, especially because the devices now support 7 years of OS updates which means users could use their devices for longer than before if they want to.
According to a support page, Google says, “Lithium-ion batteries are consumable components that eventually require replacement. Your Pixel 9a will receive a software update that automatically helps manage the long term health and performance of its battery as it ages.”
Furthermore, the software will adjust the battery’s maximum voltage in stages that start at 200 charge cycles and continue gradually until 1000 charge cycles to help stabilize battery performance and aging. “You may notice small decreases in your battery’s runtime as your battery ages. Battery health assistance will also tune the phone’s charging speed based on adjusted capacity. You may notice a slight change in Battery Charging performance.”
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Google also notes that Battery health assistance settings on Pixel 9a aren’t customizable by the user. This means that the feature will be enabled by default on all upcoming Pixel devices also. We feel this is a welcome move from Google that will go hand-in-hand with its extended software update policy. It should keep the battery healthier than before for a longer period of time so the user doesn’t feel the need to replace their batteries for a considerable amount of time.
As for the Pixel 9a, the device goes on sale in India on April 16 for Rs 49,999 for the sole 8GB + 256GB trim. The device comes packed with the Tensor G4 chipset along with 8GB of LPDDR5x RAM. There’s a 6.3-inch full-HD+ 120Hz OLED display on the front. It runs on Android 15 out of the box. It packs a 5100mAh battery that supports 23W fast wired charging and Qi-certified fast wireless charging at up to 7.5W speeds. There are dual rear cameras. Then it gets dual stereo speakers as well. The phone is also IP68 certified.
