I purchased the Pixel 10 just a couple of days after it launched in August last year. I was really impressed with its overall performance. The battery life was good, the camera was capable of taking incredible photos, and I also didn't notice any lag or performance hiccups while running multiple resource-demanding applications in the background.
However, things changed completely after I installed the March update. I noticed a sharp decline in performance, and sometimes the lag was so severe and frustrating that it felt like I was using a budget smartphone from 2010.
Everything started with the March Feature drop
I really had no issue with my Pixel 10 until I downloaded the March Feature Drop released by Google. The update came with some really important upgrades like the ability to create custom AI icons, a completely new Now Playing app, and more. But it also introduced some serious lag across all the installed applications.
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I used to play BGMI (the Indian version of PUBG) every night with my friends on my phone. But after downloading the latest update, I started experiencing severe frame drops in the game. There were also times when it crashed after struggling to deliver decent performance
You might argue that Pixels are definitely not made for gaming. Fair point. But what if I told you that I experienced similar behavior from the phone while accessing almost all installed apps?
Instagram was one of the apps that were highly affected. There was a lot of jitter while swiping between different Reels. The keyboard also lagged a lot while typing a message.
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Performance isn't the only area of my Pixel 10 that was affected by the March update. I also noticed that the smartphone was running out of charge more quickly than before. Earlier, the phone used to last an entire day on a single full charge, but after installing the update, I had to put it on charge again by evening.
It's not that I alone was facing all these issues after the March feature drop. There are multiple reports online on different platforms like Reddit and even Google's own community forum, where users report facing similar problems on their Pixel devices. Furthermore, these issues aren't specific to the Pixel 10, as reports suggest that they're happening across all Pixel models.
The April update didn't fix much
Homepage of Brawl Stars game on Pixel 10 Pro XL. | Image by PhoneArena
I can't describe how eagerly I was waiting for the April update. It landed on my device on the 7th of April, and innocent me downloaded it immediately, thinking it would address everything that had been bothering me on my phone since last month. I was confident about this since the release notes clearly indicated that this update was all about bug fixes.
The update did manage to fix the performance issue, but… not completely. The frame drops and overall lag are now not as severe as last month, but they're still there. I am still experiencing frame drops every now and then in BGMI, and even Instagram starts to act up if I continue to use it for a long time.
A user recently posted a video on Reddit showcasing how the keyboard stopped working for a few seconds on their Pixel 8a that's running the latest April update. The most interesting part is that I, along with many others, noticed there was actually no issue with the device for a couple of days after downloading the latest update. But the lag returned out of nowhere after a couple of days.
Poor battery life has become even more noticeable
While there were a decent number of complaints online about the bad battery performance of Pixel smartphones after the March update, the situation became even worse after the April update. More reports regarding this matter started surfacing online. It was also recently submitted on the Google Issue Tracker.
One affected user commented under the post that their Pixel 9 Pro now requires charging three times a day. Going through the comments, it seems that the problem is mainly affecting the Pixel 9 and 10 series phones. But there are also a decent number of complaints from Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 family users as well.
A Reddit user claims to have found the culprit behind this problem. According to them, it's being caused by a GPS-related bug that is preventing the phone's CPU from entering the suspended state, even when the device is idle. The user further notes in a separate comment that Google has marked the issue as a priority, so there's a high chance it will be fixed soon.
Are you noticing any difference in your Pixel after the update?
Let's wait for the next OTA update
Because of the bashing I've done above, you might think I'm an Apple or Samsung fanboy, and that's why I'm criticizing the Pixel. That's definitely not the case. I'm a huge Pixel fan, which is why I bought one last year.
However, it's really hurtful to see a device that costs $800 and is considered a flagship performing like an entry-level smartphone. During my initial days with the Pixel 10, I considered it way better than the iPhone 16 and the Galaxy S25. Now, considering the current performance of my Pixel, I don't think it would even be able to compete against a years-old iPhone 13 in terms of performance.
All that said, there doesn't seem to be any issue with the hardware of the latest Pixel phones. The software is what's basically causing all the trouble. I'm really hopeful that Google will resolve all the reported issues soon so that my Pixel 10 starts running like a flagship again.
Aman Kumar is a tech news writer with a long-standing passion for smartphones. Aman specializes in everything smartphones, from AI features like Pixel’s Camera Coach to understanding ideal hardware combinations. He loves breaking down complex features in a simple, clear way and hopes manufacturers bring back bold designs like the Nokia N-Gage. When he’s not writing, he’s either gaming on PUBG or talking fitness as a dedicated gym enthusiast.
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