Does Google slow down its phones with Android updates?

In the YouTube channel Gary Explains we can see how they have tested the performance and speed of the original Google Pixel in all its versions of Android, denying to some extent the myth that each new version of Android slows down the performance of the devices.

Does Google slow down its phones in each version? This video puts it to the test

Performance tests are sometimes used to measure which mobile is faster, but there is also a category for those mobile that have several years behind them. Measuring the performance of the same mobile with different versions of the operating system is a recurring practice with which we can verify if our mobile is working worse due to hardware aging, or if this activity is due to the system slowing down the performance of the device.

Does Google slow down its phones with Android updates?

This second premise worries many users, who do not want to be victims of programmed obsolescence. The first generation Google Pixel has just succumbed to this test on the famous Gary Explains channel.

The first generation Google Pixel is a very interesting device. It’s Google’s first attempt to create its own solo smartphone. He had already created several mobiles in the Nexus brand, but they were collaborations with other manufacturers.

Over the years, the original Google Pixel has positioned itself as a great product. Google has updated for two years, as promised, to the latest version of Android on launch day, but has exceeded our expectations. The first Pixel is in the program of betas of Android Q, surpassing the excellent pace of updates that Google had accustomed us in the Nexus.

With a Snapdragon 821 processor and 4 GB of RAM, and the test completion time was as follows:

  • Android 7.1.2 Nougat: 2:50 minutes.
  • Android 8.1 Oreo: 2:53 minutes.
  • Android 9 Pie: 2:52 minutes.
  • Android Q: 2:53 minutes.

My mobile has become slower over time, is it true what we see in the video?

Perhaps more than one sees the video and thinks that the video is fake, or that he has the perception that his mobile phone was much faster when he bought it than it is today. Is it true that Android increasingly needs more resources? These are our considerations.

  • Hardware degrades over time: These degradations are inevitable, as the memories of mobile devices become slower. Video tests are done on the same mobile, which is why hardware aging is not considered.
  • Not all manufacturers put the same effort: A great value of Google with its updates is that it refines the performance of its devices. When they present a Pixel, they already know in advance the features that Android will have in the next three years and they are developing the system on their own phones. The rest of manufacturers are adapting Android to other requirements, which can sometimes be more ambitious by including many more functions.
  • The tests have been done on a clean device: We have already commented on occasions that the cache memory serves to accelerate performance and reduce energy consumption, but over the months it may happen that your mobile has too much accumulated garbage.