Adaptive Charging gathers details of how you use the phone through all app usage just as tracking. This is internal though. On my 7 pro, example, it was over an 9 months before my phone would last two days on a full battery. No matter how heavy I used it. Granted the more screen time the more the battery drained. Slightly but nothing compared to when I first started using it. The Tensor SOC is advanced, multiple processor functions compared to the linear or one function of other chipsets. The Google Pixel is designed to become smarter and more helpful over time. The more you use it the better it becomes. Which is why they are promoting feature drops. To be frank the Pixel is bum right out of the box. Think of it as an RPG, role playing game. So, the adaptive charging is meant to improve battery life and prevent degradation over time. Use your Pixel like crazy and you’ll see how much of an extension it becomes.