Google substantially improved the hardware on the Pixel 7a, giving it a sliver of those flagship specifications with its smooth 90Hz OLED panel and the Tensor G2. Unfortunately, it was be all for nothing if the handset ended up thermal throttling due to high temperatures, particularly when used under direct sunlight. One user reports that the refresh rate had reduced to 60Hz in this scenario, suggesting that either Google is skimping out on using efficient chips in its phones or it is another problem.
Refresh rate of the Pixel 7a goes back to 90Hz when it was being used under a tree’s shadow
On Reddit, u/pawlikx_iron reported about this bizarre behavior, saying that the refresh rate would immediately jump to 90Hz when the device started being used under the tree’s shade. Another interesting thing to note is that the Pixel 7a owner reported that the smartphone was not running hot and it was actually cool to the touch, implying that something else might be happening that Google may not have informed its user base about. On the Reddit thread, a few people responded that this behavior is by design and that the Pixel 7a will take necessary measures to reduce power consumption.
Others have concluded that it is most likely a software bug. At the same time, another Reddit user provided some useful feedback, saying that the Pixel 7a user could force the refresh rate to stay locked at 90Hz by going into the developer options and tweaking the settings. Suppose the handset is not running hot when being used under direct sunlight. In that case, it is possible that the Tensor G2 is being forcefully downclocked without needing to reach high temperatures, with some sensors informing the hardware that the device was being used outdoors and under direct sunlight.
We also reported that Google uses an inferior version of the SoC in the Pixel 7a, one that is prone to running hot under some stress, so there could be some correlation to that. Google has yet to comment on this strange behavior, but if you, too, are a Pixel 7a owner and are experiencing the same refresh rate reduction, we recommend heading into the developer options and forcing that refresh rate to stay locked. We advise users to maintain these settings until Google rolls out a software update that addresses this bug while being transparent with its customers about why this is happening.
News Source: Reddit
