Overheating issues for the Pixel 5A. From our review.
The Pixel 5A would start overheating after about 2-3 minutes of 4K recording, especially on 60fps. Now, in our experience, recording 4K 30fps is “mostly” fine. Still, others have reported that not only 4K 30fps is sometimes an issue, but even 1080p video recording might cause the phone to overheat. So, if you wanted to shoot anything more than a TikTok video or perhaps multiple TikTok videos in a row, the Pixel 5A is probably not the phone for you. We can’t even talk about shooting a movie or capturing your kid’s school play on the Pixel 5A.
That’s a shame, especially given that the Pixel 5A has a battery to go for days. All in all, the overheating issue while recording video on Pixel phones is absolutely unacceptable. This problem is a rare occurrence, even on mid-range and budget devices.
Pixel 6 camera: Photo champ? Maybe. Video camp? Maybe not.
So, now the stage is all set for Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to perform and fix the video recording issues of past Pixel devices. Can we be sure if this will happen? No. However, early reports on Google Pixel 6 video quality have suggested that the phone is on par with Apple’s (then) flagship iPhone 12 Pro Max, at least when it came to picture quality.
Of course, this doesn’t mean anything, but it’s definitely a positive sign, which shows that Tensor and Google’s improved software and hardware should be more than enough to take care of the overheating issue while recording video.
Bear in mind that processing power isn’t the only variable that makes a difference. The GPU capabilities of the devices and the cooling system are also essential factors for handling video recording.
Reportedly, the Pixel 6 will use a Mali GPU, which might not be the most powerful one out there. Certainly not on par with Apple’s custom GPU in the iPhone 13, or perhaps even the latest Adreno GPUs.
For example, Samsung seems to be moving towards a custom AMD-built GPU for the Galaxy S22 series, while companies like Xiaomi and others (especially on gaming devices) have been making use of active cooling to keep the temperatures during gaming down.
We are curious to see how Google plans to handle the Pixel 6’s video recording issues. If they are indeed solved, we think the Pixel 6 Pro and especially the Pixel 6 has a great shot at delivering incredible value for money, despite being on the expensive (flagship) side. Why?
Well, it’s rumored that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be the first Google phones to come with five years of software updates, which is three more than most other phones on the market, and two more than what the best of Android has to offer. Also, it’s about on par with Apple’s iPhone when it comes to software support.
This alone would make the Pixel 6 extremely compelling. If we add to that the new design, hardware, and software, Google’s phone would easily become a deserving “best Android phones” entry for 2021 and perhaps even 2022.
I’ve bolded “working” because of the joke, but also because he hates it when I bold.
