Home
News
You are here

Pixel 6a appears to have a 90Hz screen but Google has capped it at 60Hz

By Anam Hamid

Updated: Aug 11, 2022, 6:33 AM

1comment

Android Google

Pixel 6a appears to have a 90Hz screen but Google has capped it at 60Hz

Google's 2022 budget phone, the Pixel 6a, offers most of what the flagship Pixel 6 does, but it has been stripped of fancy non-essential features to shave off $150 from the price. Both phones are armed with Google's first in-house chip, the Tensor, and also share the same design. The Pixel 6 has a higher-resolution 50MP main camera but the rest of the camera specs are the same.

The Pixel 6 sports a 6.4-inch OLED panel with a maximum refresh rate of 90Hz, whereas the Pixel 6a was marketed as having a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate of 60Hz. Google may have lied to us about this part.

Turns out, the Pixel 6a can hit refresh rate of 120Hz

The refresh rate refers to the number of times the screen fully refreshes every second and a higher refresh rate allows for snappier scrolling and more fluid animations.

Even though the Pixel 6a's bright OLED panel was praised by most reviews, which puts it above the Apple-made competitor, the iPhone SE, which has an LCD unit, but below Samsung's Galaxy A53, which flaunts a 120Hz panel, if it's theoretically capable of a higher refresh rate, who wouldn't want that, right?

Budget phone of the year? Pixel 6a with 90Hz unlocked pic.twitter.com/3suHD88KyZ
— Nathan (@TheLunarixus) August 10, 2022

Developer Nathan, who goes by @TheLunarixus on Twitter, has found that Samsung specced the Pixel 6a's display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and on the Pixel 6a, it can actually run at 90Hz, but for some reason, Google has capped the refresh rate at 60Hz.

So, why is Google holding back the Pixel 6a experience?

The Pixel 6 starts at $599, whereas the Pixel 6a starts at $449. The slightly higher price gets you more RAM, a better main camera, a slightly bigger 4,614mAh cell with support for 30W fast charging compared to Pixel 6a's 4,410mAh battery with 18W support, and a better build with a glass back and alloy frame as opposed to Pixel 6a's thermoformed composite back.

Google's camera strength lies in software, so even though the Pixel 6a has a 12.2MP main camera, its output is not drastically different than that of the Pixel 6's higher-resolution main camera. The high refresh rate is the other big differentiating factor, and this could be why Google artificially limited it on the Pixel 6a.

Also, the Pixel 6a has a smaller battery compared to the Pixel 5a, which came with a 4,680mAh cell, and Google says it will last 24 hours on moderate use. A 60Hz refresh rate is less taxing on the battery, so this could be another reason why Google limited the Pixel 6a to 60Hz.

Overall, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6a are both great phones and one of the best Android devices around, assuming you are willing to overlook shortcomings like bugs and faulty fingerprint sensors.

Also with the better Pixel 7 on the horizon, it's possible that Google will enable a higher refresh rate down the line.

View Full Bio

Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.