Image: June Wan/ZDNET.
Less than a month after its release, Google’s new smartphone line, Pixel 8, has received generally positive reviews.
Unfortunately, Google can’t seem to shake off some of the issues from the past, as some pretty significant issues have cropped up for many users.
Screen tint and overheating
Starting with a screen tint problem. Some devices with the “always-on” functionality enabled actually took on a pink or yellow color in very dark places. Google first offered replacement devices to their owners, before promising a fix for this problem in a future update.
Today, overheating and battery issues are worrying many Pixel 8 users on Google’s support forums and on Reddit. A problem that is not new on Pixels.
The Pixel 8s aren’t the only smartphones facing overheating issues this year. Indeed, the same problem concerns Apple with its new iPhone 15s, in particular the most high-end model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
A connectivity problem?
Looking closely at the complaints, it appears that most of the reported battery and overheating issues occur after prolonged use of the device away from a Wi-Fi connection.
These problems could therefore both be linked to a third: poor mobile data connectivity. Older generation Pixels often had trouble maintaining a good 5G connection. If the problem is still present on the new range, this could explain shorter battery life, but also slight overheating when the phone tries to find a network to connect.
I own a Pixel 8 Pro myself. While I haven’t had any complaints about overheating, my battery sometimes drains very quickly, faster than expected. And on those days, I’m usually not at home, connected to my Wi-Fi network.
Turn off 5G to preserve your battery
If your Pixel 8 is experiencing overheating issues and is experiencing battery drain faster than expected, you can try changing your mobile connection to alleviate the issue.
In the Settings app, go to Network and Internet > SIM > NAME OF YOUR OPERATOR and change your Preferred network type. In general, turn off 5G. You will lose speed in your connection, but you can potentially solve the two problems stated previously. If you can’t find 5G, your operator has already disabled this option – it depends on your plan.
These new issues have not yet been recognized by Google. However, it may be that despite appearances, they are software related – linked to software or firmware – and can therefore be resolved by an update, without requiring hardware intervention. There is a security update coming next month, will it contain fixes for these recent issues? The future will tell.
Source: ZDNet.com