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The Pixel 5a apparently runs too hot. Google is investigating.
- Multiple users are reporting overheating problems on the Google Pixel 5a.
- The company is investigating the issue and specifically looking into the camera app.
Google launched the Pixel 5a just a few weeks back and the mid-ranger is already creating problems for some of its users. Multiple reviewers and testers are reporting that the phone has overheating issues just like the Pixel 5 did when it launched.
For many, the issue seems to crop up when recording 4K videos at 60fps. In our own review of the Pixel 5a, the phone threw up a “Device is too hot” notice when shooting photos outside. This happened four times in the week that Android Authority’s Jimmy Westenberg tested the phone, and it usually showed up in the first few minutes of shooting photos.
Related: Google Pixel 5a review
According to folks over at CNET, shooting videos at the higher frame rate (60fps) causes the Pixel 5a to stop recording even in a normal environment. Reviewers at Android Police also had their Pixel 5a unit throw up a warning message after just over five minutes of 4K recording. The problem was also verified by testers at Hothardware who received an overheating prompt on their Pixel 5a unit after six minutes of recording a 4K video at 60fps, with an ambient temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
Meanwhile, Android Central reports that just taking a few pictures and some short 1080p videos slows down the phone and brings up the overheating warning on the Pixel 5a in under half an hour. The publication has reached out to Google and the company is investigating the matter.
Apart from reviewers, some Pixel 5a users have also taken to Twitter to report the overheating problem. One of them says his phone displayed an overheating warning after an hour of live streaming in 1080p, while others mostly experienced the issue while using the camera of the phone.
Hopefully, this is a software bug and not one related to the hardware on the Pixel 5a. Google is specifically looking at the camera app to figure out the cause of the problem. We’ll update this article if and when the company responds with details about a solution or releases an update to fix it.