Pixel 8: Overheating and battery life problems reported

Picture: June Wan/ZDNET.

Less than a month after its release, Google’s new range of smartphones, Pixel 8, has received generally positive reviews.

Unfortunately, Google seems to be unable to get rid of some problems of the past, as a few rather important problems have appeared for many users.

Screen tint and overheating

Starting with a problem with the tint of the screen. Some devices with the “always-on” feature activated have indeed taken 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, it is overheating and battery problems that concern many Pixel 8 users on Google’s support forums and on Reddit. A problem that does not date from yesterday on the Pixel.

The Pixel 8 are not the only smartphones facing overheating problems this year. Indeed, the same problem worries Apple with its new iPhone 15, in particular the most high-end model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

A connectivity problem?

Looking carefully at the complaints, it seems that most of the reported battery and overheating problems occur after prolonged use of the device away from a Wi-Fi connection.

So these problems could both be related to a third one: poor mobile data connectivity. The Pixel of the older generations often had difficulty maintaining a good 5G connection. If the problem is still present on the new range, it could explain a shorter battery life, but also a slight overheating when the phone is trying to find the network to connect.

I am the owner of a Pixel 8 Pro myself. If I haven’t had to complain about overheating problems, it happens that my battery 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 problems and its battery is running down faster than expected, you can try changing your mobile connection to alleviate the problem.

In the Settings app, go to Network and Internet > SIM > NAME OF YOUR OPERATOR and modify 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 earlier. If you can’t find 5G, it’s because your operator has already disabled this option – it depends on your plan.

These new problems have not yet been recognized by Google. Nevertheless, it may be that despite appearances, they are software-related – related to the software or firmware – and can therefore be solved by an update, without requiring hardware intervention. A security update is scheduled for next month, will it contain fixes for these recent problems? The future will tell us.

Source: ZDNet.com