The Google Pixel 5a checks a lot of boxes, at least on paper. It's cheap, has some pretty decent specs and camera hardware, and it gets software updates straight from Google.
But it wouldn't be a Pixel launch without some kind of issue, right?
Yeah, turns out recording video almost melts the phone. That's not good.
Google Pixel 5a overheating
So, yes, the Pixel 5a has what looks to be a pretty good camera, which Google typically does a good job with! This time around, it can record 4K video at 60fps, at least technically. Real world usage looks a lot different though.
TechOdyssey on Twitter tested out Google's newest phone in some pretty good conditions. He tried to record 4K/60fps video, indoors, with the ambient temperature around 70 degrees (Fahrenheit, at least; that's about 21 degrees for everyone outside of the US) for a few minutes, just to see what would happen.
Well, it turns out in just a couple of minutes his phone popped a notification about the device being too hot, and that it'd need some time to cool down. Maybe it's just an issue recording in crisp 4K with all those smooth frames, right? No, apparently not. Even testing it at 1080p/30fps, he was still encountering the same problems.
If 4K/60fps is too much, that's fine. It's not ideal for a higher-end phone in 2021, but if that's where you have to cut corners, whatever. But being unable to even record in full HD without a thermal problem? That's legitimately pretty terrible, even by some of Google's low standards.
Hopefully this is something that a software update can fix, but thermal issues are no joke and can generally be pretty tricky to fix, sometimes requiring a complete hardware revision. Pixel phones have never had a great track record with recording video, but this one's tough.
Buyer beware if you're already excited for the Pixel 5a.
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Probably because idiots Keep shooting video in portrait mode…. Wasting 2/3 of available viewing area thinking if it fills my phone screen then I must be getting the full shot… WRONG….
Any professional videographer knows that the only way you should shoot video is proper landscape format because nobody who owns a widescreen tv wants to See video showing only 2/3 of what could have been shot if the idiots who shoot it would just rotate the phone into landscape they wouldn’t miss all that viewing area & wouldn’t look like an idiot for constantly panning back & forth trying to cover the same viewing area!
Phone cameras should automatically be forced to rotate the images of videos into the correct format so anyone else doesn’t have to look at 2/3 of the screen either blacked out or a fuzzy depiction of what they missed on either side that got cut off because of blatant stupidity!