Google Pixel 4: This is why the refresh rate is automatically reduced

The reviewers of Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL found that their monitor does not work permanently with refresh rate 90Hz.

ΚSince no one knew why Google decided to "lock in" the refresh rate, most assumed it did so to balance battery consumption.

The problem and the temporary solution

As we mentioned, when the screen brightness of Google Pixel 4 drops below 75% then the refresh rate is reduced from 90Hz to 60Hz. In addition, some report that if the ambient light level is high, the refresh rate remains at 90Hz even when the screen brightness is low.

The temporary solution to this problem is activate the “Force 90Hz refresh rate” setting, from the Google Pixel 4 developer options. However, this may affect their battery life.

The real reason Google locked the refresh rate

Initially, the company stated that they designed the Smooth Display for users to enjoy the benefits of 90Hz, but made sure that the refresh rate was reduced to 60Hz whenever necessary. However, XDA Editor-in-Chief Mishaal Rahman has discovered reports that explain why the Google Pixel 4 screen behaves this way.

Google says the reason they limit the refresh rate to high brightness levels is because the screen flicker may be visible during the refresh rate change.

This is due to the fact that different refresh rates use different gamma curves. The screen does not support dynamic refresh rate and can not balance brightness between different refresh rates.

For some reason, the Google Pixel 4 screen refresh rate remains at 60Hz when the screen is idle or content is playing at 60fps. If the user touches the screen or there is action on the screen, the rate changes to 90Hz. As we understand the rate of renewal is constantly changing and the slight tremor reported by the company would definitely be annoying.

What Google intends to do

The company stated that it is constantly evaluating whether the parameters it has set offer the experience it would like to the owners of its smartphones. With future updates will ensure that the final parameters are ideal for all users.

Until then, the only solution Pixel 4 owners have is to enable the setting mentioned above.

Source