The Pixel 7 Pro's display reportedly draws an insane amount of power at higher brightness. Google launched the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro earlier this month following months of rumors, speculations and official teasers. The devices offer an upgrade over their predecessors — the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro — launched by Google late last year to almost universal acclaim. The Pixel 7 series has also been released to positive reviews in the media, but the latest report suggests that all may not be well with Google's latest flagship smartphone.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are not only packed with features, but they also undercut flagships from other brands, offering terrific value for money. The vanilla Pixel 7 starts at just $599, while the 7 Pro has an asking price of $899 for the base model. Apart from the affordable price tags, the new devices also offer many features and functionality, including deep integration with the Google ecosystem. For example, one of the freebies for Pixel 7-series owners is a free Google One VPN that the company claims would encrypt users' online activity and protect them from hackers on public or unsecured networks.
According to XDA, the Pixel 7 Pro's display draws an unusually high amount of power, especially when used in outdoor conditions at high brightness. Tests conducted by the blog confirmed as much, revealing that the device draws about 3.5 to 4W at 600 nits, depending on the use case. At maximum brightness levels, the device's battery consumption hits an ungodly 6W, which is way higher than usual for a mobile device. Furthermore, the problem affects all four Pixel 7 Pro units used by the folks over at XDA, meaning the problem is likely widespread and not just restricted to the odd faulty unit.
The Pixel 7 Pro's Display Has A Major Problem
The report further pointed out that the Pixel 6 Pro also had a similar problem, but it went largely unnoticed as its display didn't get as bright as its successor's. The 6 Pro drains around 4W of power at just under 800 nits, making it almost as power-hungry as the 7 Pro and suggesting a deeper problem with Google's recent flagships. The blog puts this into perspective by noting the Galaxy S22 Ultra draws around 2W at 600 nits and 4W at 1000 nits, while the S22 Plus draws around 4.5W at 1100 nits.
As for the Pixel 7 Pro, the report claims that the display performs relatively better at lower brightness levels, drawing only around 0.7W of power. However, it's still a problem and something that needs to be addressed by Google in one way or another. If it is simply a software issue, it will likely be fixed by a future update, but the report suggests that it could be a hardware problem, which might be almost impossible to fix without an expensive mass recall.
Source: XDA