Google’s Pixel 6a display can run at 90Hz if you want to tweak it

Google’s mid-range Pixel 6a comes with a 6.1-inch OLED display that works at 60Hz, but there is a way to unlock the 90Hz mode. Twitter user TheLunarixus He created a mod to unlock the 90Hz mode on the Pixel 6a, and they’re working on a custom ROM to make it easier for any Pixel 6a owner to unlock the improved refresh rate.

edge Senior Editor Sean Hollister has tested the mod on his Pixel 6a, and confirmed that it works. What we don’t know is whether the monitor panel really supports 90Hz, or whether this effectively overclocks it to reach the faster refresh rate. We’ve reached out to Google to comment on whether 90Hz is just a software lock, or if there really are display panel restrictions.

Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge

The mod exists because many in the Android community noticed that the Samsung display in the Pixel 6a shares some similarities with the larger Pixel 6’s display, and curiosity followed. Google is enabling 90Hz on the Pixel 6’s 6.4-inch panel, but the two screens aren’t exactly the same.

Now the situation is very included. To unlock the 90Hz option on the Pixel 6a, you have to enable Debug Mode and OEM Unlock in Settings (which you might not be able to do on a locked launcher phone), then unlock the bootloader, and manually flash the Android 13 beta version with disabled Some checks, flash an unmodified vendor_boot image.

If all of this has been in your head or you haven’t heard of it before XDA Developers, it is better to wait on the allocated ROM. The result of all these hacks unlocks the Smooth Rendering option and the ability to force the maximum refresh rate in the developer settings to 90Hz.

Others in the Android community have also tested this mode and confirmed that it is legit. Mishaal Rahman We noticed a green tint on his phone after applying the mod, and we noticed the same thing (although others don’t have the problem).

There are also some concerns about long-term effects on the Pixel 6a’s display. Developer Cuba Wojciechowski warns That Samsung may not rate the Pixel 6a’s display at 90Hz, it’s likely that this is just overclocking. TheLunarixus says we won’t know until the mod runs on over 100 phones.

“We’re not squeezing the board any harder in terms of power, all this mod consists of adding a new driver frequency mode with timings from the Pixel 6’s driver s6e3fc3 with modified height and width values,” TheLunarixus says. “No voltage etc has been modified here, we are using our own gamma table.”

Either way, says TheLunarixus the edge They are “working on a custom ROM with ROM side changes to make this fully stable and ready for the public.” We’ll be monitoring our phone to see if there are any long-term effects of unlocking the 90Hz mode, and hopefully here’s a Google or Samsung Display comment on why the 90Hz option isn’t officially available on the Pixel 6a.