Verge Senior Editor Sean Hollister tested the mod on his own Pixel 6a and confirmed that it works. What we don’t know is if the display panel actually supports 90Hz, or if that makes it effectively overclocked to reach the faster refresh rate. We’ve reached out to Google for comment on whether 90Hz is simply software-locked or if there are indeed display limitations. Our Pixel 6a runs at 90Hz. Snapshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge The mod exists because many in the Android community noticed that Samsung’s display on the Pixel 6a bears some similarities to the larger Pixel 6 display, and curiosity ensued. Google is enabling 90Hz on the 6.4-inch Pixel 6 panel, but the two screens aren’t exactly the same. Right now the mod is very involved. To unlock the 90Hz option on the Pixel 6a, you need to enable debug mode and OEM unlock in settings (which you might not be able to do on a locked handset), then unlock the bootloader, manually flash an Android 13 beta with some controls disabled and flash a modified vendor_boot image. If all of this crossed your mind or you’ve never heard of XDA Developers, it might be best to wait for a custom ROM. The result of all these hacks unlocks the Smooth Display 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 mod and confirmed that it is legit. Mishaal Rahman noticed a green tint to his handset after applying the mod, and we’ve noticed the same (although some others don’t). There are also some concerns about the long-term effects on the Pixel 6a’s display. Developer Kuba Wojciechowski warns that Samsung may not rate the Pixel 6a’s display up to 90Hz, and that this is likely just overclocking. TheLunarixus says we won’t fully know until the mod runs on over 100 phones. “We’re not pushing the board more in terms of power, this mod consists of adding a new frequency function to the driver with timings from the Pixel 6 driver s6e3fc3 with modified height and width values,” says TheLunarixus. “No modified voltages etc here, we use our own gamma array.” Either way, TheLunarixus tells The Verge that they are “working on a custom ROM with changes on the ROM side to make it fully stable and ready for the public.” We’ll be monitoring our device to see if there are any long-term effects from unlocking the 90Hz mode, and hopefully Google or Samsung Display will comment on why the 90Hz option isn’t officially available on the Pixel 6a.
