Google’s April Android system update boosts pixel performance

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Illustration to article titled Google's April Software Update simply gave the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G a major performance boost

Photo Sam Rutherford

The Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 weren’t exactly slow when it came to processing power, but now a recent software update from Google has just given those phones a big boost in performance.

While Google’s April software patch for Pixel phones is technically listed as a security update, but actually includes a number of improvements, such as improved image quality when taking photos with selected third-party camera apps, better support for VPNs, and bug fixes to prevent some pixels from crashing on boot. However, the main changes in this patch for Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 owners are new “performance optimizations for certain graphics-intensive apps and games”.

Here's a quick rundown of the changes in Google's latest Pixel security update, as seen on Google's support forums

Here’s a quick rundown of the changes in Google’s latest Pixel security update, as seen on Google’s support forums
Screenshot Sam Rutherford Reasonable use

That is because, after updating the Pixel 5 with the latest software, we saw the benchmark figures in 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme graphics test increase between 30% and 50% or more depending on the settings. When I tested again at launch, the Pixel 5 scored 2,674 on 3DMark’s Sling Shot Extreme Unlimited test, but after the update the benchmarks rose to 3,514, which equates to a improvement of just over 30%.

Mirror these numbers similar results posted by Andreas Proschofsky of the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, with some other reviewers claim that the graphics performance has been doubled in certain circumstances.

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Now, for some it can be quite frustrating to learn that their phones may not have been able to access their ‘full’ performance at launch, although in my experience the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G never really suffered from weak performance or lag, even during gaming.

But for me, the real takeaway is the huge impact that software updates can have on modern devices, making it increasingly important to check for updates regularly and install them in a timely manner. That doesn’t mean you have to install updates on day one, but at the same time, there aren’t many good reasons to ignore that icon in your notification tray for weeks or months on end.

Regardless, Google’s April software updates for its Pixel phones do delivered some notable performance improvements for the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G, something that’s always nice to get.

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