Pixel 10: September patch should fix display errors – GPU drivers remain old

Google released a second OTA update out of sequence for the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL on September 16. According to the manufacturer, the new version with the build number BD3A.250721.001.E1 is intended to fix bugs and improve performance and stability. The manufacturer is not specific in the changelog for the 31 MB update. Meanwhile, one network operator has mentioned an important change.

Second update within a few weeks

After the Pixel 10 models went on sale ex works with Android 16 QPR1, including the “Material 3 Expressive” design and August security patches, Google delivered an additional smaller update for the Pixel 10 series at the beginning of September alongside the Pixel Drop for Pixel 6 and newer. This brought the new devices up to the latest security level and also corrected several bugs. This included improvements in the audio area as well as a fix for display problems in the browser. Corrections to the behavior of the power button in connection with Android Auto and bug fixes to prevent system crashes were also included in the first patch.

The update that has now been released is specifically intended for the new Pixel 10 models, which indicates that it should primarily correct Pixel 10 bugs. Unfortunately, Google is not saying what the new version has on board. According to the US network operator Verizon, the update is intended to resolve an issue “that led to a blurred display,” among other things.

Criticism of GPU performance

The fresh update is also a topic of discussion in the Pixel community on Reddit. One of the first Redditors hopes that the new patch will bring the GPU drivers of the Pixel 10 models up to date. The new models certainly seem to need this, as the GPU performance is currently far below that of their predecessors.

The reason for the poor performance appears to be outdated drivers (v24.3) for the PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU from Imagination Technologies used by Google, as speculated on Reddit. Users are complaining about the poor GPU performance, which is apparently due to a low clock frequency. Even under high load, it remains at its idle frequency of 396 MHz and thus far below the nominal clock rate of 1 GHz. Some users are also complaining about high battery consumption, which may be caused by the GPU.

The problem could be solved with the integration of a new driver version, which Imagination Technologies released in August. According to the developers, version v25.1 for the GPU is intended to optimize Android 16 compatibility, offer Vulkan 1.4 support, and extended OpenCL functions, among other things.

Google usually bundles new GPU drivers with its Android beta versions before releasing them as finished updates. We have not yet been able to verify whether the new GPU version is part of the first Android 16 QPR2 for the Pixel 10. This is because Google only added its new models to the Android beta program a few hours ago. It will be a while before the next major Android 16 beta is released because the next Pixel Drop won't be released until December.

(afl)