Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL problems: how to fix them

Trouble with your new Google Pixel 2 phone? You’re not alone

The Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL have plenty going for them, including their awesome photography chops and top-notch build quality that’s imbued with impressive and fresh software. And so far, it hasn’t been the smoothest launch for Google’s 2017 flagship duo.

To list of matters identified by those who have plucked up the phones since their October 2017 launch is, to be frank, rather heavy. From widespread display issues to strange clicking noises and audio recording hiccups, the problems range from bad to worst for customers hoping to be wowed by their expensive purchase.

We’ve put together this guide to help you keep track of which issues have been heard, as well as Google’s progress on coming up to them.

• Issues aside, both phones have gained a place on our list of best Android phones, and yes, their cameras are really all they're hyped-up to be.

Google Pixel 2 XL’s blue tint

The larger Pixel 2 XL uses OLED display technology, and while its benefits look good on paper and generally are in practice, the results aren’t as convincing on Google’s latest phablet.

This is mainly because of the limited favorable viewing angles on the 2 XL. When you await at the display head-on, things look good – great, still. Only when you tilt the phone to the side, its warm colors begin to languish into a paler blue tone.

Or so people won’t acknowledge or be overly moved by it, as it’s not technically a flaw, but it’s difficult not to consider it once you realize that it’s there.

Hence far, Google’s answer to appease users (of both Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL) is the added ability to adjust the color saturation between “Boosted, Natural or Saturated” settings until the display’s presentation suits your desires. You’ll see this option in the “Display” setting and inside of the advanced settings within.

This doesn’t necessarily “fix” the blue shift in color, only according to Sang Chau, a top engineer at Google, this was intentional in design. He offered the accompanying instruction on the company’s blog regarding the Pixel 2 XL’s OLED tech:

"The little blue shade is inherent in the display hardware and only visible when you check the blind at a sharp angle. All displays are susceptible to some story of color transformation (e.g. Red, yellow, blue) when watching from off angles due to the pixel cavity design. Similar to our selection with a cooler white point, we broke with what users tend to favor and chose a design that shifts blue."

Google Pixel 2 XL’s OLED burn-in

OLED displays are far less susceptible to burn-in than, say, an old plasma television, but it can still happen. And only a few weeks following the departure of the Pixel 2 XL, users were reporting early signs of burn-in on the phone’s OLED display – a worrying development for a phone that had already had complaints regarding its screen.

Upon calling for a statement from Google, it stated the following:

"The Pixel 2 XL screen has been projected with an advanced POLED technology, including QHD+ resolution, full color gamut, and high contrast ratio for natural and beautiful colors and interpretations. We place all of our products through extensive quality testing before launch and in the manufacturing of every unit. We are actively investigating this report."

After the reports of apparent burn-in began to spread, Google offered a follow-up statement regarding its findings:

"Our investigation thus far has given us assurance that our presentations are equally big as we hoped they would be, though we’re also taking steps to address the worries we've heard."

One of those steps is given every Pixel 2 XL (and Pixel 2) user a two-year guarantee, which supersedes the standard one-year warranty. This cuts through any manufacturer defects, including OLED decay, for double the duration.

Another one of those steps, although not referred by Google, is probable to be a fix made to the new measure, which now fades out periodically – likely an exploit to prevent these static elements from burning in as time goes on.

Pixel 2 XL audio recording issues

The last known issue (as of yet) with Google’s plus-sized flagship smartphone is the poor recording quality that some are feeling when recording a television. Certain devices are recording audio that’s very distorted – clearly pointing to a problem with either the microphone hardware or the software. A Pixel 2 XL user uploaded the video below, which clears the issue apparent from the get-go.


Once news of this event began to fan out, Google said that it would accept a fix in the next workweek. And according to a Reddit user, the latest developer preview of Android Oreo 8.1 appears to have doctored it.

Source Link: http://www.techradar.com/news/google-pixel-2-and-pixel-2-xl-problems

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