Those who pre-ordered the Google Pixel 2 XL already got their units last week, and over the span of a few days, they were quick to spot a major issue with the search engine's latest premium smartphone. Some reviewers noted the muddy screen display and poor readability of texts in low light, but these issues are only minor compared to a Pixel 2 XL's first potential red flag, which is screen burn-in.
As reported by The Verge, the Google Pixel 2 XL screen burn-in is easily noticeable when choosing a gray background for the screen. Users may see faint hints of images and icons even if they are not actively displayed. Android Central, which is one of the early reviewers that tested the device, caught the outlines of Pixel 2 XL navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. For now, it is not fully certain if the problem is indeed screen burn-in, but Google recently addressed the issue, saying that the company is "actively investigating" the reports from users.
"We put all of our products through extensive quality testing before launch and in the manufacturing of every unit," an unnamed spokesperson from Google replied to The Verge's message regarding the screen burn-in. This display issue is not a rare problem in modern handsets, as devices using OLED screens start to show signs of screen burn-in after many years of use. However, with the Google Pixel 2 XL that was only distributed recently, screen burn-in is not expected to occur after a few days, weeks, or even months of usage.
There is also a possibility that the image remnants visible in gray background may not be a screen burn-in, but a simpler and reversible case of image retention. Unfortunately, based on the reviews published by tech users online, there is a growing evidence that Google will need to fix the Pixel 2 XL's OLED screens for burn-in. According to CNET, there were no image remnants seen after displaying gray background in the smaller Google Pixel 2 variant, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S8 that uses AMOLED display. No screen burn-in issue was reported with the LG V30, which has the same POLED display of Pixel 2 XL.
