Amid the early reviews on the Google Pixel 2 XL citing screen burn-in issues, Google issued an official statement on Monday to address the users' qualms about their flagship mobile device. While the search engine giant has not yet determined the cause of remnant images appearing on the screen, they promised to look into the matter seriously.
According to Google's statement, they are now aware that some of the Pixel 2 XL units released this month displayed hints of image retention. The company did not specifically describe the issue as a screen burn-in, although early test results show that the decay characteristics of the Pixel 2 XL display are similar with the OLED screens used in other devices. Nevertheless, Google said that they are "actively investigating" the matter.
The screen burn-in of the Google Pixel 2 XL display may not be apparent at first, although the faint outlines of inactive images and icons can be seen clearly when viewed in a gray background. The first review for the premium smartphone, which came from Android Central, claims that the remnants of navigation buttons can be spotted at the bottom of the display.
Other reports show that no hints of image retention or screen burn-in are spotted in Google Pixel 2, meaning that the issue may be exclusive in the XL variant. Recently launched premium handsets such as Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG V30 did not show any signs of screen burn-in, considering that the two also use similar OLED panels as the Pixel 2 XL. The Galaxy S8 has the Super AMOLED screen, while the LG V30 makes use of POLED display technology.
Screen burn-in problem is not rare for smartphones using OLED panels. However, such problem only emerges after an extended period of usage. In the case of Google Pixel 2 XL, screen burn-in is not yet expected given that the model has only been out for a few weeks. Image decay in OLED screens is more unlikely in handsets that have only been used for a few days.
Meanwhile, Google also addressed the users' concerns about the Pixel 2 XL screen not displaying saturated images. The company said that the graphics may not appear as saturated as those in other smartphones because they chose to make them look more natural. With this, Google said that a software update will be released soon to add a "Saturated" mode in Pixel 2 XL.
