Google Says The Pixel 2 XL's Pale Display Is "More Natural"

The pale display panel of the Pixel 2 XL that some early adopters and reviewers have been complaining about in recent days is “more natural and accurate,” Google said in a statement provided to CNET, noting how the overall look of the screen found on its latest Android flagship wasn’t a byproduct of some technological limitation or a manufacturing error but a conscious effort on its part to deliver more accurate colors. The Alphabet-owned tech giant acknowledged that not all consumers are satisfied with that look and prefer a richer color scheme even if it doesn’t deliver maximally natural images, which is why the company says it provided users with the option to enable a more vivid display mode which increases saturation by ten percent. A number of people who spent some time with the device argue that the new mode doesn’t eliminate the issue entirely and that the Pixel 2 XL’s color reproduction cannot compare to the Galaxy Note 8 or even the LG V30 with whom it shares an LG Display-made 6-inch POLED module.

Google’s statement on the matter also suggests that the company is open to adding more color modes to the Pixel 2 XL based on user feedback it receives in the future but it’s currently unclear whether it can significantly improve the color richness of its screen through a software update, especially if the nature of the issue is of the hardware variety. While the Mountain View, California-based company reflected on these complaints, it has yet to comment on reports related to other issues with the screen of its newly launched Android phablet. Among other things, some reviewers have been complaining that the display panel of the Pixel 2 XL becomes noticeably bluer when the phone is viewed at even a slight angle. While that phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Google’s latest mobile device, it’s said to be particularly noticeable on it.

Some tech experts who complained about the Pixel 2 XL’s screen have acknowledged that the issues themselves are unlikely to be spotted by the average consumers but it’s still unclear why the LG V30 appears to offer a superior viewing experience despite featuring a nearly identical display panel. Finally, it’s possible that the next Pixel 2 XL batch will be free of those screen-related problems and that Google truly manages to alleviate some of them with a software update.