Google offers free Pixel 2 warranties following screen damage concerns

Journalists with preview units reported screen burn-in issues weeks ahead of launch
Google is giving all Pixel 2 owners a free two-year warranty after reported screen issues
Spencer Platt/Getty
Ben Travis27 October 2017

Google has responded to early claims about a screen issue on its Pixel 2 XL smartphone and offered buyers a free warranty.

The tech company is yet to launch the new mobile, but journalists with early review handsets raised concerns over screen 'burn-in' – permanent marks left on the screen by pixels that regularly display the same pattern.

The post, written by Google’s VP of product management Mario Quieroz, states that Google will now supply all Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users with a 2-year warranty worldwide, and will also issue software updates, including a saturated colour mode, to combat any potential screen issues.

“Our current investigation of burn-in, which started as soon as we received the first user report on October 22, confirms that the differential aging is in line with that of other premium smartphones and should not affect the normal, day-to-day user experience of the Pixel 2 XL,” Quieroz writes. “Regardless, we use software to safeguard the user experience and maximize the life of the OLED display, and we’ll make ongoing software updates to optimize further.”

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An additional forum post by Seang Chau, Google’s VP of engineering, offers more in-depth findings, and states that the company is testing a feature which will fade out the navigation bar buttons in periods of inactivity. This would help prevent the ‘home’ and ‘back’ icons from burning into the bottom of the screen.

“We take every report seriously because we want to ensure that the experience on our phones has not been compromised,” writes Chau. “Our investigation so far has given us confidence that our displays are as great as we hoped they would be, though we’re also taking steps to address the concerns we've heard.”

Google Pixel 2 is currently available, while the larger Pixel 2 XL launches on November 15.

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