Pixel 2 XL: Google’s controversial screen sparks complaints about new phone

Colours don’t look quite as saturated and punchy on it as they do on other handsets’ displays

People try out Google's Pixel 2 phones during a launch event in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2017 (REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

The display on Google’s brand new phone isn’t as vibrant as it should be, some users are saying.

The Pixel 2 XL, which was released this week, has sparked a number of complaints because its screen looks slightly more muted than the screens of some other handsets on the market.

Google believes the display shows “a more natural and accurate rendition” of colours, but some users consider it to be a significant shortcoming of the phone.

The Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch, 2,880 x 1,440 P-OLED display, which is both large and impressively sharp.

However, colours don’t look as saturated on it as they do on some other phones’ screens. They look cooler, which some users like and other users don’t.

It's a contentious issue, which is splitting opinion. The people complaining about it say it looks “lifeless” and tinged with blue, and that it compares poorly to other handsets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

At the same time, a consistent criticism of Samsung’s phones over the years has been that their displays are so saturated they make the subjects of pictures and videos look unnatural.

The Pixel 2 XL even offers a Vivid Colours option, which boosts saturation by 10 per cent. However, that’s not been enough for some users.

Google has acknowledged their complaints, and says it will consider introducing extra display colour options through a software update.

“We designed the Pixel 2 to take advantage of multiple facets of the innovative new POLED technology, including QHD+ resolution with 538 pixels per inch as well as a wide color gamut,” the company told 9to5Google.

“One of our design intents was to achieve a more natural and accurate rendition of colors.

“We know that some people prefer more vivid colors, so we’ve added an option to boost colors by 10% for more saturation. We’ll continue to pay close attention to people’s responses to Pixel, and we will consider adding more display color options through software if that makes the product better.”

The Pixel 2 XL is the more impressive of Google's two new phones, and is available from £799.