Google Pixel and Pixel XL 2

Went to Verizon with a Moto X Pure. Told the salesman I would like to compare the stereo speaker sound quality with the Pixel 2 XL. Salesman was interested to find out too because no one had come in before with another phone to do a comparison test, and his customers only wanted to hear how loud it got.

He picked up the P2XL and launched Tom Petty: Free Fallin' (YouTube). I don't know how far he had turned up the volume but the loudness sounded fine to me, no concern in that regard. However the treble sounded brassy to me and significantly overpowered the bass. When I played the same song on the Moto X Pure the difference in sound quality was immediately noticeable. I commented that the Pure had a fuller sound, the salesman commented that the Pure phone had a richer sound and the P2XL sounded tinny.

Salesman felt that the current cell phone manufacturers were placing less emphasis on speaker sound quality because of the popularity of ear phones. I agreed and lamented that phones with speaker quality like the Axon 7 and the Moto X Pure have yet to surface again.

If you are going to remove the 3.5mm jack to "save space", yet add a second speaker that eats up that space but not at least try for sound quality....Whats the point? If the excuse is "headphones", why the fuck remove the 3.5mm jack??
 
The blue tint is the weakest part of the phone by far. It's not game breaking for me just yet but I'll try it out through the 14 day return period to see if it's something I can get used to.

Other than that haven't run into any issues thus far.

What confuses me is that this display is very likely the same one as in the V30 yet that phone doesn't suffer from blue tint.
 
Just stopped by Verizon and to say I was less than impressed with the 1st impression would be an understatement.

The XL really is odd looking with the round corners of the screen and how it "sits" on the body of the phone. I think if I did own it and used it, it would not be an issue but 1st look it takes some time to get used to it.

Both phones feel very good in the hand and are very smooth and quick so I guess I could get past the initial looks but I was looking more so at the smaller Pixel 2 but can't see dropping $700 on a phone with the same if not bigger bezels than last year. I'll wait and give them another chance again when I have some more time and there are less people looking at the Pixel, but I am glad I did not pre-order.

On a side but related note, there was a lineup (well me and 3 other people) waiting to try out the Pixel's.
 
What confuses me is that this display is very likely the same one as in the V30 yet that phone doesn't suffer from blue tint.

"The Pixel 2 XL display has also been tuned for a wider color gamut, and includes a circular polarizer to increase screen visibility when viewed with sunglasses."

Maybe that's the cause? Does the V30 work with sunglasses?
 
"The Pixel 2 XL display has also been tuned for a wider color gamut, and includes a circular polarizer to increase screen visibility when viewed with sunglasses."

Maybe that's the cause? Does the V30 work with sunglasses?
The circular polarizer is what many are claiming to be the culprit which is unfortunate if true as that is not something that could be fixed with a software update like the "dull" colors.
 
I don't really have an issue with the screen quality, but the color gamut is definitely a bit dull. Cranking the brightness helps (a lot, actually) but I'm sure that will come at a price when it comes to battery life. Seems like something software could fix, though. It's the color scheme after all.
 
I don't really have an issue with the screen quality, but the color gamut is definitely a bit dull. Cranking the brightness helps (a lot, actually) but I'm sure that will come at a price when it comes to battery life. Seems like something software could fix, though. It's the color scheme after all.

Not just battery life, burn in as well.
 
The blue tint is the weakest part of the phone by far. It's not game breaking for me just yet but I'll try it out through the 14 day return period to see if it's something I can get used to.

Other than that haven't run into any issues thus far.

What confuses me is that this display is very likely the same one as in the V30 yet that phone doesn't suffer from blue tint.

Are you thinking of returning the Pixel 2 XL for an unlocked V30? B&H says the unlocked V30s are coming on 10/27 (last time I checked).
 
If I return my Pixel 2 XL, the next phone I'll consider will be the HTC 11 Plus. Supposedly it'll be announced on 11/2.
 
I'm pretty sure I'm keeping this one, but I guess I'll see what the next few days bring.
How long do we have to return these to Google and what's the process like? I'm assuming it's the normal return policy on their site, right? If I were to return this one, I'd probably just get the smaller one...whenever those are back in stock.
 
You guys in the US are lucky. The Pixel 2 XL is the shipping until November 15 in Canada. I got my pre-order in as soon as the order page opened up during the presentation.

By far, it seems like the most negative attention on this phone us in the display. I'm hoping I'll be OK with what I see. I already perceived the display on my Pixel XL as a downgrade from my Note 7 and Note 5... Hopefully this isn't another shift backwards again. I'm going to wait to cast judgement though because other than the blue shift discussion which might have something to do with the circular polarizer, I am hearing that this display more correctly displays SRGB content. That is what everything on the web is targeting and it's nice when you order something on Amazon and it looks similar to the picture you viewed in your phone. I think they just need to give users more choice like Samsung has because lots of people love the inaccurate look of Samsung AMOLED displays with their default settings. I actually like it sometimes too but I want the option... If the calibration is actually decent out if the box, I don't feel like Google made the wrong choice....
 
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I still don't get how this happens with an OLED display...I'm starting to think its not the polarizer because the regular Pixel 2 doesn't exhibit the same color shift.

I might end up switching to the LG V30 this weekend. Seems like the screen uniformity issues have been fixed in the latest batches for the most part according to many Redditors.

EDIT: Nevermind looks like the V30 also suffers from the blue tint but only to a lesser degree.
 
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I guess I'm in the minority as I think I'm fine with it. The color gamut seems fixable and is a bigger gripe for me than the blue tint. I like a "cooler" look, so I actually wish that bluer picture tone was always there. Since I have 15 days (and the smaller models are in stock) I guess I'll see how I feel in the middle of next week.
 
Well, it's not so much the blueness but the shift that's the problem in my book. One of the older AMOLED phones I owned shifted pink and I really disliked that.
 
Well, it's not so much the blueness but the shift that's the problem in my book. One of the older AMOLED phones I owned shifted pink and I really disliked that.
This is it. The shift is what is bad, if it was a cooler temperature at all angles then I wouldn't care. But going from a neutral color temp and then shifting to a cooler/bluer tint is the problem. Sometimes the tint will only be on half the screen at a slight angle as well. And the angle the blue tint starts appearing isn't very large. Slight angles and you'll begin to see it.
 
To say the pixel screen is rubbish is a monumental understatement. A $1,000 phone shouldn't have compromises.... especially something like the screen

 
To say the pixel screen is rubbish is a monumental understatement. A $1,000 phone shouldn't have compromises.... especially something like the screen



I can agree with that, when talking flagship and problems that all but the cheapest panels have fixed long ago is very poor. I will check mine out in person first and see what it's like in hand. I was not going to get the pixel 2 because of removing the 3.5mm jack, but work finally said they would cover the cost of a personal bought phone up to the price of the phone they issue (iPhones), so that, added in with my 128GB pixel as a trade in, I will actually get money back by getting the Pixel 2 XL. But if its something I notice or it's something I would never adjust to, it's going back.
 
Wonder what Google's response to the blue tint will be... If any.
 
The store is acting up at the moment, but they had the option to order the smaller 128GB models with a 10/24 delivery date last night. You could order one and mail back the larger model today. Your refund should hit within a week if you have room on your credit card. That's not that bad of a turnaround to essentially "swap" to the smaller model. Depending on if the blue thing starts to bother me (I bet it does thanks to all of the buzz over it), I might.

Just curious - what's the difference between the ones at the Verizon store and the ones from Google? I'm assuming there's some additional (hopefully removable) bloat - anything else?
 
The store is acting up at the moment, but they had the option to order the smaller 128GB models with a 10/24 delivery date last night. You could order one and mail back the larger model today. Your refund should hit within a week if you have room on your credit card. That's not that bad of a turnaround to essentially "swap" to the smaller model. Depending on if the blue thing starts to bother me (I bet it does thanks to all of the buzz over it), I might.

Just curious - what's the difference between the ones at the Verizon store and the ones from Google? I'm assuming there's some additional (hopefully removable) bloat - anything else?

Smaller phone isn't an option for me. I've been rocking an iPhone Plus model for the past 3 years. Too used to large screens.

I'm going to hold onto the phone for a week to see if Google mentions anything about a potential hardware revision in the future (doubtful). Otherwise I'm returning it and getting a V30. Just had a buddy check for blue tint on his V30 and he said you really have to try to see any type of color shift on it. And any color shift on it is almost indistinguishable from the standard color temperature.
 
Just curious - what's the difference between the ones at the Verizon store and the ones from Google? I'm assuming there's some additional (hopefully removable) bloat - anything else?

The only difference is the bootloader is locked down on the Verizon models, so you can't unlock them, which means no (permanent) root or ROMing them unless an exploit is found to unlock them (which there was on the previous Verizon Pixels for a short time at least). That's a deal breaker for me, but probably not for you or most other people.

Regardless of where you get the Pixel though, they will all be fully carrier unlocked and work on all carriers out of the box.

Smaller phone isn't an option for me. I've been rocking an iPhone Plus model for the past 3 years. Too used to large screens.

I'm going to hold onto the phone for a week to see if Google mentions anything about a potential hardware revision in the future (doubtful). Otherwise I'm returning it and getting a V30. Just had a buddy check for blue tint on his V30 and he said you really have to try to see any type of color shift on it. And any color shift on it is almost indistinguishable from the standard color temperature.

The few comparisons I've seen so far between the Pixel 2 XL and V30 have all shown the Pixel's display to look much better at low brightness and on solid colors. But there seems to be a lot of variance in display quality with either phone too, so at best you're playing the old Display Lottery game with both phones. Pretty annoying to me, so about the only way I'll consider one is if I can buy it from a store in person so I can verify the display isn't terrible. I tried going to two Verizon stores on my way home yesterday and neither of them had any Pixel 2 demos to show yet. I'd like to put one next to my 6P (which I've loved the display on) to compare at least.

The only way I would consider getting this phone anyways is if I can talk T-Mobile into giving me the $325 bill credit towards it since I'm on their old Simple Choice plan instead of their newer One plan. They offered this credit for both plans last year, but this year they're only advertising it for One plan customers.
 
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Smaller phone isn't an option for me. I've been rocking an iPhone Plus model for the past 3 years. Too used to large screens.

I'm going to hold onto the phone for a week to see if Google mentions anything about a potential hardware revision in the future (doubtful). Otherwise I'm returning it and getting a V30. Just had a buddy check for blue tint on his V30 and he said you really have to try to see any type of color shift on it. And any color shift on it is almost indistinguishable from the standard color temperature.

I would definitely do a side by side, don't take someones word on what they think. Some people can't tell a shitty screen to save their life.
 
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The only difference is the bootloader is locked down on the Verizon models, so you can't unlock them, which means no (permanent) root or ROMing them unless an exploit is found to unlock them (which there was on the previous Verizon Pixels for a short time at least). That's a deal breaker for me, but probably not for you or most other people.

Regardless of where you get the Pixel though, they will all be fully carrier unlocked and work on all carriers out of the box.



The few comparisons I've seen so far between the Pixel 2 XL and V30 have all shown the Pixel's display to look much better at low brightness and on solid colors. But there seems to be a lot of variance in display quality with either phone too, so at best you're playing the old Display Lottery game with both phones. Pretty annoying to me, so about the only way I'll consider one is if I can buy it from a store in person so I can verify the display isn't terrible. I tried going to two Verizon stores on my way home yesterday and neither of them had any Pixel 2 demos to show yet. I'd like to put one next to my 6P (which I've loved the display on) to compare at least.
Apparently the display issues on the V30 were mostly tied to early production models. Almost everyone on Reddit that has purchased one lately with a build date of 10/2017 has had no or very minor uniformity issues. Some guy bought three V30s yesterday and posted a pic of their screens and they were all pretty much perfect.
 
Apparently the display issues on the V30 were mostly tied to early production models. Almost everyone on Reddit that has purchased one lately with a build date of 10/2017 has had no or very minor uniformity issues. Some guy bought three V30s yesterday and posted a pic of their screens and they were all pretty much perfect.

Are they using new screens now? Or was it due to a production/QC issue?
 
Is there any sort of precedent for any manufacturer letting customers swap to a later model if there are hardware issues afoot?
 
Are they using new screens now? Or was it due to a production/QC issue?
Not sure. The only evidence we have thus far is that the majority of people who bought a V30 within the last week got one manufactured this month and have much better display quality overall. Many carriers had very limited stock of the phone in stores and some just started receiving shipments this week. Speculation is that LG may have delayed shipments in order to address the screen issues.

I'm still hoping that Google will fix the blue tint in a hardware revision and let current owners trade in their current phones. But I'm not willing to wait past my return period to find out if this would be a reality.
 
Apparently the display issues on the V30 were mostly tied to early production models. Almost everyone on Reddit that has purchased one lately with a build date of 10/2017 has had no or very minor uniformity issues. Some guy bought three V30s yesterday and posted a pic of their screens and they were all pretty much perfect.

I can vouch for that. My V30 is pristine. Gorgeous screen.

Pixel 2 definitely looks to be having issues. My V30 passes that gradient check in that Reddit thread with flying colors.




 
Wow. The display issue is getting hilarious now! Several tech sites/blogs have started talking about it, and many are savage!
 
I went ahead and setup a return. I almost wish I'd never read this thread (or related articles) :p I don't know if I would have considered the blue thing a major issue had I not read about it. The color scheme still seems very fixable via software, though. Still, once you see it, you can't unsee it.
The return process seems simple and quick enough. Guess I'll see where things go from here. At least my Moto X has a new'ish battery and Nougat now.
 
DL just did a vid showing the color shifting on both the 2 XL and V30. Their V30 isn't an early pre-production unit either, so I'm pretty sure you're going to see this on all P-OLED displays from LG for the time being. I don't see them doing anything to fix this short of replacing the panels with Samsung sourced displays like the smaller Pixel 2 and previous Pixels.



I'm pretty sure I could live with that... on a sub $600 phone, but not on a $850+ phone. I'd definitely at least like to not downgrade on anything from my 64GB 6P that I paid half as much for 18 months ago, esp. the display.
 
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DL just did a vid showing the color shifting on both the 2 XL and V30. Their V30 isn't an early pre-production unit either, so I'm pretty sure you're going to see this on all P-OLED displays from LG for the time being. I don't see them doing anything to fix this short of replacing the panels with Samsung sourced displays like the smaller Pixel 2 and previous Pixels.



I'm pretty sure I could live with that... on a sub $600 phone, but not on a $850+ phone. I'd definitely at least like to not downgrade on anything from my 64GB 6P that I paid half as much for 18 months ago, esp. the display.


Makes me wonder if the new revision of the panel fixes the uniformity issues but introduced this blue tint...

If this is the case with my top 2 Android choices then I'll likely go back to Apple with the iPhone X.
 
I think I'm going the smaller Pixel route. I really love the vanilla Google experience and am okay with a slightly smaller device. The XL was always a hair bigger than I wanted, although the smaller one has those bezels. Just comparing the Pixel XL to my wife's G6 definitely highlighted how clumsy even a fairly stripped down modded OS is.
I'm at the point where Apple would be just as much of a consideration as most Android OEMs.
 
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