Pixel 2 XL crippled by 'crazy levels of burn-in': Where did Google's smartphone strategy go wrong?

Google's new flagship smartphones are not off to a good start. Multiple tech reviewers, who have used the bigger Pixel 2 XL for about a couple of weeks, have reported some screen "burn-in" issues with the handset while Google said that it was investigating the problem.

The latest screen-related issue surfaced only days after reports of consternation surrounding the Google Pixel 2 XL display came to light. Observers fear that these issues are not a great sign for Google as the new Pixel 2 series is the company's attempt to break into the increasingly competitive smartphone market, dominated by Apple and Samsung.

According to BBC, the Pixel 2 XL unit, it got from Google for review, suffered from mild "burn-in" -- a term used when a screen or a portion of the screen is permanently marked by images that have been on display for a long period of time. The ghost image would stay there even after you change the screen to display something else.

As seen in the image above, the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen of an affected Pixel 2 XL could be seen dimly while it should not have been visible. It would be frustrating for many to find this issue on a new high-end smartphone as anomalies like this are typically common in old screens.

"We take all reports of issues very seriously, and our engineers investigate quickly," BBC quoted Mario Queiroz, Google's vice president for the Pixel range, as saying. "We will provide updates as soon as we have conclusive data."

Android Central, on the other hand, reported "some pretty crazy levels of burn-in" in one of its Pixel 2 XL review units after only about a week of use. The publication also said that after tweeting out the image of the affected handset, it got a few replies from other users saying that they also faced the same issue on their handsets.

Google, meanwhile, responded to Android Central saying that "the Pixel 2 XL screen has been designed with an advanced POLED technology, including QHD+ resolution, wide colour gamut, and high contrast ratio for natural and beautiful colours and renderings."

"We put all of our products through extensive quality testing before launch and in the manufacturing of every unit. We are actively investigating this report," the company added.

Considering that the new Pixel 2 series is Google's big step into the premium smartphone segment, it will be disastrous if the company is required to halt production of the Pixel 2 and recall devices that are already shipped.

Google has reportedly already delayed the delivery of some Pixel 2 units by up to a month as it is struggling to keep the smartphone in stock.