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00:00Hey, how's it going? Dave2D here. So, I want to do a quick video on the Pixel 2 XL.
00:09This isn't a review. I feel like there's a lot of really good reviews out there, particularly Marquez's.
00:13That's an excellent video if you haven't seen it. But I wanted to touch on something that I feel is the issue surrounding this phone, which is its screen.
00:21So, let's talk about a couple of the good things. It's an excellent phone if you're interested in stock Android phones.
00:27Like this is, it's everything you would imagine the Pixel 2 XL to be, and maybe a little bit more, because the software is so good.
00:33The one thing that sticks out in particular for me is how good the software is on the camera.
00:38It's a single lens, and the camera in general is really good. But I want to focus on the big thing that is for me, the screen.
00:45Now, this phone, if it didn't have the controversy surrounding its screen, I think a lot of publications and reviewers would consider this to be the perfect Android phone.
00:55Because there's so much that this thing does right. But, because of the screen, there is, I guess, doubt in the consumer's mind as to whether or not they should purchase it,
01:03as to whether or not this is actually a good phone. Because the screen is such an important part of your phone experience.
01:08You use your screen every time you use your phone, and a lot of people would consider it to be the most important part of a phone.
01:14So, there's three issues that are surrounding this screen. The first is the issue of burn-in on the screen.
01:19Some people are noticing that there's residual artifacts on their screen from the UI.
01:23And this is actually a very common issue with OLED screens. It doesn't matter what panel you're using, if it's an OLED panel, there is a risk of burn-in.
01:31This has existed since the beginning of OLED panels on phones.
01:35As for my particular phone, I don't have any burn-in yet, but it's only been used for a couple of weeks.
01:40I feel like over time, it's going to pop up. And when it does, I'm just going to live with it.
01:44Because almost every single phone that I've used that had an OLED display has developed some kind of artifact over time.
01:49That's just the nature of the panels.
01:51Now, the good thing is that Google has addressed this, they've kind of like squashed people's fear of this,
01:56by giving two-year warranties on these phones, which is crazy.
01:59Like, I don't think there's been any other phone, I could be wrong,
02:03but I don't think there is any other phone that comes with a stock warranty of two years on hardware.
02:08That's amazing. So, if you have issues down the line, I feel like Google's going to take care of it.
02:12The other issue that they addressed is the washed-out colors.
02:14And I would agree, the Pixel 2 XL launched with a very flat color profile.
02:18And even as someone who prefers more realistic colors, and just not overly saturated stuff,
02:23I still found this one a little bit dull.
02:25So it's nice that Google's addressing it.
02:27Now, the last thing I want to talk about is the whole blue shift when you tilt it.
02:31And this is obviously a real issue, I think a lot of people are getting this right out of the box.
02:35And, here's the thing.
02:38I think it's another thing that's been kind of over-sensationalized,
02:41because of how good everything else on this phone is.
02:43People just want to find something to pick about on this phone.
02:46And the color shift is, it's there, but so many phones have some kind of color shift.
02:51Now, I think there is some variation, depending on the unit that you have.
02:55Like, there are some defective units out there, maybe,
02:57that exhibit a more pronounced color shift when you tilt it.
03:00My unit is pretty decent.
03:02And when I compare it to any of the flagships here, so this is like a Samsung S8,
03:05the V30, like, they all have some degree of color shift.
03:08And I wouldn't say that the Pixel 2 XL, at least not my unit,
03:11is significantly worse than the other phones.
03:14Not that it doesn't exist, because it is present,
03:16but it's not terrible or anything, at least not to me.
03:19Now, the reason why all this matters, this whole discussion about the screen being imperfect,
03:23is because the price of the phone is $850.
03:27It's not cheap.
03:28And at this price point, I guess the consumer expects some degree of perfection.
03:33Not that perfect phones exist, but they want this screen to be as good as possible.
03:37And therein lies the problem.
03:39With Pixel phones, with Pixel hardware in general,
03:42you're paying for the amazing ecosystem that the software provides.
03:46You're not paying for top-end hardware.
03:48If you're looking for the top-of-the-line hardware,
03:50there's a ton of other options out there to choose from,
03:52but you're not going to get that with Pixel phones.
03:54So, if you're purchasing this phone, make sure you're purchasing for the right reason.
03:58Because if you're not, if you're trying to get, like, amazing hardware,
04:01you're in for a bad time.
04:02But if you're going for a softer ride, this is a great phone.
04:05Okay, hope you guys enjoyed this video.
04:07Thumbs if you liked it, subs if you loved it.
04:09See you guys next time.