New competition for the iPhone on the market

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The new flagships from Google are the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, direct competitors to the iPhone.

Lillian D., Staff Writer

Google, popularly known for its Android OS and search engine, is also behind the newest Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

The two phones differ in their sizing and screen, with the Pixel 2 having a five inch display while the 2 XL has a six inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The larger model is easily compared to phones like the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy S8. Along with such specifications, Google released Android 8.0 Oreo right out of the box for both of these phones. The rest of the Android phones will likely get the update early next year.

However, there is one issue that Google overlooked. The Pixel 2 and 2 XL both have different displays, distinguishing the two in more than just the size. Many users have reported issues with the display of the 2 XL model.

This does not change the fact that the Pixel 2 XL is experiencing burn in, a permanent discoloration of areas in the screen, and the display has an unnatural tint and lower saturation. Google responded with their efforts to prevent both issues from happening through software. Their solution to burn in is to add a fade out function to the navigation keys when not in use and match the color schemes better between the apps and reduce the brightness capacity of the display. As far as the saturation is concerned, Google does not want to run into the problem of inaccurate colors. Therefore, they give their users a chance to customize their display if they choose to increase the saturation.

While there were complaints, the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL are excellent competitors to the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones this year.

“Our investigation so far has given us confidence that our displays are as great as we hoped they would be,” said VP of product management Mario Queiroz. “Though we’re also taking steps to address the concerns we’ve heard.”