Google Moves Decisively to Avoid a Pixelgate (Premium)

Facing a number of issues in its Pixel 2 smartphones, Google this week has revealed how it will handle the mounting PR nightmare. And it has clearly learned from Microsoft's mistakes in this regard with products such as Surface and Windows 10: It is being transparent and clear, and it is addressing the problems head-on.

As I noted previously in Google, We Have a Pixel Problem (Premium), the mounting problems with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets is a personal concern: I've ordered a Pixel 2 XL at great cost, and I've watched in horror as more and more problems have been uncovered by early customers.

But this isn't just a personal problem.

The Pixel 2 XL reportedly suffers from several major issues, including a display that is, in turn, overly blue-tinted, lackluster from a color reproduction perspective, and is quickly succumbing to image burn-in, a problem we haven't seen en masse since plasma TVs roamed the earth. The smaller and less enticing Pixel 2, meanwhile, has a few problems of its own, including weird clicking and high-pitched sounds that may or may not be related to NFC. Or perhaps require an exorcism.

Well, Google is addressing all of these issues. All of them.

First, the search giant is upgrading all Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL warranties from one year to two.

"We're very confident that the Pixel 2 delivers an exceptional smartphone experience, and to give users peace of mind, every Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will now come with a 2-year warranty worldwide," Google vice president Mario Queiroz notes in an official Google forum. (Rather than, say, an individual's Twitter account, which is the Microsoft approach.)

OK, so that might help with the peace of mind. But my hand is still hovering over the "Cancel my order" button on the Google Store. What about the specifics?

Oh. We get specifics.

In the above-mentioned forum post and a separate, even more detailed post, Google goes into great detail about its investigations into the issues that users have complained about.

"We take every report seriously because we want to ensure that the experience on our phones has not been compromised, Google's Seang Chau writes in a moment of clarity that Microsoft should never stop copying. "Our investigation so far has given us confidence that our displays are as great as we hoped they would be, though we’re also taking steps to address the concerns we've heard."

Regarding complaints of a blue-tint in the Pixel XL display, Google notes that this is by design (and is, according to several users, no different from the tint on the original generation Pixel devices.)

"The Pixel 2 XL ... display is calibrated to ... the color of the average midday light in Northern Europe, so the Pixel display errs ever so slightly on the blue side (users generally perceive the screen more 'fresh' this way, probably because in the real world a yellow hue often indicates something has aged)," Chau explains.

The solution? There is no s...