Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Sales Soar Despite Numerous Reported Problems

Google saw an increase in its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL sales over Christmas weekend. The massive boost happened despite the fact that there have been several reported issues plaguing the Android handsets.

According to mobile engagement platform Localytics, Apple, Samsung and Google performed well in the days leading to Christmas Day. However, Google’s newest flagship phones outperformed the iPhone X, Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 during the Christmas weekend in terms of new device activations.

The main flagship offering, the Pixel 2, garnered 38.61 percent of activations for the weekend, while the Pixel 2 XL obtained 31.41 percent. Trailing behind is Apple’s 10th anniversary handset, the iPhone X, with 28.72 percent. The other two iPhones — iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — got 17.7 percent and 13.98 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 recorded a 9.5 percent boost, while the Galaxy S8 only had 2.78 percent.

9To5Google has learned that the boost in Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL sales could be the effect of various promotions that were made available on the market over the past couple of weeks. For instance, Verizon offered up to $300 credits with Google’s phones. Best Buy, Project Fi and even Google itself also offered many incentives when getting any of the new Pixel phones.

Although Google is definitely delighted with the performance of its latest smartphone offerings over the holiday shopping season, it should also exert more effort in bringing solutions to the problems and issues plaguing the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Ever since the handsets were released in October, many owners have vented their frustrations online over certain problems with their new phones.

One of the most reported problems with the Pixel smartphones is the blue shift in their displays when viewed at certain angles. Users have complained that when they are looking at their phones slightly off-center, they are seeing a cooling effect like a blue tint. Android Authority says this issue is something that’s not really as fixable as the dull or washed-out colors of the phones’ OLED displays when they debuted. The latter has since been remedied by Google with the rollout of the November security patch.

There are also complaints of black smearing on the displays of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to owners, they noticed that when the screen transitions from black pixels to colored pixels, the former tend to linger longer, causing the display to appear smears of black. Google has already acknowledged this and its engineers are already investigating the issue.

Other issues that many reviewers and owners are experiencing include high-pitched noises and clicking sounds coming from the hardware, the disparity in the volume capacity of the top and bottom speakers, the buzzing noise from the speakers from time to time, the sluggish fingerprint sensor and random reboots.

The only positive side to these problems is they do not appear to be a widespread issue. Google is also well aware of them, so it would only be a matter of time until the company comes up with fixes. It’s also worth noting that Google is also offering replacements in case customers are not satisfied with the products.