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Color saturation & accuracy

If you're colorblind, please disregard this thread. Rate this thread to express how you deem the color saturation and accuracy of the Google Pixel 2 XL's display. A higher rating indicates that you think that color accuracy is very high and saturation is excellent.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Checked out the xl2 at verizon. Colors seems having too much black. Still has greenish color shifting in some viewing angle
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Colors seemed washed out, much less vibrant than Note8. I will try to upload few comparison pictures later today

jedras95 said:
Colors seemed washed out, much less vibrant than Note8. I will try to upload few comparison pictures later today
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Yes couldn't agree more, my pixel XL 2 is so washed out I'm tempted to switch back to my note 8!!

Here are some of the comparison photos

juicemane141997 said:
Yes couldn't agree more, my pixel XL 2 is so washed out I'm tempted to switch back to my note 8!!
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Compared to a over saturated Samsung it probably does look washed out, in the picture posted, look at the hearts, the pixel looks red and you can see how oversaturated the Sammy is

cwalker0906 said:
Compared to a over saturated Samsung it probably does look washed out, in the picture posted, look at the hearts, the pixel looks red and you can see how oversaturated the Sammy is
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Well in contrast, look at the beach on both photos. When I looked at both side by side, Pixel definitely lacked saturation in my opinion. I guess it comes down to personal preference but I never understood why people wouldn't like Samsungs saturation. Makes everything look much nicer, and if one wants to mute colors, there are a bunch of profiles in the settings as well as adjustments for individual colors. When you lack saturated colors like on this Pixel to begin with, you can't just bring more color out that easily.

The Verizon I went to had it setup with some preloaded messages, didn't actually get to see the OS and working screens. My comparison would be to the numbers the display is measured at, delta E, gamma, etc,... that is the only true measurement of color accuracy.

A similar post on Reddit mentioned that the Pixel 2 XL is set to sRGB mode by default, and that there was a toggle to make it more vibrant somewhere in the display settings. It would be interesting to see the same comparison with that toggle set to "On" with the Pixel (assuming that the info is good, and that the toggle exists at all).

jvillalo said:
A similar post on Reddit mentioned that the Pixel 2 XL is set to sRGB mode by default, and that there was a toggle to make it more vibrant somewhere in the display settings. It would be interesting to see the same comparison with that toggle set to "On" with the Pixel (assuming that the info is good, and that the toggle exists at all).
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That's true, there was a switch "Vibrant Colors" under Display settings but it was turned on at the one I checked

Google devices have been historically very accurate with the screen colors. Going from LG/Samsung will be noticable.

jedras95 said:
Well in contrast, look at the beach on both photos. When I looked at both side by side, Pixel definitely lacked saturation in my opinion. I guess it comes down to personal preference but I never understood why people wouldn't like Samsungs saturation. Makes everything look much nicer, and if one wants to mute colors, there are a bunch of profiles in the settings as well as adjustments for individual colors. When you lack saturated colors like on this Pixel to begin with, you can't just bring more color out that easily.
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People tend to get that way these days because of the way televisions are sold with the brightness and color saturation practically maxed out. This results in super unrealistic colors that tend to offset your idea of what "good" is while killing off subtle image details in the process. Samsung seems to like to do the same thing with phones, perhaps based on the same mindset that their TV guys use: Make things flashy.
In the showroom it may boost sales, but when I take my TV home, the first thing I do is tone all of that down to make sure the color balance is more realistic. For example, I want grass to look like grass would be colored, not neon-green. sRGB mode on Google's phones is nice because it does that for you, without needing any color filters and test patterns.

Rakeesh_j said:
People tend to get that way these days because of the way televisions are sold with the brightness and color saturation practically maxed out. This results in super unrealistic colors that tend to offset your idea of what "good" is while killing off subtle image details in the process. Samsung seems to like to do the same thing with phones, perhaps based on the same mindset that their TV guys use: Make things flashy.
In the showroom it may boost sales, but when I take my TV home, the first thing I do is tone all of that down to make sure the color balance is more realistic. For example, I want grass to look like grass would be colored, not neon-green. sRGB mode on Google's phones is nice because it does that for you, without needing any color filters and test patterns.
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YES. So. Many. Times. This.
I shake my head when I see people show off their new TV's with sharpness at 100 and vivid color profiles with bright colors and cool temp selected. More power to do what u want with your stuff, but it just looks rediculous.

As a photographer using calibrated displays and a Photoshop user, don't make up your mind on Webb posts. And I want a natural and sRGB.

Love the super saturated colors. This is coming from a normal consumer without any "expertise" in anything related to the subject matter. My eyes like it.

I despise the over-saturation Sammy does. This is good news to me.

This is funny because although I was only able to see the the Pixel 2 screen (non XL) I'm positive both will have great displays. I do like Samsung displays however I hate when the over saturation shows the absolutely wrong color. But not too long ago the Samsung S8 & S8+ displays had a red & purple tint on the white screen. And that was actually a very prevalent issue which was fixed by a software update. After seeing the Pixel 2 display I thought it looked good.

I have read that the display on the Pixel 2 XL has a bluish tint when viewed off angle and that the LG V30, which is said to have the same display as the Pixel 2 XL, has screen uniformity issues.
I went to my local Verizon yesterday to play with the phone and see for myself. The bluish tint off angle is absolutely there. It didn't bother me but it might bother some. As far as screen uniformity I didn't see any issues. At least not with the display phone. I tested with light gray and dark gray backgrounds at high and low screen brightness and I used my hands to block out room lighting as best as I could.
Color saturation looked good to me. A bit more saturated than my Nexus 5X I used as a side by side comparison.

The verge panned the v30 display in their review today. This isn't looking good
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I thought the tech community panned the verge years ago

How white are your whites?

No, I'm not trying to sell washing powder, just trying to understand an issue I've had now with two Pixel 2 devices, and one that I posted about on the colour saturation and accuracy thread on the Real Life Review boards previously.
My first Pixel 2 arrived in December and I was immediately underwhelmed with the colour balance on the display - regardless of configuration options. Whites were very yellow - not as bad as when the Night Light was on, but far from white. So I returned the device, and a new one arrived a few days later. My second Pixel 2 is undoubtedly much better than the first. Not only was the colour balance better, it was also noticeably sharper when compared side by side. However, it still has a definite yellow tint in the whites, and some images seem to show this more than others - for example, flesh tones in the otherwise superb photos (when viewed on the device) look odd.
It's most noticeable for me when I have a nearby monitor or screen to compare. Individually the phone does not look so bad, but the whites on my monitor, laptop, tablet and even old phones are significantly whiter. (I'm not helped by the fact that I work in front of a screen all day - so I'm rarely able to avoid the comparison.)
Hence the question - both my devices have had a distinct yellow tint in the whites. How about yours?
I'd really like to keep the phone - because pretty much everything else about it is great. However, it's not a cheap phone, and because of that I'm not sure I should be making such a compromise on the display.
Any feedback appreciated.

I went to Best Buy and looked at the Pixel 2 they had there, and it had a similar yellow tint to the one I had that I RMA'd, but I don't think the tint was as bad on the one at Best Buy as it was on the one I had.

To get a comparison I just loaded the Play Store app (white background) and compared to a sheet of laser printer paper I had on my desk (under fluorescent lighting in my office). I'd have say my whites were a bit colder (i.e. less yellow) than the paper appeared under these lighting conditions.
I tried changing colour mode, but that didn't seem to have a dramatic effect on the white point, though "saturated" looked a little different - I'm not sure whether I'd describe it as "warmer" (more yellow/less blue) or just having slightly more green, but there was a very small change in colour temperature in that mode. I use "natural" myself anyway.

Large Hadron said:
To get a comparison I just loaded the Play Store app (white background) and compared to a sheet of laser printer paper I had on my desk (under fluorescent lighting in my office). I'd have say my whites were a bit colder (i.e. less yellow) than the paper appeared under these lighting conditions.
I tried changing colour mode, but that didn't seem to have a dramatic effect on the white point, though "saturated" looked a little different - I'm not sure whether I'd describe it as "warmer" (more yellow/less blue) or just having slightly more green, but there was a very small change in colour temperature in that mode. I use "natural" myself anyway.
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Thanks for the feedback.... I'm using natural mode too - boosted, or saturated just make the whites more yellow for me. It's subtle - but noticeable.

I've also noticed yellowish whites comparing it to other screens. Even my old N6P had better whites. I don't know if it's a generalized issue we should worry about, or just stick with it.
Enviado desde mi Pixel 2 mediante Tapatalk

It's just how these screens were tuned. They are much warmer than LCD screens and look yellow when u compare to basically any other display. It's a feature, not a bug. Stop comparing and you won't notice it ?

PuffDaddy_d said:
It's just how these screens were tuned. They are much warmer than LCD screens and look yellow when u compare to basically any other display. It's a feature, not a bug. Stop comparing and you won't notice it
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You're right of course, I need to stop comparing... I just got a bit paranoid after my original RMA'd device's screen was so poor. I think I'm going to stick with it.

Extra calibration option for washed out colors?

Hi guys,
I just have a quick question about if there is any extra calibration options for the colors on the display?
I was comparing my OP6 with my S9+ and with another OP6 and colors seems a little washed out in mine, for example is very noticeable on the quick settings panel or on gray apps such as Netflix or spotify, on my friend's OP6 seems like a very dark gray almost black while on mine seems almost like a gray on an LCD screen, also other colors such as blue or red look more vivid on his, I have attached a few pictures for comparison, the pictures were taken using the "default" mode in screen calibration settings and with the same level of brightness on both.
My questions is if there is any other more advanced calibration settings to make colors more vivid and darker blacks on my display? Even if they look oversaturated and "not real" like in samsung devices that is what I'm looking for.
Thanks!

I'm having trouble uploading the rest of the pictures but I uploaded then to Dropbox on full resolution here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/04cmxdeikv34e1e/AAB8GlY0MAF3aLO3wXqyIX1Wa?dl=0

yea the is a difference between them how are your whites mine seem a tad on the pink side

strikerdj2011 said:
yea the is a difference between them how are your whites mine seem a tad on the pink side
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whites seem about the same on OP6s (see the pic of the dialer on dropbox link) and on the S9+ a little yellow but everything that is not white look noticeable better on S9+

i had s9+ plus before my op6 had 3 devices whites were pink just like the s8 wasnt just my eyes as others noticed might just be the angle as your whites look a tad pinkish from my eyes and your friends greenish lol

strikerdj2011 said:
i had s9+ plus before my op6 had 3 devices whites were pink just like the s8 wasnt just my eyes as others noticed might just be the angle as your whites look a tad pinkish from my eyes and your friends greenish lol
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can you fix youre whites with the option of cooler or warmer on calibration settings? that didn't help for my washed out grays but seems to make a difference on the whites

vwite said:
whites seem about the same on OP6s (see the pic of the dialer on dropbox link) and on the S9+ a little yellow but everything that is not white look noticeable better on S9+
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vwite said:
can you fix youre whites with the option of cooler or warmer on calibration settings? that didn't help for my washed out grays but seems to make a difference on the whites
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not 100% i rooted and use colour pro and got it just about right i like cooler colours

strikerdj2011 said:
not 100% i rooted and use colour pro and got it just about right i like cooler colours
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Is colour pro an app from Google Play?

azsl1326 said:
Is colour pro an app from Google Play?
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https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.omegacentauri.red_pro
year i use custom tab and can ajust it to your liking

damn was hoping nod needing to root but I'll have to root it if I dont get used to it. I'll give it about two weeks

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Anyone Else Notice This???

The display of the Google Pixel 2 (regular size) is noticeably less bright and the colors are significantly less vibrant than the original Pixel. Tech review sites and even xda haven't seemed to make much mention of this. I know it's not just me, but I assumed it had to have been in my head since no one else was talking about it all these months. I compared my Pixel 2 side by side with a Pixel 1 and was very jealous of the Pixel 1's display.
Even when I first saw this phone on display in the store, I thought the screen looked muted with washed out colors. Yes, I know the saturated color profile makes a huge difference, but it really just makes the colors wildly inaccurate, not just more saturated as one would hope. It makes reds look more pink, not more vibrant and oranges turn neon.
I finally stumbled across this section in xda with just 3 posts about the display quality and can't believe this didn't draw as much attention as the 2XL did for having similar issues.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2/review/color-saturation-accuracy-t3685595
What gives? If both screens are provided by Samsung, why are they so different? How did so many people overlook this and are we to expect more of the same for the Pixel 3?

PuffDaddy_d said:
The display of the Google Pixel 2 (regular size) is noticeably less bright and the colors are significantly less vibrant than the original Pixel. Tech review sites and even xda haven't seemed to make much mention of this. I know it's not just me, but I assumed it had to have been in my head since no one else was talking about it all these months. I compared my Pixel 2 side by side with a Pixel 1 and was very jealous of the Pixel 1's display.
Even when I first saw this phone on display in the store, I thought the screen looked muted with washed out colors. Yes, I know the saturated color profile makes a huge difference, but it really just makes the colors wildly inaccurate, not just more saturated as one would hope. It makes reds look more pink, not more vibrant and oranges turn neon.
I finally stumbled across this section in xda with just 3 posts about the display quality and can't believe this didn't draw as much attention as the 2XL did for having similar issues.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2/review/color-saturation-accuracy-t3685595
What gives? If both screens are provided by Samsung, why are they so different? How did so many people overlook this and are we to expect more of the same for the Pixel 3?
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Maybe not all units have washed out colors? My device seems fine and colors are good. I didn't change the default color settings, but also I don't have the original Pixel to compare

Charkatak said:
Maybe not all units have washed out colors? My device seems fine and colors are good. I didn't change the default color settings, but also I don't have the original Pixel to compare
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I don't mean to say the screen is terrible or unusable, but for an OLED screen, it's hard to be impressed when the old pixel and even some LCD screens are more vibrant. I'm just hoping Google doesn't use the same display for the pixel 3.

PuffDaddy_d said:
I don't mean to say the screen is terrible or unusable, but for an OLED screen, it's hard to be impressed when the old pixel and even some LCD screens are more vibrant. I'm just hoping Google doesn't use the same display for the pixel 3.
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It's very well rated and tested, check gsmarena.
I like it a lot personally.

Why is the screen a little warm (yellow tint) on the Pixel 4a

Just moved to Pixel 4a from an LCD display and I notice that the screen is a bit warm. Do others notice the same thing?

sugamdevare said:
Just moved to Pixel 4a from an LCD display and I notice that the screen is a bit warm. Do others notice the same thing?
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Yep. There are some options in settings related to the display (settings/display/colours where you can choose natural, boosted or adaptive which make very little difference, and in accessibility there's a promising looking rainbow under colour correction but sadly there are just a few colour-blind related presets) but nothing which would let you set the white balance manually.

sugamdevare said:
Just moved to Pixel 4a from an LCD display and I notice that the screen is a bit warm. Do others notice the same thing?
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Yep - which I appreciate. Obviously personal preference; native tuning options appear limited based on a bit of early experimentation.
On a related note, integrated "night light" (blue light filter) does a poor job with dark themes; throws off weird casts on light text when scrolling. I find it too distracting to use; just lower the brightness a tad more or use a 3rd party tool.

Looks good to me, where I can tell is looking at skin tones I find them very natural.
Got a picture of a beach water deep blue, sky look natural blue.
Taste maybe but it like it the way it is.
The setting mentioned my screen is on Adaptive, changing it does no effect much ??

Yes the screen is slightly yellowish and can't be changed even with the available presets. Fortunately I don't mind it personally since I prefer warmer whites compared to cold tones.

Yes, quite annoyed in warmth difference in the beginning because I was still using both 4a and my old phone actively. Searched here n there to make it cooler and also tried to make my old phone screen bit warmer to match (cause I just hate the difference not the warmer screen), but I don't like it even further with the tuning
All I can say is give it time, you'll slowly adapt to the new warmer screen

Yes I was just using a Moto One Active for a few weeks, which has a surprisingly decent LCD screen with perfect whites, and now that I'm back to using a Pixel 4a again I'm noticing that yellowish tint. Also had the galaxy s20 FE somewhere in between , which was obviously superior to both lol.