[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] luciusfox:
None of those pictures are even straight on. The third one appears *intended* to be straight on, but it is not.

Well first off, taking a picture is useless for describing this phenomenon because (1) it is impossible to position the camera in a way that gets them both from the same angle, (2) it is impossible to position the two phones such that ambient light is received INTO them at the same angle, (3) the camera lens itself will alter the properties of the light it is receiving.

Further, not one set of "side by side" photos have even bothered to describe taking any steps to make sure that the output from the two devices is precisely the same, and what I mean by that, is the same brightness level set, and both with adaptive brightness disabled. Also to take it one step further, you would also need to compensate for variation in brightness (i.e., one display could be slightly brighter, even when both are set exactly the same), which would require a very precise light meter.

That means that the only thing I have to go on is what people claim based on their perceptions, rather than on a scientific basis. Simply put, a home user does not have the equipment needed in order to make a scientific comparison between the two devices.

But none of that is to say that you would be wrong in the claim, rather it is to say that I have no usable data available to even *confirm* variations between devices, let alone explain it.

What I HAVE said, which I absolutely stand by, is that it is a property of the display technology that is independent of the manufacturer. All the people who say OH MY GOD THE DISPLAY SUCKS SO BAD I WISH IT HAD A SAMDUNG... well those other brand's displays are exhibiting the same phenomenon. But before you say that some particular device you've seen or owned with a samsung display did *not* have it, just keep in mind that while the surface specifications may appear the same, that doesn't mean that everything about them is exactly the same. For instance, the currently used *diamond matrix* probably contributes to the phenomenon. In particular, this diamond matrix has units of 8 LEDs. Two red, two blue, four green. The blue leds are the largest, followed by the red, and with small greens. I wonder if the fact that its an extra big blue may contribute to the "blue shift" on these modern panels? Others have said something about the polarizing filter.

Frankly, it is certainly possible that there is manufacturing variance that impacts it. That there would be variance doesn't even mean that there is a quality control problem, it would just mean that there would be an observable difference between any two panels. Its been understood for years that the CPUs have different speed bins. This relates to the amount of power that the CPU requires to operate at the different speeds it is designed to run at, and consequently, the maximum overclocking speed that you can achieve. Being in a lower speed bin doesn't imply that the unit is defective, even if that fact makes you sad, as long as the unit is able to perform within the model's specifications. But I suppose that the difference between a CPU speed bin and the characteristics of a display panel, is that one you can see, the other you cannot.