Despite being regarded as one of the best Android handsets available at the time, the original Pixel phones suffered from several technical issues. One would imagine that Google did everything it could to avoid hardware glitches appearing in the successors, but it seems some Pixel 2 XL users are experiencing problems.

The Pixel 2 XL's screen has already been the subject of complaints, including muted colors, a blue tint, and grainy textures, but this new issue is a lot more serious. A number of people are reporting that the handset is suffering from screen burn-in just weeks after they purchased it.

Screen-burn in---when a portion of a screen shows the same image for so long that a ghost image remains after the display is changed---isn't uncommon in OLEDs, but it usually takes months or years to occur. While the Pixel 2 XL could be experiencing the less permanent phenomenon of image retention, which is usually associated with LCDs, it's still bad news for Google and owners of its latest handset.

Android Central's Alex Dobie discovered a ghost image on his Pixel 2 XL after just 2 weeks of using the phone, during which time the screen was left on for about 3 hours each day. Google said it is aware of the reports and is looking into the problem.

"The Pixel 2 XL screen has been designed with an advanced POLED technology, including QHD+ resolution, wide color gamut, and high contrast ratio for natural and beautiful colors and renderings. We put all of our products through extensive quality testing before launch and in the manufacturing of every unit. We are actively investigating this report," said a company spokesperson.

While the Pixel 2 XL reviews mostly range from very good to great, a problem as severe as burn-in will likely put some potential buyers off. It's worth noting that a few of the original Pixels also suffered from the same problem, which led to Google rapidly issuing warranty replacements, so we're likely to see the same thing happen here.