Pixel 2 cameras seem to flicker and display banding under LED lighting
Google has had its hands full with the launch of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but it seems as though new issues keep surfacing every week. Just earlier today we reported some users are having trouble with the touch responsiveness on the Pixel 2 XL screens and now it seems as though the amazing camera of the Pixel 2 series doesn’t play well with LED lighting.
Pixel 2 owner Chuck Daly posted the above video as an example of the banding he’s seeing while underneath LED lighting. The video was taken on a plane and you can clearly see the camera picking up the LED light refresh rate in the form of banding on the video. It’s the same effect you see when TV cameras record computer monitors.
One user on the Google Product Forum explains that LED lights flicker at a certain frequency and in order to avoid this showing up, you’d need to be able to set the shutter speed of the camera to the same frequency as the lights. Unfortunately, there’s no such option available on the Pixel 2 series for now. Since the camera is the same on the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL, both are showcasing this issue.
This is unfortunate since LED lights are becoming more common in homes to replace fluorescent bulbs, especially if you use a smart system like Philips Hue for your house. Have you experienced the banding in the video above with your Pixel 2 camera? Let us know in the comments.