By 
UPDATE: Since the original publishing date of this article, a second Pixel 9 Pro XL has exhibited the same issue.
I’ve been using Pixel phones for nearly half a decade now, starting with the Pixel 3a. Over the years I’ve grown to greatly appreciate Google’s own vision for Android hardware, thanks to features like the clean OS and impressive cameras. At the same time though, I have to admit that the Pixel line isn’t perfect, especially when it comes to hardware defects.
That’s not to say that I’ve experienced stuff like defective OLED panels, excessive overheating, and such. With the exception of wireless signal issues on the Pixel 6, my journey with Google’s Android hardware line has been mostly smooth sailing. That is, until now.
Just a couple of days after receiving my Pixel 9 Pro XL, I noticed an issue with the phone’s screen. There were a few instances when the screen would flash a white horizontal line (near where the power button was) for a split-second after I turned off the phone’s display. While I initially thought of it as a one-time software hiccup, it repeated itself half a dozen times throughout the day, and a reboot has seemingly failed to address the issue.
…it repeated itself half a dozen times throughout the day, and a reboot has seemingly failed to address the issue.
I was then prompted to do a quick search across different internet forums and sites if any other Pixel 9 Pro owners have ran into similar issues, and while folks with older devices like the Pixel 8 and 7 series phones have complained of permanent lines on their display, no other Pixel 9 users have experienced the issue that I was having. I also noticed that it usually happened when my phone was on low brightness settings, although this only opens up more questions. An attempt to replicate and film the issue in action proved futile as it happened rather randomly.
I’m not saying that this is going to be a widespread issue, as to do so would cause unnecessary panic with insufficient data other than anecdotal evidence.
Based on simple observation – and to unashamedly reference “Occam’s Razor” – the most likely case is that I simply have a bad unit. I’m not saying that this is going to be a widespread issue, as to do so would cause unnecessary panic with insufficient data other than anecdotal evidence. It’s also unlikely that this will be as widespread as the Pixel 7’s camera glass cracking or buttons falling off, and again is a simple case of a lemon in my possession.
As an update to this article, I have since exchanged my original Pixel 9 Pro XL retail unit for a newer one from my carrier. While the white line flashing did not initially occur during my usage of the replacement unit, it unfortunately happened after a number of days, exhibiting the same circumstances. Since then, I have also come across posts from Reddit users complaining of the same thing happening to them.
How has your Pixel 9 Pro XL experience been so far? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Comments