Google promises a fix for the display tint issue on the Pixel 8 Pro

Owners have reported a display tint issue on the Pixel 8 Pro (image below). If you were concerned that you received a faulty device, there’s no need to worry; Google has acknowledged the problem and is working on a solution in an upcoming Android release.

The tinting problem seems to occur primarily at very low brightness levels when the 1Hz refresh rate is used. To test this issue on your Pixel 8 Pro, enable the Always On Display, go to a dark room, and wait for the screen to drop the refresh rate to 1Hz. Users have reported noticing uneven color banding, with text appearing with a pink or yellowish tint.

A temporary solution to the display tint issue of the Pixel 8 Pro

Some users have found a temporary workaround to the tint problem. Forcing the Always On Display to work at a 120Hz refresh rate or increasing the brightness. However, these solutions come at a cost. Higher brightness or refresh rates can lead to increased power consumption, potentially affecting the device’s battery life.

Some speculate that the tinting issue may be linked to the Pixel 8 Pro’s AMOLED panel, which might lack 100% grayscale uniformity (via Android Police). This could lead individual red, green, and blue pixels to dominate other colors, especially at lower brightness and refresh rates.

Google is working on a proper solution for the tinted display issue. An OTA update is on its way.

A Pixel 8 user initially reported the problem on the Android public tracker. More users subsequently confirmed experiencing the tinting issue with the Always On Display. Google has officially marked the problem as resolved. The company assured users about a future Android release to contain the fix for the display tint issue.

The upcoming November 2023 security patch for the Pixel devices might include this fix, but if the build was finalized before the issue was patched, Pixel 8 users might have to wait until the December Pixel Feature Drop for the fix. Google might release the fix as part of a new Android 14 QPR1 beta version.

However, this is not the first time Google’s Pixel phones have experienced display issues. The Pixel 4 XL previously had problems with green tint at low brightness levels, which Google eventually addressed with a software update.