From the look of things, the Pixel 2 XL is working its way up to becoming the most disastrous phone of 2017.
Buyers of Google's latest foray into the smartphone game are reporting that they received Android-less units — no operating system, no nothing. Basically, they're pretty much just bricks.
Pixel 2 XLs Roll Out Without An OS
While the issue isn't as widespread as the burn-in debacle, it's arguably worse since customers are getting unusable Pixel 2 XLs.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of the users who drew the short end of the stick, so to speak, are taking things to Twitter, Reddit, and other tech forums.
@madebygoogle WTF GOOGLE. https://t.co/Cs84DdKGx5 Thanks for sending a bricked Pixel 2 XL. I'm not alone either: https://t.co/x8XfwG5ESp
— T (@trevorftard) October 30, 2017
Meanwhile, on Reddit, MAKES_PEOPLE_MAD submitted a new post, sharing their experience. It didn't take long until other users going through the same thing chimed in.
That's just the tip of the iceberg too, as Redditor pdoubleyou ran into the same problem as well.
"I came home excited to unbox my new Pixel 2 XL. Upon turning on the device I was greeted with a black screen stating, 'Can't find valid operating system. The device will not start.' Spent an hour on the chat with two different customer service reps and they are wanting to send me a replacement phone. Really frustrating," they wrote.
Last but not least, trevorftard also made a post on Reddit about it.
On the other hand, Ars Technica forums user Exxodus was greeted by the now-dreaded "Can't find valid operating system" too.
What To Do With An Android-less Pixel 2 XL?
Users don't have much of a choice here but to send it back to Google and get a replacement, which can be quite a hassle and take a couple of days, not to mention that the reports say Google's support reps aren't helpful at all.
Heading over to the provided link (g.co/ABH) as seen on the photo above doesn't do anything for the situation either, as it takes visitors to a Nexus support page set in Ukrainian instead of a solution.
What's worse, users can't seem to flash a factory image either, essentially making the Pixel 2 XLs in question more like expensive paperweights rather than anything else.
To date, the other issues that have turned up include problems with Android Auto, poor audio quality when shooting videos, Portrait Mode, and, of course, the display, which could have Google facing a class-action lawsuit.
