Understand & help protect your Pixel screen

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens are used in most premium smartphones. Pixel phones have OLED screens that can display bright, high-quality, and accurate colors.

Here are some ways to understand your Pixel screen and how to protect it. 

Why color changes happen

All OLED screens show some color shift when seen at certain angles. The Pixel 3 and 3a minimize the color change through color calibration in the manufacturing process. 

OLED screens can also experience some color changes over time. This is normal behavior. 

Understand the display cutout (Pixel 3 XL only)

The display cutout, or notch, maximizes the Pixel 3 XL's screen size. The screen also includes 2 cameras, a light sensor, an earpiece speaker, and a microphone.

You can change the display cutout setting in Developer Options. Keep in mind that turning on Developer Options could change other phone settings. Learn about Developer Options.

Why burn-in happens

With burn-in, the display could show a faint version of the previous image, even when a new image is showing.

Pixel screens are designed and tested to reduce burn-in as much as possible so that it doesn't affect how you use your phone. But when the same image stays on your screen for a long time at a high brightness, it can affect the colors or cause burn-in.

Help prevent burn-in

Here are some steps to help your phone’s screen avoid burn-in:

  • Use your display's default sleep timer, or set to 2 minutes or less.
  • Maintain the default brightness setting, or lower. 
  • Don't leave your phone out in the sun. If the phone is too hot, wait until it cools down.
  • Don't install apps that promise to reduce burn-in.

Learn how to change your screen’s settings, brightness, and themes.

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