One of the shining features of any Google Pixel smartphone is by far the OS. It’s always clean, super fast, and doesn’t include any unnecessary features or bloatware. But what if you took that away from a Pixel? What you’d have left is a near $1,000 paperweight. And that’s exactly what happened to a few users on Reddit.
According to Redditors, their Pixel 2 XL units didn’t ship with Android on board. In fact, there was no OS installed, leading to the following error screen which asks users to shut off their devices.
Why Google would ship a Pixel 2 XL with Android pre-installed is beyond me. Users are questioning whether there’s a way to install it themselves with a system image, but most people are recommending simply returning the phones.
Because the devices don’t have Android pre-installed, it means Google didn’t verify the phones work. So somehow, some way, these units slipped into production packaging under the company’s radar. My theory is some intern is playing a really mean trick on Sundar Pichai, but that’s just me.
We reached out to Google about the issue and the company says it’s aware of the reports and have resolved them. If more information surfaces, we’ll let you know.
Update: Updated to reflect response from Google.
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