The Pixel 2’s usually excellent camera is borked for some users

Pixel 2 users have been very disappointed to discover a serious flaw with their devices, which renders the handset’s usually excellent camera to be, well, useless.

The video embedded below, posted by Android Police, shows the problem in action: when the camera app is opened, the screen goes black rather than showing an image through the viewfinder, then the camera crashes altogether.

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What’s more, this problem is still occurring when the camera is launched via other apps, such as Instagram. However, some users have reported that the shortcut for the selfie camera works just fine, meaning that just the rear camera is affected.

The source reports that a similar bug has been flagged ever since Android 10 starting rolling out late last year, but that there is currently no known fix for the problem, which remains even if affected users reset the phone or uninstall recent software updates.

Google did not immediately respond to our request for comment on the issue.

This concerning issue will be a particularly heavy blow to Google because of the fearsome reputation that it has built with regard to photographic performance on its smartphones.

In our original review os the Google Pixel 2 we praised the camera in particular for the level of detail it can capture, as well as for its software, which expertly tweaks images with tools such as AutoHDR+ to improve contrast.

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Similar plaudits also went the very latest model in the series, the Google Pixel 4 (which has not reportedly experienced the same problem), which we rate as the best Android camera phone on the market right now.

When taking images in daylight it’s snappy without noticeable lag and the resulting images have good contrast and strong detail, and the Night Sight mode creates excellent pictures in low light environments.