Well, it didn’t take long. Just a few days ago, Google and its official U.S. Retail partners started shipping Reports of a Pixel 5 and a potential hardware defect have already spread like wildfire after pre-ordering a 5G-enabled handset from September 30. Search Giant’s official support webpage and third-party XDA Forum.
The main concern is that the problem could get worse below the line, potentially invalidating the water resistance of the Pixel 5 … and more. But, for the most part, it’s not a good idea for a device priced at $ 699 to show such obvious vulnerabilities directly from the bat.
Has Google made a lot of engineering compromises?
It’s not necessarily a downgrade, but in the absence of an official explanation, we’re scratching our heads and trying to come up with possible reasons so many early Pixel 5 adopters take into account the distance between the screen and the aluminum frame. We are not talking about giant rifles here, but the fact that you can see the problem without much difficulty in the photographs taken by the affected users only suggests that this is not something you should ignore.
Unfortunately, most people claim that their Pixel 5 5G units looked exactly like the boxboxes, and one particularly unfortunate user says that he immediately found his original device to present only that defect. It’s unfortunate because not all Pixel 5s in rotation clearly come with such a distance, although the number is certainly increasing at an alarming rate.
What can happen in the long run if the problem is solved?
Simply put, it’s better not to find out. After all, the possibilities are virtually endless, and frankly, we don’t even have to think about some of the worst cases that have already crossed the minds of early Pixel 5 owners facing a tough choice.
Should you just drop the phone and ask for a refund? Probably not yet. But ignoring the problem is certainly not wise and hopefully it will magically go away. It’s obviously not going to happen, so it’s best you can hope it doesn’t get worse.
Speaking of dust, many people want to know if they should fear the accumulation of foreign elements in the significant distance between the screen and the frame, and whether dust or debris could eventually damage the 6-inch OLED display. In other words, before Google can rest on its laurels and come up with a safe (and smart) conclusion to repurchase the 5G-enabled Pixel 5, there are a number of questions that Google needs to answer.
