Google’s 2020 no-so-high-end flagship has just started moving to new owners and there are already worrying complaints about the quality of the phone. This isn’t about some software issues that can be easily fixed by an upgrade or it’s about a display issue, at least not about output or touch input. Instead, it is the more problematic distance between the phone’s display and the metal frame that may or may not affect the phone’s water resistance.
Like many reports of physical defects, complaints about the Pixel 5 are far fewer and more varied, perhaps because the Pixel 5 only started shipping in the first place. As Android Police noted, however, the number of reports is steadily rising, it could be a more widespread problem than the development of that fear.
The location of the gap between the glass and the metal is not consistent either but appears to be located on the side of most cameras. This isn’t Google’s first pixel with a punch-hole cutout so it’s not yet known how to do it. Regardless of the cause, the impact on sustainability is unfortunately not as small as that distance.
Any unintentional opening will naturally allow fluid to pass through, which basically breaks the IP water-resistance rating. But even if water is not able to pass through, the gap can still be a haven for dust and small particles. Eventually, the distance can spread to the rest of the display, making the separation worse.
Google has so far remained silent on the complaints but no doubt it is aware of them from now on. Even if he admits the factory’s defects, he will probably claim them to affect only a small number of units. But a few months ago with a somewhat similar problem with the Pixel 4XL’s glass, someone started to wonder about the status of Google’s QA for its Pixel phones.
