Google says the Pixel 5’s uneven panel gaps are nothing to worry about

  • Some Pixel 5s have really big gaps between the display and the body. Google says this is fine!
  • Here, there’s a big gap on the side with the front camera, and a tighter gap on the other corner.
  • Lots of pictures show light passing through the gap between the two parts. Shouldn’t these be touching?
  • Users are already reporting dirt and grime getting lodged in the display gap. I guess you’ll need to clean it out with a toothbrush?
  • Another picture shows a looser gap on the right side than on the left.
  • Another user with the same problem: the right-side gap, where the front camera sits, is much bigger than the left.

It seems like every Pixel phone release comes with reports of some kind of hardware complaint, and this year the main concern about the Pixel 5 is the panel gap that exists between the screen and the body. Most modern phones are constructed by gluing the screen to the body, and usually, this is an ultra-tight bond with no visible gap at all. Most phones offer some amount of water resistance, and tight bonds between the major parts are a requirement of that feature.

Early Pixel 5 owners were understandably alarmed when their phones arrived with a relatively large gap between the body and the display. On our review unit (review coming soon), the gap is big enough to stick a fingernail into, but several pictures online show what looks like a much larger gap and gaps that aren’t even around the perimeter of the phone, suggesting certain weak points are letting go. The main trouble spot appears to be around the corner of the phone that also houses the front-facing camera. There are also pictures showing dirt and grime starting to accumulate in the gap, which looks pretty gross. For a phone that is supposed to have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, it has looked like the early units have gone out with some quality-control issues.

In response to a 500+ reply “trending” thread on the official Pixel Community forum, a Google spokesperson says the company investigated the issue and everything is fine.

We’ve had a chance to investigate units from customers and, combined with our quality control data from the factory, we can confirm that the variation in the clearance between the body and the display is a normal part of the design of your Pixel 5. There is no effect on the water and dust resistance or functionality of your phone. We will work with customers on an individual basis to address any concerns they may have.

You might expect an official statement to say something like “the gap is a normal part of the design,” but this statement even calls out the “variation” in the gap, meaning that Google is saying that uneven panel gaps are a normal part of the phone design. If that’s really true and Google isn’t just covering for poor quality control, that seems like a poor design. The gap variation being normal seems especially strange given reports from some users claiming that with a bit of pressure, the gap will close up.

We’ve already seen a Pixel 5 teardown, and the construction of the phone features the odd inclusion of five clips around the perimeter of the display panel, along with “a lot of glue.” The clips are not a normal means of smartphone construction, and it’s not clear why Google decided to include them along with the glue.

For those worried about the water resistance of their Pixel 5s, we wouldn’t suggest testing it. Even if a manufacturer claims your phone is water-resistant, water damage is still not officially covered under warranty, so don’t expect Google or any other manufacturer to stand behind their claims. If your display gap is collecting dirt and grime, clean it out with a toothbrush, I guess.

Listing image by Antonio Velkov

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1719248