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! [credit: Antonio Velkov ]

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.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments