- Google has confirmed that the Pixel 5’s screen gaps are part of the phone’s design.
- The owners feared that the gaps that could be seen between the screen and the body were a defect.
- The company also confirmed that the gaps won’t affect the Pixel 5’s water and dust resistance.
Shortly after the Google Pixel 5 debuted last month, shoppers took to online forums to address concerns about a possible design flaw. Gaps were found between the screen and the case of the phone. Now the company has finally addressed those concerns.
According to a community representative on the official Pixel forums, the gaps are not a design flaw or a case of poor workmanship, but part of the phone’s design.
“We’ve had the opportunity to examine customer devices and, along with our factory quality control data, can confirm that the variation in the distance between the case and the display is a normal part of the design of your Pixel 5,” the rep said.
It’s an especially strange proposition considering that multiple users are reporting bugs in different locations and sizes on the same forum thread. Also, not every phone has a noticeable gap. Our Pixel 5 test unit was one such example.
However, the update states that the vulnerability “has no effect on the water and dust resistance or functionality” of the phone. This means users can still trust the phone’s IP68 rating.
However, it is unclear why the loophole exists. This could be the method that attaches the screen glass to the rest of the phone frame. Even if it’s not a quality control issue, it remains a messy, unsightly feature of the company’s flagship.
Continue reading: How the price of Google Pixel phones has changed over the years