David Imel / Android Authority
The Google Pixel 5 bucked the trend for glass-backed phones earlier this year and featured a “bio-resin” (plastic) material on metal for the back cover. It’s a pretty interesting approach to smartphone design, with Google also cutting a hole in the metal layer to enable wireless charging.
Our own Eric Zeman felt safe enough using the Pixel 5 without a case, but recently noticed that a fall on gravel caused the phone to have tiny grooves in the plastic material. But how, in your experience, did the plastic back of the phone perform? He asked that last week. That’s how you voted.
How did the plastic skin of your Pixel 5 show up in drops?
Results
Over 4,300 votes were tallied in our poll at the time of writing, which gives us a great sample size to work with. And nearly 47% of respondents say the plastic back of their Pixel 5 looks great after being dropped.
Just over 41% of the readers surveyed say that they use a case on their smartphone. In this way, the plastic-clad back cover should not be damaged if it is accidentally dropped.
More Google coverage: Everything you need to know about Google hardware
Finally, 11.6% of respondents say the plastic back of their Pixel 5 is easily chipped or damaged after dropping the phone. We’re not entirely sure if this is a large number compared to other devices, but a lot of people would probably prefer a lightly chipped plastic back to a glass back with a cobweb tear.
It is also interesting to note that several users have reported damaged screens due to falls rather than damage to the back cover. If anything, this suggests that the plastic back is more resilient in these situations.
Remarks
- Guillaume Vertefeuille: I never use a case, the phone itself is already in a case because we don’t just hold up the boards and the CPU! My cell phone holds up well! Only scratches are near the USB connector where I can see the resin slowly wear off.
- Mike Swanson: I have a sleek, clear Spigen case to show off the mint green. Still looks like new.
- King Serafin: Naked at home, smartly dressed on the go … I’m talking about my Pixel 5 lolz
- Denna: I used it without a cover and the windshield broke completely after falling on asphalt. I had to buy a new screen (which cost a fortune) and now I have a case.
- TurboFool: A couple of small chips around the edge, but the paint is embedded in the coating so they won’t be visible if you aren’t looking for them. I think it’s great that I can use this phone without a case. I only have one when I’m in a very active situation.
- Kellen Wallis: I just took my suitcase off to see it after reading that. Mine looks great, had a Spigen case since day one.
- Tim Worley: No case, no problems. Best phone I’ve ever had.
- Aimee Blayney: I got a Pixel 5 about a month ago. I have the case recommended by Google on it and a screen protector on it. That day, I dropped it less than a foot for the first time and the phone was already cracking. I called google and they won’t do anything about it. So disappointed with this model. My last Google phone had no problems whatsoever.
- this one guy: I was amazed at the resilience of this phone, I have a simple plastic OtterBox case that I sometimes use … however the phone feels too good in my hands without it and it’s easy to remove, so that I have dropped her many times with and without a case. That means you would never know it was dropped before, there aren’t even microscopic scratches on the screen 9 months in
- Vulpes: I dropped mine on rough concrete. It only has a few chips at the bottom on either side and a very small one at the top. The thing is, all the chips are still black even though they are about 1mm deep. As a result, they are not even noticed. Overall very satisfied.
- : Can’t you believe that people don’t clap on a case? 28 € well spent.
That’s it for our latest article on poll results, thanks for voting and leaving a comment! What do you think of these results?