14 DAY TRIAL // Let’s be honest about it, the Google Pixel 5 is one of the best, if not really the best, Android devices right now on the market, and there’s a good reason for it.
The Pixel has always served as a pioneer of high-end Android smartphones, and Google actually had no other option for the whole thing, simply because it’s the maker of the operating system and it needs a flagship product that would highlight all capabilities of its platform with the raw experience.
As a result, customers have been expecting nothing but top-notch quality from the Google Pixel, not only in terms of software but also when it comes to hardware.
And this makes sense at so many levels, especially because at the end of the day, the Pixel itself isn’t at all an affordable product. Pixel 5, for example, starts at $699 in the United States, and even the Mountain View-based search giant describes it as “the ultimate 5G Google phone.”
With all of these being said, it was a surprise for many to discover that the Google Pixel 5 ships with a small gap between the screen and the body, something that some people considered to be a design flaw and which is typically found on much cheaper products where the build quality isn’t a priority.
In theory, a gap between the screen and the body isn’t just a quality issue, but it could also affect the device itself. One of the consequences it could have is an impact on water resistance, as the gap could allow liquids to slip in, eventually damaging the phone. The Pixel 5 ships with an IP68 rating, which means that it should easily withstand a small amount of water (obviously, if the said gap doesn’t actually allow it to get inside the phone).
The good news is that the gap that everybody is afraid of is nothing to be worried about, at least as far as Google itself is concerned. A company employee recently said in a post on the official forums that following quality control investigations, the team figured out that the display gap is just normal and you shouldn’t be worried about any damage that it could cause to your Pixel. It won’t, Google says, and water resistance isn’t compromised in any way.
“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,” the Google employee said.
So there you go, the gap is not something that you must care of, though it goes without saying that some people just can’t unsee it and will always know it’s there. On the other hand, while it may not affect water resistance, the gap could allow some dirty to get on the edge of the phone a little bit easier, so unless you’re using a case with bigger sides, you’d better check out that area every once in a while and clean it thoroughly.
At the end of the day, it’s not just you, it’s not a problem, and it’s not something to be concerned about on the Google Pixel. They’re all the same and Google claims it’s a feature, not a bug.