Apple, Samsung and Google Phones All Have Display Gaps, And That's A Problem | Forbes

“Being able to separate the display with a fingernail should never be part of any design choice.”

This was a message tech reporter Janhoi McGregor received from a reader about their Pixel 5, which has a gap between the screen and the body. If you have considered buying a Pixel 5, then you have probably read about the display gap issue. But, for the uninitiated: hundreds of users complained about a gap between the screen and the body, which raises questions about the phone’s IP rating.

Google responded by saying that the “clearance between the body and the display is a normal part of the design of your Pixel 5”, and that “there is no effect on the water and dust resistance or functionality of your phone."

This, of course, did not go down well with affected users, some of whom contacted McGregor directly relaying messages similar to the one above. One reader he spoke with returned their device for a new Pixel 5, but the replacement had the same issue. Another reader detailed an arduous process of taking his Pixel 5 back and trying several new replacements at two different stores - all of the new handsets had the same screen gap. He also said that he’d noticed the gap on demo units inside those stores.

Make no mistake, this is a big issue. It appears to be affecting hundreds of users - if not more. There were 400 comments on a single Reddit post, alongside tens of other posts. The first complaint on Google’s support forums received almost 1000 upvotes and 612 responses, most of which are complaining about the same problem. It is, clearly, a wide-spread concern.

But is Google right, is it part of the design?

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