yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] opticron:
Just checking in with my cracks as well. I have a black 32gb model and have gobs of cracks:

* Screen side of sim tray near ejector hole

* Back side of sim tray in the middle

* Screen side of headphone jack

* 2 cracks on the back side of the lower part of the volume rocker

** The piece between them fell out at some point

* Screen side of the volume rocker at the bottom

** This lines up with one of the others behind the volume rocker

* Screen side of the speaker grille closest to the microUSB port

* Back side of the speaker grille closest to the microUSB port

** This has not merged with the crack just above it yet and doesn't fully separate the plastic, so I count it as 2 separate cracks

* Screen side of the mic grille closest to the microUSB port

* Back side of the mic grille closest to the microUSB port

** This has not merged with the crack just above it yet and doesn't fully separate the plastic, so I count it as 2 separate cracks

In addition to those well-established cracks, I can see 3 more full length cracks forming on the sides near the middle of the phone and possibly a fourth crack in early stages on the bottom to the right of the mic grille.

I have only ever dropped this phone once from a very low height and the minor damage that it took (a slightly flattened corner) is not close to any of these cracks. I have had cracks appear before and after the drop. I have never had this device in a case and it was purchased on October 31, 2013.

Edit: Added another forming crack, case info.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] KuL4:
Hi all, just subscribed to the forum thanks to this thread.

As you can imagine my phone, a red 16gb N5, is also full of cracks, it never drop, always in cover, but I guess you don't need more explanation.

I've called google and LG and eventually brough the phone to an LG service. What they did, in only 29 days :mad:, was changing the camera?!? (which was perfectly working) also the technician damaged furthermore the phone while opening it. They ignored the cracks.

I've then sent a letter to complain to LG and they recontacted me and now I'm waiting again my phone to be fixed.... I'll let you know how it goes.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dicecuber:
Lol.. Sorry
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] KuL4:
And after another 29 days I finally got it fixed, i know it will not last, but at least now is perfect for some time :D
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
Im the OP of this thread. I got my original N5 replaced through the d Play Store support while it was still under warranty. Now the replacement has the same crack in the same spot. Either its me or this is a design flaw. Just tempted to get the G2 from Ebay for $190 and be done with this nexus nonsense.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dec1153:
I have the exact sane crack lol!!
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] the1onewolf:
Nooooo I finally encountered this issue :/

Hairline crack appeared right above my sim card tray which lodged my sim card tray and prevented me from temporarily ejecting it.

Also necro :D
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Rusty!:
Took my phone out of it's case and I also have the crack. Oh well.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] phoneman101:
I have the exact same problem on mine,

I now use a spigen case which is working very well and my phone now hasn't developed any new cracks
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dicecuber:
What a waste of life
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Cor-master:
This seems to be just a design flaw in the nexus 5's design. Apparently the plastic they use for the frame is very low grade. Is it possible to replace the frame? Looking at teardowns appears to be fused to the screen
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dozer82:
Mine has cracks all around the edges. Treat it the same way as all previous phones I have had that never showed this kind of wear. Just low quality plastic.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DigitalUnderground:
I've got a 2nd batch release and it has accrued a hairline crack at the bottom of the volume rocker and the bottom of the sim tray
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dicecuber:
[MENTION=6496958]KuL4[/MENTION]
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Cor-master:
Google apparently has the same supplier for nexus 5 frames as GM had for Chevrolet cavalier dashes!
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] miker1981:
Same in my nexus5 phone.

I think it's the problematic point of this phone.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sunshineapartments2012:
Just checked my Nexus 5 which was from the first batch but was replaced a couple months later. Took off my Spigen case to find crack at sim and volume. Poor quality I guess. Is there any solution or recourse 2 years later?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] wolfen69:
No.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rom0424:
Interestingly, such defects only in black? P.S. my black, also have a crack.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] CalamityDjenn:
Hi,

Mine has got cracks on the glossy plastic side aswell, at exactly same points : above and under SIM slot (I opened only two times my simcard slot in 2 years) and at Jack slot (i never never use headphones...). It's a 32Gb white version with no carrier.

I bought it almost two years ago, end of Decembre, 2014. I noticed it cracked few months ago, during cleaning when I took off my Spigen Ultra Hybrid case it always wear... my phone was well protected and it looks like I dropped it all over !!!

It is a shame for a 380,00 euros smartphone... I will never buy LG again, neither any Google phone since the price grew up a lot too much.

My Samsung Galaxy S1 I hardly used during 4 years never had this kind of issues. Nothing never cracked...
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Shirokishi:
I'm late to the party.

Purchased mine new around august 2015/2014. Just got a hairline crack below the volume rocker only. can see light spilling out if I look well now.

Guess it was from dropping it recently on the carpet.

Meanwhile my HTC panache i had long ago was accidentally whipped at 20-30km/h bounced off a bed and into a wall.

The wall saw better days, the caseless HTC device had no damage.

If HTC still believes in that steel unibody I may have to return to them. This is the first device of 20 I've owned to crack ever.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] mpkav:
This is more for posterity than anything else, as above I am very late to the party. Actually, I think the party is over and the cans are being brought down to the curb.

I picked up a new in box Nexus 5 about a month ago, came with 4.4.3 so I believe it was a fairly early run (unless they all came with it). Bought it for $150 to test out Android so I am not too upset (it's made me drop iOS like a bad habit).

I have the same hairline crack from the volume down to the back, but I came by it honestly. My headphones have a fairly long plug and when I sit down to tie my shoes it often pops the back plate clips along the top of then phone off the frame (requiring me to click the clips back into place). Still Loving my N5 and Android though.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] frankiearrgh:
First time posting on here, but I noticed a similar hairline crack on my Nexus 5. I've kept mine in a Diztronic TPU case since I bought it back in late December. It's very light and not noticeable, but I am debating contacting Google or LG about it. Very annoying considering how much I baby the phone. :(
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
So did anyone have any luck getting a replacement under warranty for this defect by Google or LG?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] marleyfan61:
I understand your frustration in this case and am thankful that my phone is not having this problem. However, that is exactly where I would expect a crack to form given the fact that the width of the plastic is substatially narrower, and therefore weaker, in the small area around the buttons and sim tray. The mere fact that there is an opening for the buttons means that the integrity of the sides in that area is compromised to a certain degree. Whether LG or Google should repair or replace affected phones under warranty is a different matter
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] daniel.kusy:
Just chipping in to say me and a friend have found an identical crack on our 32 gb rev_11 nexus 5 devices. Can anyone else here with the same problem post your hw version?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
OP here

Mine is also rev_11
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] daniel.kusy:
Hmm, I'm noticing a trend here.. :(
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
How many Revisions are there of the Nexus 5? Could the people who dont have crack check their HW revision?

To check, power off your phone, then hold Power and Volume Down.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] danarama:
1

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Duh doy! ;)
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
If there is only one hardware revision (rev_11) per the phone info, there is no trend. It just some of the phones have this defect where the plastic has a crack after using the phone in normal conditions.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] daniel.kusy:
Okay after looking online I may have jumped the gun a bit aha :/ turns out rev_11 is the only nexus 5 revision.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] danarama:
As mentioned earlier in the thread, any shock will be seen at the thinnest, weakest point. It's not a defect with some nexus 5's... It's a design flaw in all of them.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
In my case, there was no shock. Never dropped and always in a case.

All i know is that I did not cause the crack, it just showed up one day. Google and LG are not willing to pay for the repair. I am not recommending this phone to my friends anymore, even at this low price, it should not have this issue, and if there is a manufacturing flaw, the manufacturer or Google in this case should take care of it.

But reading the warranty info, they will not cover any cosmetic defects.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] danarama:
I don't believe anyone could be 100% sure that there has been no shock.

Anyway, I guess this threads done. It serves no purpose anymore
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
I would like to keep the thread open to keep count on how many people actually report that they have the same issue.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] danarama:
Don't worry. I'm not reporting it to be closed. I imagine many will experience this over time. I believe it cracks too easily and is a design flaw. Mine is cracked also

I'm not sure what counting will achieve.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sonone:
I have the same issue..

same white phone 16gig

same place...

i don't have cracks but something similar..

its very annoying...

I use a ringke fusion case...

and I am so protective that i still had the plastic tape on the sides that comes with a new phone.

i use htc one x as a primary and the nexus 5 as a secondary device.

i even had the package screen protector for a while..

i can say for sure its not my fault.

my device has never been mishandled and dropped!

i really doubt the structural integrity of the phone if it is going to get damaged by daily use.

please keep the thread alive for more people to see.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vin4yak:
So true! I believe that the chances of stress cracks are even more when using cases as they are soo tightly bound to the phone.

I think they are waiting for a representative from Google/LG to visit this thread and take care of all these cracked devices under warranty :D

- Sent from an IceCold Hammerhead!
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vanessaem:
I'm not sure if it makes a difference if one gets the N5 directly from Google or from one of the network carriers? My N5 is from T-Mobile and knock on wood, no cracks nor does it look capable of doing so. Clumsy me has even dropped it a few times (it's in a TPU case of course). So basically, I'm wondering if the batch they send out to the cell carriers are made a little differently or if anyone has had the stress crack issue with their particular carrier's variant?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] PsychDrummer:
If you really want to leave the thread open, you can count instead of which cases people with the hairline crack are using. It is possible that the case is contributing to the damage. Maybe not everytime, but would be interesting to see if people with the crack are using a similar case.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sonone:
and the glossy white is more vulnerable..
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bblzd:
You say you don't have cracks but something similar, what exactly is the issue you're seeing? Chances are you've bumped or dropped your phone at some point, though it may have been minor ad you didn't think much of it.

How did you come to that conclusion? Sounds like that is an assumption, probably from a very limited statistical sample (just your own?).
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] PsychDrummer:
Sure it's an assumption, but I agree with him. When I started reading this thread I figured it might be because of the different type of plastic. It just seems like it can crack easier than the soft touch plastic. I feel like the soft touch might be a bit more flexible than the hard plastic. But again, these are just assumptions based on a hunch so we may both very well wrong.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sonone:
it has got some weird lines... wouldn't qualify as scratches or cracks though..

U know what we can do this all day that i dint drop it and u convincing me that it must have taken place :laugh::D but honestly as far as i recollect it has not happened.. cause my rest of the phone is immaculate! it has absolutely no signs of damage.

and white cause its glossy.. naturally vulnerable and damage is also evident.. besides taking a look many of the people who have posted pics have white phones!
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
Don't take these responses seriously. This seems to be a common response, "you broke it". Especially from this person. He stated the same thing when I first posted this thread.

The argument that putting on a case on the phone caused this issue and that the case is very snug and that the case caused the hairline crack on the side of the phone is a bit preposterous.

I do agree that this could be a design flaw that no one wants to take responsibility for.

If you have this crack make sure to vote up this poll and to contact Google Play to let them know this is an issue. I am sure if enough people report this issue, Google will have to notice and take action to remedy this flaw.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bblzd:
Scratches are very common. Cracks are not. I don't think you realize how different your problem is, nothing to do with this thread IMO.

I've actually dropped mine a couple times, and bumped it countless times. You can't see any scratches or damage on the phone, but those moments of impact would still be causing extra stress to the body of the phone. If I were to find a hairline fracture, I would have to assume it was from any of those moments and not that it cracked all on its own.

There is also a very real possibility that putting the phone into a tight pocket would cause this. Of course that would mean the phone is more fragile than would be expected, which may very well be the case.

Case, pocket, bumped into a corner. Anything like that could cause extra stress on the phone casing. I don't think minor stress should ever crack a plastic device like this though, so that would indicate it being more fragile than other devices.

I'm not saying it's user error, just that if left on its own the phone would not suddenly crack. Some type of stress from normal usage, including using cases, tight pockets and even minor bumps, would of taken place.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] GSLEON3:
Yep, this happens on stuff. Moldings are off, pour or casting goes slightly awry & whamo.

I had the Asus VivoTab Pro for about a week. It has a magnesium alloy body & it was all cracked to hell with stress fractures from speaker holes & power button cutouts that ran along the back. They were just from the amount of pressure needed to hold the device single handed in portrait for short periods. I really wanted to like the thing, it was light & the battery was great, but the cracks killed me. Ended up with 4 or 5 of them in about a weeks time. So it's not just plastic devices, but anything that is poorly cast or just has to tight of tolerances. Thinner means weaker when you are talking like materials.

Just curious tho, I do not have this particular issue, HOWEVER, two friends & a co-worker does. They all used their old sim cards, cut down with a sim cutter. Their sims are slightly thicker than mine. Were any of you using cut down sim cards?

BTW, I also use the Rearth Ringke Fusion & I have dropped my device once, in that case & it is 100% perfect. I also have the Spigen Fusion case, which DOES fit tightly & while taking it out of the case makes no sense for this type of fracture, placing it in that case I COULD see doing it. It is tight enough to trigger the bug report all the time, which is why I also have the Ringke. The volume & power buttons are going to be pushed up when putting the device in the case, upward towards the direction of the crack. It is thin there to begin with, so a little off on the tolerances & just enough pressure on the button in the right place could most certainly do that. That is one of the problems with a Nexus device as opposed to a carrier flagship or even a GPe device. The Nexus program is partially about lowest bidder to meet the specs. Corners get cut since LG, ASUS, whomever, is going to be making a smaller margin.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] marleyfan61:
It is entirely possible that the design and materials used have made the N5 more vulnerable to stress fractures than some other phones. It is also entirely possible that the materials on the white version are even more susceptable.

It is equally possible that of all the phones sold, the only one's that this has happened to have already been reported in this thread. Until there is more data it is not reasonable to scream "design flaw." It is reasonable to raise the issue of a POSSIBLE design flaw.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] danarama:
Actually the OP said "defect". I said design flaw, and that is I reference to how thin the piece of bezel is between the sim tray and bezel edge.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bblzd:
Well said. The N5 is very thin and quite large, after all. Thanks for including your experience with other devices, I haven't owned many devices so it's hard to speak from anything besides a general plastic/electronics background.

I find the sim tray theory especially interesting and worth investigating more. However I don't think the black or white is more susceptible as I've seen users of both models report this. It's also nearly impossible to tell because there are more black phones purchased than white phones, so any evidence of such is purely subjective and not from a proper statistical sample.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] hutchy69:
I never used any case on my N5. LG (after examining photographs) told me I'd have to pay for their repair team to even LOOK at the device.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] chaco81:
my first HTC EVO 4G had this stresss cracks appear when i used a case mate barely there case... perhaps the case has nothing to do with it, but only noticed it too when i took it out to clean it

my current Black N5 doesnt have any of those issues in the 4 mths i have had it
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Diesel779:
I purchased my first Nexus 5 from the Playstore in December, I'm now on my 4th device because of various defects. All the problems I had really did piss me off, but Google replaced the device every time no problems at all. I did make it clear on the last replacement that if they sent yet another faulty device I would be going after a refund. So now this 4th device arrived in perfect condition and I've had no problems at all. Google's customer service was great.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolmaster121:
What kind of issues have you had with 3 of the devices they sent you?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Diesel779:
The first device had no NFC at all, the second device had a dead pixel on the screen, the third device had small cracks around the power button and the power button was also very loose. As soon as I took the third device out the box I took photos and contacted Google. They replaced the device again and so far so good with the fourth device.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sonone:
I just wish to ask you that the representative assure that the replacement is brand new?

is it true?

cause i dont think it worked out well in your case!

---------- Post added at 11:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:06 PM ----------

to all those of you here who suggest that the cracks or the marks are because of stress,shouldn't the device be able to handle that amount..

cause if u say that its because of cases,especially soft TPU ones then i really doubt the overall structural integrity of the phone.

the nexus 5, one of the best device in the market,but its quality control seriously needs to be checked by google,cause a while earlier we had a very famous thread about getting the gorrila 3 glass scratched easily and also cracking on relatively small impacts.

cosmetic damage caused due to rough use is something but if its daily use and things like removing from case is damaging the device then

its different!

and for all those who have their devices in perfect shape in spite of dropping it etc i am really happy for u,maybe for some reason I am not that lucky :p

its a phone,its meant to be used like one so it should be resistant to that!

and I am from India,and here the price is on the expensive side,so if the reason m so obsessed its because its hard earned money!:angel:
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Diesel779:
Yes I was assured each device was brand new, but that was clearly a lie in at least 1 case - the 3rd device.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sonone:
that's not very professional on their part to return a damaged device.

are the RMAs refurbished i happened to ask in an another thread a while ago,besides googled it,had mixed replies so just want to aks..

sorry of the off topic here OP!

besides there is no way to tell if its refurbished?
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Diesel779:
I was told they're brand new. But there's not a chance that the 3rd device was brand new. I'm glad I stuck it out though I'm happy with my Nexus 5.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vanessaem:
Ok so not an issue for folks then. Perhaps it's just the batch of devices that people get straight from Google that has this problem.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vin4yak:
Goof ups happen. When I had bought a brand new LED TV for my living room it had a broken panel when the service guy opened it at my place. That doesn't mean that the company dumped me a refurbished or second hand product. It was obviously damaged during transportation or while packing.

I can't even imagine how you must be feeling after 4 RMA's but sometimes such things do happen. You were plain unlucky.

Besides that, I don't think they will send refurbished plastic casings. We can easily make out whether the phone is mint or not by looking at the back/bezels. They might send you a phone with a refurbished motherboard or a LCD.

No, there's no way to find out whether the devices are refurbished or not.
[Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Diesel779:
Yeah a friend of mine is on his 4th PS4 due to defects. Manufacturing problems do happen and I was unlucky, and very frustrated. Google's customer service was excellent though.