yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Floge999:
to test googles promise (without any binding guarantees or insurances) that the phones ip rating is unaffected. Which just seems a bit fishy.

And to anyone who is trying to see the gap, do it in a bright room during daylight. Using artificial light just produces to many highlights and shadows and you need to get the angles perfectly right to see it. Next to a window with enough soft light you'll just see the gap without problems. I always had problems finding seeing it after work at night, but at lunch break next to the big window

with lots of daylight it is obvious.

Personally i don't even care if the gap is a big deal, i don't like what it indicates - bad build quality and bad quality control, which might cause problems in the future. I expect more from any device in that price category, hell even for half the price i expect a phone to be well build.

The phone being still waterproof? A cosmetic problem is no problem? I think both of those things are outright lies from google.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Zisworg:
HAHAHA, same here!! Using this good old OP 3 :cool: Battery became ridiculous, impossible camera (always blurry shots), system freezes, etc. Still not too bad for a 4+ yrs old mid-range phone :)

Oh man, could be already the second wave?? First owners sent their device back and... hello, there s your new (refurbished) phone! :eek:

I guess there isn't a gap if you need glasses :o
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] akpe:
Someone on reddit posted this video, it's in French but it supposedly demonstrates that even devices with the gap issue is still water resistant.

Now, if the issue is so different between devices (for example one has a small gap at the left corner but another has multiple larger gaps along the whole left side), how can we be sure they're all resistant?

https://youtu.be/3wlp_vNqdIw

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[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
Who cares? If there is a manufacturing defect return it for a refund. Then buy it again new. No refurbs for a week old device replacement. What is everyone thinking?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] jimv1983:
Is your gap uniform around the entire phone? If so and it's so tiny that you have to have very specific conditions to even notice it than it doesn't sound like bad quality control. It's just part of the design. Even the promotional picture of the Pixel 5 shows a small gap. My Pixel 2 XL has a small gap all the way around as well that is just wide enough to barely fit a sheet of paper. I've had it 3 years and it has gotten wet more that once and full submerged once. Splashed with lots of water a few times.

Most phones I've seen have some kind of gap between the screen and the body. My old Nexus 5 as well as my Galaxy Tab S5e have gaps.

Now if it's not uniform then no matter how small it is they yes, that's a quality control issue.

Just out of curiosity, where are you located? I'm curious if this might only impact the "rest of the world" version that doesn't have mmWave 5G. I'm curious to see if the USA variant has the same issue but they haven't started shipping yet. Mine should be here next Friday.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] akpe:
There are no guarantees the replacement device won't have the same issue (at a smaller or even greater extent), not until Google acknowledges the problem and fixes it, which could happen next month, next year, or never. Also some may prefer to just live with it instead of going through RMA hell for something that might be just cosmetic. Emphasis on "might".

With the risk of sounding "apologetic" (never owned a Google device btw) it's all about whether or not the defect actually hinders one of the device's main feature (water resistance) and possibly causing further issues down the road if water or dust get inside the device. If that's not the case, then some people might actually ignore it and keep their Pixels. I'll personally wait for at least an official statement before ordering, but if it actually doesn't affect the device, meh, I'll go for it.

Hell, I lived with gaps on my HTC M7 for years, way larger gaps and right at the front side of the phone where I could actually feel them with my finger, I'm used to it by now :p
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
That's what I was saying. No RMA.. return the damn device, full refund, then buy another. RMA on a week old phone? No effin' way. Get a refurb on a week old device that you paid $700 for? There is no justification in the world for that. Living with it is even worse and might be cosmetic with no way of knowing? Seriously?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] akpe:
RMA is exactly that, return for refund or replacement. Apart from Amazon, I've read good things about their process, everything else isn't always straightforward.

Also I specifically stated that my personal choice wether to get/keep the device will come -after- we know if the issue is just cosmetic or not. I can't speak for others though [emoji4]

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[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
Cosmetic? This is a brand new $700 device and I'm to live with a cosmetic? I think not. 25 bucks perhaps. Call an RMA whatever but get your money back plain and simple.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] E36coupe:
But it's not even clear that there's an issue. Who knows (apart from Google) what the tolerance is on the gap. I couldn't even see mine when looking hard, and needed feeler gauges to determine the size of the gap. It would appear that the thickness of the phone is consistent across all four corners, so without the gap it would be thinner on one corner, though I don't think anyone apart from me has measured it properly and have just used fingernails or paper to measure it.

---------- Post added at 06:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:39 AM ----------

You're right, you can't be sure it's water resistant. But that's the case for any phone that's been used. The water resistance is achieved using a seal which doesn't appear to be compromised by the presence of a gap.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] :
I pre-ordered Pixel 5 (Just black) in MediaMarkt (Germany) on October 8th on my relative (German resident) address, so I can get a Bose pre-order bonus. I don't live in Germany. Phone came at relative address on October 15th, he send it right away to me, and phone came in my hands yesterday. So out of the box, the phone has a gap problem...only at top left corner, as most of the users. All sides and other corners areok. By ok I mean, there is a tiny gap (same size as the officials promo pictures), but it is the same all around. The problematic gap is not so prominent that in some cases here. My fingernail those not fit in there but piece of paper do.

At the same day, a Spigen Thin case came, that I orderd separately. I applied it soon after a setup. Nice finish of the case and very tight fit. So this morning a decided too check the gap again, and saw that it was gone. So the tight fit of the case pushed screen to the body of the phone and now gap is uniform all around the phone. This tell me, that the gap is not part of the design and it acctually is a flaw.

I really dont know what to do. I allways use cases on my phone and Pixel is no diffrent, so I dont thnik that gap will cause any problems. I will probably wait for official Google response and the decide. I hope the resposne come within the week, because 14 day interval of return and refund will pass. I really dont want the hassle of returning and refunding the phone, because I am not from Germany and things can get a little bit complicated.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] E36coupe:
If you're using a case in it, and the case keeps the gap closed, surely there's no problem?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] smorgar:
Well, im not returning mine anymore. I fixed it :)

Two pieces of cork underlays for hot pans, a "clamp" and a hot air fan.

Put the cork pieces on front + back and put the clamp on. Put it in a cardboard box and directed my heating fan at it. Heated it up till about medium to medium hot and then moved the clamp around the sides as i let it cool off. I now see no gaps and i only see the edge of the glass.

This is impossible to catch with my lousy camera so you will have to trust me on this one. This was done late last night and after 8h of sleep its still fine.

I take not responsibility for your phone, only my own.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] akpe:
Yes, but this is just a workaround. What if someone doesn't want to use a case?

I wonder if it's just a bad adhesive job. Like if someone tried to apply heat and then keep the side of the phone pressed until it cools down, could that fix it?

Scary, I literally JUST thought of suggesting this and you beat me to it :D

Hope this fixes it for good, let us know how it behaves on the long run. How long ago was this?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Rubuz88:
I suppose. Not sure. Otherwise the phone works perfectly.

As I said, I will wait for official response. If they will say, that devices are flawed, I will certainly ask for replacement or refund.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] smorgar:
You know what they say; great minds think alike ;)

I will report back if i notice any gap during the next few weeks. Will borrow a camera from a friend when i meet one to show pictures, but that will probably have to wait a bit due to Covid-19.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] akpe:
Great. Quick question, you mention a heating fan. Do you mean a heating gun, the one used by techs etc to heat up phones for the adhesive will thin so they can open it, or some other kind of fan?

If you could some time make a quick video with the process that would be awesome.

If possible, I don't know which country you're from, could you test if the gap will appear again in mild to hot environments? Not like in the oven, more like outside on a hot day without a case.

Let me explain: If it was a matter of faulty application of the adhesive, then you just nailed it. But I'm worried that the adhesive itself could be problematic, meaning that in hot temperatures (like spring/summer, above ~30-35c) it will thin, causing the gap to appear. If that's the case, I guess we will have a lot of complains a few months from now.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Floge999:
i tried the clamping down the corner strategy but i wasn't bold enough to heat it up too much (just a little, i was able to touch it without burning). After 2 hours of clamping it looked promising but the gap slowly widened over the next ~2 days. Applying more heat could help. Maybe i should have pressed harder too, but i am not sure how much pressure the screen can take.

Overall i think it is just a bad adhesive job and maybe slightly to tight tolerances on the insides of the phone, nothing that can't be solved by good glue and some clamping. But i don't know enough about phone insides to fearlessly do that stuff.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] smorgar:
I rather not make a video, feels a bit "embarrassing" but i can take some pictures and sketch some arrows with text explaining it.

I have this room heating fan, not a air gun, more like a big hair dryer : https://www.gelia.se/10_gel/gelia-el-1/kyl--och-varmeprodukter/varmeflaktar/14901021/ (not this exact model but something along those lines, cost is about $20-30)

This is why i also used a cardboard box to focus the heat and make a "heat box" for efficiency.

Im from Sweden and the summer is long gone so i cant really test it it medium-hot environment...

My take on it is not that it would thin with heat but that the phone internally have a positive pressure so when the adhesive gets hot and also softens the pressure would pop up the screen again. Ill keep an eye on it but hot environment is not possible right now unfortunately.

My hope is that the factory did not put enough pressure, or let the adhesive cool off/settle with pressure. Maybe a sign of stressed production line.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] E36coupe:
Could you recreate a warm environment using the same heater and box to get temperature up to 35 degrees and leave the phone in there for an hour with no clamp to see what happens?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] smorgar:
I can try it, will have to play it by hand tho with a thermometer but i can probably pull it off.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Yorkshire Terrier:
I would be very careful heating and clamping the handset. Have you considered basic mobile phone construction? You are likely doing more harm than good. Most modern mobile phone designs rely on a construction in which the display is adhered to a midframe / bezel and the midframe / bezel is then screwed and clipped to the back case. In this scenario you can clearly see the seam where display is adhered to the midframe / bezel.

The gap beneath that (the one everyone is talking about) is the space where that display and midframe assembly mounts to the back case. As with every pixel, it will be screwed and clipped in place with some form of water tight adhesive sitting on a relatively wide, flat ridge beneath. If you're heating the phone and then clamping around the edge, you could well be pushing the midframe / bezel lower than the fastening screws, potentially stripping the threads or breaking / stressing any clips that hold the entire assembly together. I'd be very surprised if it doesn't come back up over a few days or I'd wager you'd be able to lift it back up if you pulled up at the screen with something like a suction cup for example.

If the display was lifting away from the midframe / bezel, softening the adhesive and clamping would be a perfectly viable fix but that is not the issue here. If you look closely enough, you'll also notice the small webbing marks (that everyone keeps referring to as holes) prevent the midframe / bezel from being pushed down entirely into the back case. They should help in providing a tight interference fit between the front and rear assemblies. It's common manufacturing process.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] doooby:
Any attempts to 'fix' this are going to be in vain and you risk damaging the device.

I should think after being assembled in the factory it was perfect then over time, probably after being packaged, the gap appeared. I think its an internal problem rather than misalignment/poor assembly.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] smorgar:
I have 5+ years of experience repairing smartphones, cellphones, ipods, ipads etc. 10+ years experience in repairing computers and have been tinkering, building and soldering my whole life and i'm also a certified electrician.

I know the risks, and i know what i'm doing, even tho i don't know the exact design of the Pixel 5.

The only thing i felt uncertain about is the built in speaker/ear piece. I have no experience with that kind of speaker and i was thinking that maybe i will ruin the sound if the display cant vibrate anymore. But no harm done (by my own testing). Of course the clamping force was not too strong, just enough to push it shut and keep it there. And that's also the reason i used cork plates, they are soft (to not leave marks) and rigid to even the pressure.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] :
That's fair enough. I'm looking forwards to seeing a teardown from iFixit and a durability test / teardown from JerryRig. There are some images floating around online showing some of the component parts as well as the overmolding process for the bio-resin / aluminium frame construction.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] superleeds27:
I've had an email from Advanced Hardware Support Team who are reviewing the case. They've asked for more photographs and have offered an RMA so they can look at the device in their labs?

Took some more photographs today and i've got to say, photographs make it look 100x worse than it actually is!
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
Point them to this thread and they'll send you a hair dryer and a clamp and immediately void your warranty. But hey, it's fixed now.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] superleeds27:
What? :confused:
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Zisworg:
Hahaha, so evil!! :mad:

Well, it matters a lot coz if it's only an aestetic issue, I actually don't care anymore about this defect: I always protect my phone in a cover.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] E36coupe:
Same here. Really don't think it's an issue. Considering I'd never have noticed it if it hadn't been posted here I'm not bothered. If it gets significantly worse I'll claim on the warranty but if not I couldn't care less
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Floge999:
Here's a picture of my phone, one corner with the gap on the top and one without on the bottom. So it is not a uniform gap and i wouldn't consider the bottem "gap" a gap, that's just a line where two materials meet and it is how i would expect the phone to look like all around.

[IMG="My Pixel 5 Gap"]https://imgur.com/a/8zGeSAR[/IMG]

h t t p s://imgur.com/a/8zGeSAR

I am located in germany so there's hope that it was just a faulty batch. Strange thing is that my first support E-Mail told me everything is fine, just a cosmetic problem after sending my information to specialists. Interestingly the day after i got another Support E-Mail probably from google people going through the support thread where i have posted my pictures and i got another request with a slightly different information:

Our specialists are interested in looking further into this. If you are willing, I can offer you an exchange, so we can analyze the device in our lab. Also, I would like to request photos of the front and back as well as the corners of the device.​

But at this point i had already started the return/money back process. And to be honest i am not sure that the evaluation of the specialists would have changed the second time round.

Unrelated question: is there a secret to how attachments work on xda? I just can't get them working, maybe i am to new?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] mcgon1979:
That's how I feel too. Just been waiting on my google case which was shipped on 14th and still not here - annoying. Once case arrives, I'll just use the phone and not worry about the gap unless anything happens. That's what 2 year warranty is for.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] superleeds27:
Yeah. Balls to this.

Thank you for confirming that information. Before we begin the exchange process is there a FedEx nearby that you're willing to return your current device to? If so, I’ll go ahead and begin the exchange process for you. Since your device was purchased through Amazon, an Advanced Exchange is not an option.

If you'd like to proceed, the available exchange process requires you to ship your original device first. After we inspect it, we will ship out the warranty device. Expect a turnaround time of 5-10 business days.

If they can't be bothered to help me, then I'm not helping them. They offered advanced and have now retracted it.

My Response.

In that case then I won't be looking at RMA, I'll more than likely send the device back to the retailer for a full refund.

I've played the RMA lottery too many times with Google and devices I get back are either as bad or worse. (I'm looking at the 4 Pixel 3/4 devices I went through with horrible green/pink patches)

I get the feeling you'll look at the device, deem it acceptable and then return it back to me.

Sorry, but I think I'll pass.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
Just received mine today kinda sage gave it a good once over after reading this thread and I can confirm I don't have any gap issues it's perfect , UK bought simfree from voxi site as only place that seem to have the sage model even Google store had no stock till later in November at the time of ordering will keep close eye incase gaps appear but looks fine to me I can't confirm any build date or batch etc as appears no such info is on the box maybe it's possible to find out this info if some one wants to share I would be happy to confirm build date , if it's maybe a batch issue on early batch etc [emoji106]
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
4 pics pretty please?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] jimv1983:
Yeah, I certainly see the difference between your two pictures. I wouldn't accept that either. Although personally I'd probably try and swap it out once to see if I got a better one but that's just me.

As for your attachment question I don't know what's going on. I've made many posts over the years and added many attachments but lately I'm having issues as well. It shows that the attachment is there but you can't view it. :confused:
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
Sure [emoji106]View attachment 5122903View attachment 5122905View attachment 5122907View attachment 5122909
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
Seems images ain't showing even in web mode bit odd tbf
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
Hmm.. how about imgur?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
What do you mean lol ?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
It's an image sharing host. Play app.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
https://i.imgur.com/qj3nEsP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/g7eGKxS.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Bpm7MSa.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/yrdhwHs.jpg

See if that worked [emoji106]
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
That sir is the way the device is supposed to look. If it doesn't look like that return it for a full refund. Now we know that the Google response is a crock and anyone saying it's ok with a gap is fooling themselves. Thanks much for those pics.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
Very true I would definitely be getting it exchange asap if any kinda gap was there!

[emoji106]
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] jimv1983:
Yep, that one looks good. I've actually seen quite a few posts over at the Google support page saying they have a "gap" defect and the pictures look like this. I think it is a legitimate issue for some phones but I think many are confusing the normal seem between the screen and body as being this defect.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] superleeds27:
There's still a gap there though?

You do realise the device is suppose to have a gap? It just needs to be the same all the way around!?
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] bobby janow:
But that device looks solid and the other gap devices do not. It's kind of like if you think something is wrong because when you squeeze it it closes, well then that is not supposed to be. I'll wager he can't squeeze his closed heat gun or not.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] Golf c:
You fukin Momo's . If it's not uniform it's garbage.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] doooby:
[IMG="Pixel 5"]https://i.imgur.com/Bpm7MSa.jpeg[/IMG]

This looks pretty gappy to me, could be the way the light is bouncing off it though and with the corner being out of focus it's really hard to tell. If you're happy with it that's all that matters.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] DoobyDroid:
Trust me it's not gappy
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] :
Hi, after I read this thread, Ive checked my Pixel. I think that i also have this issue. What's your opinion?

h t t p://imgur .com/a/XpnFa1o
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] stevenscm:
Similar to mine and I'm on the fence about what to do. I definitely do have a gap in the top left and can easily fit a sheet of paper in there, similar but not quite as easy for the bottom two corners but the top right one is completely flush and I'm not able to get a piece of paper in there.

Combined with the poor fit of the google fabric case and the abysmal call quality I'm not having a great experience.
[Google Pixel 5 Questions & Answers] LTKred:
As far as gaps go, mine seems pretty uniform all the way around the device with barely space for a slice of paper. Yours seems a bit uneven from what you've mentioned?

What issues are you having with the case and call quality?

My fabric case is the green one and it fits perfectly nice and tight. As far as calls go, they've been great, no issues with connection and quality, but I've been on WiFi calls, I've not made a network call yet.