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A cracking phone in more ways than one
In an ideal world, expensive tech products would all be perfect right out of the gate and we’d never have to report on any issues. Sadly, that’s not the world we live in, and every device will have the odd problem. Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are no stranger to this — the latest unfortunate defect relates to the display. Several owners have reported cracks appearing on the front glass of their new Google phones, and they’re at a loss when it comes to explaining why.
Numerous bewildered Pixel owners have taken to Reddit and Google’s support forum to express their displeasure, with reports stretching back a couple of months. The more expensive Pixel 6 Pro, with its curved glass screen, is at fault in the majority of cases, but the regular Pixel 6 is also implicated by some. Both phones are built using Gorilla Glass Victus front and back, which is said to be the toughest phone glass on the market. This hasn’t stopped units from developing cracks, with most examples starting in the corners of the display or from one of the sides. Using a case or screen protector doesn’t seem to make this any more or less likely to happen.
A couple of examples taken by Pixel owners (Source)
Spontaneous screen cracks like this aren’t uncommon in smartphones, and they usually stem from a small manufacturing defect that causes pressure to build up in the display glass that eventually gives in and splits. Dramatic changes in temperature can also be a cause. It’s more likely that there was simply a bad batch of Pixels that went out with a particular hardware fault, rather than this being a problem that every phone might face. So there’s little reason to worry if you own a Pixel 6 and this hasn’t yet happened to you yet. If it has, you’re sadly just very unlucky since it probably affects a minuscule percentage of all the Pixels out there.
Another reported example (Source)
From reading the customer complaints, it doesn’t appear that the company has yet acknowledged this as a manufacturing defect — instead, the company line appears to be that these display cracks are the fault of the owners and that it isn’t an issue that will be covered by the warranty. “Screens don’t just crack” was the Google response reported by one disgruntled customer. This means they are having to shell out for screen replacement repairs themselves. Some are also finding that carrier insurance claims will only replace the entire phone at additional cost rather than just the screen, which is understandably very frustrating.
According to some reports, Google has said it is actively investigating the issue, so we hope they’ll provide more clarity for owners and potentially free replacements if it’s confirmed that there’s a manufacturing defect to blame. With this many reports, it seems unlikely that user error is at fault.
We’ve reached out to Google for comment and will add any statement we get to this post.
Thanks: Igal
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