The release of really new devices for various manufacturers is a rather stressful period. This is especially true for gadgets that have non-standard and relatively fragile technologies, such as flexible displays. Google only recently “jumped on this train” with the release of its first folding smartphone Pixel Fold, and it seems that it could not do without typical problems, collecting a whole “bingo of troubles”.
And they started even before the smartphone reached the general public. ArsTechnica author Ron Amadeo showed what happened to his test device, which the publication received for review. A small particle of dust that got under the screen protection caused part of the sensor to fail within hours, and the lower part of the display at the same time stopped showing the image, replacing it with a bright white color.
As Mr. Amadeo notes, there were no unplanned events with the device, the smartphone was used neatly, did not fall, and spent most of the time in the workplace. The problem arose after only 4 days of use.
The first complaints from users who just started receiving pre-orders of the Pixel Fold were also not long in coming. One user noticed “very small dents and surface imperfections between the bezel and the screen protector, in the gutter area”, which appeared almost after a day of use. Another owner of the brand new Pixel Fold demonstrated peeling off the display protection just at the place of the “break” of the screen. The most unpleasant thing is that it happened only five hours after the start of work.
“A Google Rep asked me to remove the protective film and send them the photos. After removing it carefully it looks like the laminate on the screen is lifting in the middle, and there are spider web cracks going out from the middle. Looks like I just got a defective display,” says a user about a conversation with Google support.
Another user faced another problem. The internal display of his new smartphone initially “showed” a flash of a pink line crossing the entire display a couple of times. A little later, this line appeared again, and remained on the screen.
I saw a brief flash of a bright pink line once or twice, but hoped for the best. Then, as I was browsing the web, this bright neon pink line appeared from edge to edge and has survived a software reset.
Alison Johnson, TheVerge journalist, noted that some damage can also be seen on the internal screen of her test smartphone after a week of testing:
I can also see a faint scratch on my review unit’s inner screen protector after just a week of use, which doesn’t inspire confidence, either.
Such cases will almost certainly be recognized as warrantable. Google offers to contact support in case of such problems. And in fact, for such smartphones, they are not something new. But given the fact that this category of devices is generally not new, the manufacturer should take into account the unpleasant experience of competitors.
It is also worth considering that for Ukrainian users such an experience can become an even bigger problem, because currently there is still no official support in Ukraine. In the event of one of the above situations, it may take much longer to replace the screen than in those countries where there is an official service. Therefore, everyone who wants to buy a Pixel Fold should wait a little until the manufacturer deals with the first problems of the new smartphone.
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