The Google Pixel 8 series launch wasn’t the smoothest Google has ever done. The devices, which were leaked plenty over the course of the preceding months, also suffered some sporadic hardware/software issues. Some problems are still popping up, and now it appears several Pixel phones are suffering from an unusual display issue.
Some Pixel 8 owners have begun reporting that the display on their Pixel 8 phones appears “bumpy.” When looking at the display with a flashlight, there appear to be certain bumps on the display panel. Said bumps are on the display, below the glass, which is evidently still smooth. They don’t seem to be noticeable when the display is turned on: you need to look at the screen from an angle if you want to check out the bumps on your display.
Some models don’t have them, while others do, and the reason for that is not really clear. It’s probably an unintended, but largely inoffensive, hardware defect. When asked about it by 9to5Google, the company said the following:
Pixel 8 phones have a new display. When the screen is turned off, not in use and in specific lighting conditions, some users may see impressions from components in the device that look like small bumps. There is no functional impact to Pixel 8 performance or durability.
It’s not clear what Google means by “new display” here—it might refer to the fact that Google is using a new display technology it dubs “Super Actua” on the displays of the new phones. What can be gathered from here, however, is that the company is not really concerned about the issue as of now, and it doesn’t think it’s a major concern as far as durability goes. That is true right now—the display bumps seem to be nothing but a visual nuisance at the moment, and as we mentioned, they’re not even noticeable while the phone is being used. But some customers are rightfully concerned about whether this will remain the case in the long term.
As of now, we’ll have to wait and see. If any issues do arise from this, they will likely be covered by warranty, too.
Source: 9to5Google via Ars Technica