A few days ago we reported on a worrying issue that was developing with the screens on certain Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones – but Google has now gone on the record to say that the problem is nothing to be concerned about.
From Reddit threads, forum posts, and YouTube videos, we could see that a number of users were spotting small bumps or dents on their Pixel 8 displays. They don’t seem to affect the functionality of the screens, and they’re only visible under certain lighting conditions, but they’re definitely there.
Now Google has weighed in by giving a statement to 9to5Google: “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,” says a spokesperson.
“There is no functional impact to Pixel 8 performance or durability,” the spokesperson adds. In other words, these bumps are there – caused by internal components as previously thought – but they’re not actually a problem.
Not to worry
What Google seems to be saying here is that it’s an aesthetic issue rather than a functional one – the small blemishes aren’t actually affecting the way that the screens on the Google Pixel 8 and the Google Pixel 8 Pro operate.
Still, it’s somewhat annoying to buy a new smartphone and then notice indentations in the screen. We’re still not sure how widespread this issue is, or indeed whether it affects every single Pixel 8 phone out there, but it’s not something we noticed in the course of writing our Google Pixel 8 review or Google Pixel 8 Pro review.
In the forum and Reddit posts that we linked earlier, some Pixel 8 owners have reported that they’ve been able to get replacement units from Google, so this might be something to try if you’re seeing these bumps and they’re bothering you, though Google is stopping short of guaranteeing replacement phones for everyone affected.
This isn’t the only problem Google has had to deal with lately either: it recently fixed a nasty software bug that was causing crashes on Pixel devices running Android 14, and there have also been reports of a strange screen tint issue on some Pixel 8 Pro units.
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