Pixel 4 owners should be aware of this disappointing design flaw

It has been close to two weeks now since Google released the Pixel 4 and the general feedback among its users is still mixed. Although others seem to be genuinely enjoying the new smartphone, there are owners who are reportedly not pleased with the device. Face unlock reliability, poor battery life, app compatibility, display refresh rate problems, and more. While most experts would claim that these can be fixed by updates in the future, a recently discovered flaw might be bigger than what the manufacturer might have expected.

Some of the above mentioned issues are on the software side, this new one, on the other hand, is related to how the handset was designed. Google has already started to distribute updates to address the functionality concerns, the latest one can potentially become a big headache for the company. Reliability tests have exposed what appears to be an unintentional manufacturing oversight.

According to an article from BGR, the Pixel 4 is susceptible to bending. This was highlighted after it underwent an extensive and rigorous durability test courtesy of popular YouTube tech reviewer JerryRigEverything. After subjecting the mobile phone to various types of abuse that mimics scenarios users might encounter on a daily basis, it eventually broke in two places. However, despite the damage it sustained, the phone managed to continue working under the circumstances.

An in-depth analysis reveals the antenna lines on the top and bottom of the frame are positioned horizontally. This implies that users should be aware of the structural weakness of their smartphone. Unless the owner keeps the Pixel 4 inside their bag or backpacks, there is a big risk of it bending inside a pocket, which is where most users keep their device.

In 2014, Apple was the subject of a controversy aptly named "Bendgate" wherein users complained about how the iPhone 6 was prone to bending. Moreover, internal documents show that the company was well aware of the problem, but still publicly denied its existence. Industry experts speculate that Google might soon face a similar backlash from consumers as more Pixel 4 units eventually get damaged for no apparent reason.