Google Pixel 2 Performs Poorly in Stress Test, Premium Plastic Coat Scratches Off Easily

Google Pixel 2 will go down in the history books for many things, but perhaps not for its durability. According to Zack Nielson of popular gadget-centric YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, the Pixel 2’s “premium coating” is anything but reliable.

Putting the Google Pixel 2 through his usual stress treatment, Zack found that it was fairly easy to scratch off the plastic coating that protects the metal build of the Pixel 2. Google’s new flagship smartphone has a metal body but there is also this plastic coating on top of it. Zack was able to get the plastic off by using an ordinary razor blade.

Earlier this week, folks at iFixit found that Google was using a magnesium mid-frame to provide “solid backing behind the display for when you’re candy crushing it.” But it turns out, the device is not as strong as one would have imagined. Nielson found that a desperate attempt at deforming the phone is enough to bend much of the handset in half.

As for other components, the display as well the front-facing camera’s case can be scratched with the Moh’s hardness level of five to six picks. In comparison, the displays on the iPhone 8 and the Galaxy S8were just as prone to scratches. Additionally, the P-OLED screen, when exposed to fire for 15 seconds, was very damaged partially and never recovered from it, according to Nielson. The fingerprint scanner on the Google Pixel 2 is also not that well-built.

Overall, Nielson wasn’t impressed with the durability of the Google Pixel 2, which is supposed to lead the pack among Android smartphones. If you’re looking to purchase the Google Pixel 2, and possibly the Google Pixel 2 XL, you will want to purchase a case as well.