With the Google Pixel 7 lineup, Pixel smartphones are finally officially available in India. The smartphone has a niche audience and is often picked up by enthusiasts and power users alike. While the phone has rock solid software and hardware, issues tend to present themselves over time.
Now, in a bizarre review, one user has reported accumulation of dust within the front facing camera of the Pixel 7 Pro. Quite a rare issue to begin with, but it speaks of a larger problem that Google Pixel smartphones face here in India.
Upon reporting the issue to Google, the company has allotted a wait time of up to 20 business days to diagnose and repair the smartphone unit, and won’t provide a replacement phone to the user for the time being.
The Issue
The long and short of it is that after a usage of less than a month, the front facing camera on this Pixel 7 Pro has dust debris sandwiched below the screen and on top of the front facing camera. This is the main culprit for now blurry photos, and a certain noisiness and dustiness to the pictures. While the Tensor G2’s processing powers scale up the picture, the issue presents itself clearly when attending video calls, and even in selfie videos.
The user came in contact with us, and shared information relayed to them via e-mail. The service center claims that the issue of debris inside the selfie camera is not covered under warranty, and are even charging Rs 850 to just diagnose the issue. This, when the phone is just a month old.
This isn’t the only camera related issue. Users have also reported many instances of the camera app straight up crashing and behaving erratically.
Google’s Service Issues in India
One of the largest smartphone markets in the world, Google was already missing out on India since the Pixel 4 days. The competition in India is fierce, and smartphone makers tend to offer fast, reliable and hassle free after-sales services. With Google, things are slightly different.
First off, a major pressing issue is that after-sales services from Google are rather limited. There seem to be no real service centers for Pixel phones, and the user in question came into contact with after-sales service center from Mumbai, which appears to be the only hub for diagnosing and repairing Pixel phones in India.
Regarding the same, Google’s official website only lists the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4a for official repairs. Conversely, the “Contact Us” page has a drop down menu of all Google Pixel smartphones, which leads to inconsistencies as to which services are offered and which aren’t.
Less than one month of Google Pixel 7 Pro. Somehow dust has accumulated inside the punch hole selfie camera.
Contacted Google Support, they said that it will take 20 business days to fix the issue. #googlepixel7pro @madebygoogle . Never faced this prob in any other device. pic.twitter.com/pzttPeuJXL— Varul Mayank (@varulmayank) November 14, 2022
This goes to show that Google wasn’t ready for a phone launch of such proportions in a market as competitive as India. In fact, the only way to reach out to Google is to send in an e-mail, or tag them on Twitter, both of which are open ended options.
Along the same lines, Google’s official online webstore doesn’t hold official accessories for the phone- charger, case and so on. Users have to either opt for third party sellers, or a third party charger altogether. Google’s entire strategy in the Indian market is not cohesive, and leaves much to be desired.
