Chosen Solution
It looks like the front glass panel of my pixel 3 is ever so slightly lifted from the double bracket frame. ubreakifix told me the adhesive was rolled, so I RMA-ed it, but the new device looks similar, as does a second RMA. (!!) How much adhesive is around the frame of the front glass panel on the pixel 3? I figure if there’s enough there, going all the way around, it should stop liquid from reaching the inside of the device, even if it can get under the edge of the front glass panel. I’ve seen many teardown videos, but none show the front glass of the small pixel 3 being removed. Update (01/03/2019)
@tomchai This is an image of the top of the device. The separation is barely noticeable, but there does seem to be a bit of dust that accumulates there and cannot be removed.
Here is what it looks like near the volume button; when it is held in the light just right, it almost looks like there is some metal component showing underneath the device. As I stated before, this is very slight and nearly imperceptible; I think the image seems to exaggerate it slightly due to the zoom.
Can you post a picture of the damage area? It’s easier to tell from the picture. The issue with IP68 rating is that it is rated with pressure. So if there is a slight tear or lift away in the adhesive ring, water will leak through. It doesn’t matter how thick it is. The phone will mostly be splash proof, but if you submerge it, water WILL leak into the device. You can somehow perform a pressure test to see if the device is properly sealed against pressure, but I only know the procedure for iPhone, don’t have the detail for Pixel 3 yet.
