Google pixel 7 button repair replacement has 5 contacts instead of 4 contacts?

[Britishblue]

My pixel 7's buttons broke a few days ago, so I decided to buy some new ones on a site called replace base. I bought this to replace the internal buttons (https://www.replacebase.co.uk/for-google-pixel-7-replacement-internal-power-volume-buttons-flex-cable)

 

The repair has worked good and the buttons work again but I noticed the replacement has 5 contacts on it instead of 4 like the original had. The replacements alignment holes also slightly didnt match up with the phone. I just fit it as best I could to try and get it in and It seems to have worked fine but Im confused why this is?

 

Also I had to remove the battery to get at the buttons which I was able to do fine. I noticed there is a black sheet under the battery (similar to the graphite sheets over the battery) that has peeled off while I was slicing through the batteries adhesive. I cant find this anywhere online and wanted to know if its important I fix this and what It is (I assume its something to do with heat dissipation).

I've attached some pictures of the phone with the battery removed so you can see the black sheet thats peeled off, and what the original internal buttons contacts looked like. If you compare them to the replacement I got off replace base you can see it has 1 less contact?

 

Thanks.

[OddOod]

8 minutes ago, Britishblue said:

I noticed there is a black sheet under the battery (similar to the graphite sheets over the battery) that has peeled off while I was slicing through the batteries adhesive. I cant find this anywhere online and wanted to know if its important I fix this and what It is (I assume its something to do with heat dissipation).

It's almost certainly part of the heat dissipation as you assumed. Probably trying to level temps between battery and screen. It's probably not *vital*, but if you have some spare thermal paste laying around you could probably just use that.

[Britishblue]

10 minutes ago, OddOod said:

It's almost certainly part of the heat dissipation as you assumed. Probably trying to level temps between battery and screen. It's probably not *vital*, but if you have some spare thermal paste laying around you could probably just use that.

Thanks thats what I thought. Its a shame I cant find it online anywhere but it seems to be running fine now anyway. Any idea why the replacement buttons might have more contacts and be slightly too small to fit perfectly?

[OddOod]

17 minutes ago, Britishblue said:

Thanks thats what I thought. Its a shame I cant find it online anywhere but it seems to be running fine now anyway. Any idea why the replacement buttons might have more contacts and be slightly too small to fit perfectly?

At a guess, mid cycle refresh. Did you get the phone when it released?

[Britishblue]

6 minutes ago, OddOod said:

At a guess, mid cycle refresh. Did you get the phone when it released?

I got it about 10 months in or so? So about 2 and a half years ago

[OddOod]

On 4/24/2025 at 12:05 PM, Britishblue said:

I got it about 10 months in or so? So about 2 and a half years ago

Yeah, probably a mid cycle redesign for whatever engineering reason.