I used a spudger to pop the plastic bezel off that side and then resnapped it on (I’d been looking for screws I could loosen but nothing was exposed, Gemini AI lied to me), and lo and behold, that sort of hot/pinched effect is gone. I’d assumed it was some sort of aluminum case torque but I think maybe the bezel was pushed on too tight during assembly.
Anyways, that had been my only gripe really and now it’s resolved, wanted to share in case it helps anyone else.