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iPhone 5 - got a dud?

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rutledjw

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 11, 2011
65
0
I purchased an iPhone ~3 months ago (right when they came out) and I'm having some intermittent, odd errors. I'm on AT&T and live in the Denver area (in case it matters).

When on the highway, the iPhone has a very hard time keeping a network connection. The only reason I care is I use Siri to call folks & that kind of thing - no, I'm not one of those texting road-hazards. Also, the wireless sync is CERTAINLY a moving target. It will start, but sometimes fail, and then cannot see my MBP until I reboot both the phone & recycle the wireless on the MBP (which is a brand-spanking new bada$$ machine, let me tell you).

NONE of this is consistent. Overall, I'm very happy with the phone, but stuff like this gives me pause just because it smells a bit like a latent issue that could portend an early device death. What do the fine folks here think?
 
L

Leonard1818

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2011
2,460
403
Take it to apple or call them and explain what's happening. They'll probably give you a new phone
 
Ke1ington

Ke1ington

macrumors 6502a
Dec 29, 2009
625
27
MassTownie said:
Rather have a working refurb...than a non-working out of the box...;)
Click to expand...

This exactly. I've never understood why so many people take issue with receiving a phone that has been verified as having no defects over something out of a shiny new box that has potential for having hardware defects.
 
C

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
Ke1ington said:
This exactly. I've never understood why so many people take issue with receiving a phone that has been verified as having no defects over something out of a shiny new box that has potential for having hardware defects.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with the basic premise of that argument, of course. But what I do disagree with is if I wanted a refurbished phone I could have jumped ship from Verizon to AT&T and got a refurbished iPhone 5 for $99 with a new contract. I wouldn't have had to pay $199 for a new device, which I had all of 33 days, before being given a refurbished replacement anyways. See where I'm coming from? A hundred bucks is a hundred bucks. Better in my pocket than Apple or Verizon's.
 
QuarterSwede

QuarterSwede

macrumors G3
Oct 1, 2005
9,785
2,033
Colorado Springs, CO
Ke1ington said:
This exactly. I've never understood why so many people take issue with receiving a phone that has been verified as having no defects over something out of a shiny new box that has potential for having hardware defects.
Click to expand...
In my experience Apple's refurb phones are less likely to have issues and they look brand new so I don't see the problem either. I've had to replace every one but my original and 4 and the refurbs worked perfectly the entire time I had them.

To the OP, are you on LTE yet? I'm still on 4G in Colorado Springs and don't have issues while driving.
 
John T

John T

macrumors 68020
Mar 18, 2006
2,114
6
UK.
QuarterSwede said:
In my experience Apple's refurb phones are less likely to have issues and they look brand new so I don't see the problem either.
Click to expand...

Agreed! My daughter bought a referb iPhone 4 and it works perfectly and is, to all extents, identical and indistinguishable from a brand new one.
 
C

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
John T said:
Agreed! My daughter bought a referb iPhone 4 and it works perfectly and is, to all extents, identical and indistinguishable from a brand new one.
Click to expand...

Maybe on the 4 or 4S they're less distinguishable, but the 5 is an entirely different monster due to building materials. Glass can chip, shatter, or crack. While aluminum scratches extremely easily. And most of the time a lot of this scratching is happening at the factory before the phone ever reaches it's owner.
 
M

MassTownie

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2012
46
0
StL
My kids have refurbished phones, able to upgrade to 32Gb at the same price for the 8gb when the IPhone4 first came out. Have been great phones.

This being said...I would be a bit concerned if I bought a brand new one and was handed a refurbed one after it broke...I get it.
 
John T

John T

macrumors 68020
Mar 18, 2006
2,114
6
UK.
Chris092881 said:
Maybe on the 4 or 4S they're less distinguishable, but the 5 is an entirely different monster due to building materials. Glass can chip, shatter, or crack. While aluminum scratches extremely easily. And most of the time a lot of this scratching is happening at the factory before the phone ever reaches it's owner.
Click to expand...

Pardon? :confused:

From what you say, I assume you have personal experience of Apple's refurbished iPhone 5? Do you really think Apple would supply a refurbished phone with a cracked screen?!

You refer to "most of the time a lot of this scratching is happening at the factory before the phone ever reaches it's owner". Methinks you are taking reports on such issues reported in Macrumors et al a little too literally. As a proportion of the total sale of iPhones, these "complaints" represent a minute minority.
 
N

nancyfromafrica

macrumors member
Sep 17, 2012
95
0
Johannesburg
these days they create phones with thousands of functionalities and forget to keep the most important function of all that it to connect to a network. Cameras, games, music, where is the phone in all this an iphone 6 should be one which can connect to the farthest network, it should be able to connect to a network in Korea while you are sitting in Africa.
 
C

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
John T said:
Pardon? :confused:

From what you say, I assume you have personal experience of Apple's refurbished iPhone 5? Do you really think Apple would supply a refurbished phone with a cracked screen?!

You refer to "most of the time a lot of this scratching is happening at the factory before the phone ever reaches it's owner". Methinks you are taking reports on such issues reported in Macrumors et al a little too literally. As a proportion of the total sale of iPhones, these "complaints" represent a minute minority.
Click to expand...

I disagree. And I never said anything about a refurb having a cracked screen.
 
R

rutledjw

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 11, 2011
65
0
Hey, thanks for the responses, folks! I'm going to get a genius appointment and see what they think. I just don't want to end up with an ENTIRELY dead phone in precisely 13 months! (i.e. post warranty).

QuarterSwede said:
To the OP, are you on LTE yet? I'm still on 4G in Colorado Springs and don't have issues while driving.
Click to expand...

Sometimes - I spend a lot of time on 4G (which is still a big improvement over 3G), but LTE coverage is still sporadic...
 
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