iPhone 3G Yellow Screen Issue

Spanky Deluxe · 07:54 PM

Hi everyone,

Does anyone else's iPhone 3Gs have a yellow screen tint?

You can see it clearly in the following photo. The iPhone 3G is on the left, my old iPhone 2G is on the right. The 3G's one is distinctly yellow and dimmer than the 2G one when set to identical brightness.

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I'm on the phone to Apple Support now to try to look into this fault.

Edit: UPDATE

I've posted further down in this thread but I want to write something here for new folks in this thread.

Since starting this thread, I've returned my iPhone and have been lucky enough to get another one and its a lot better. Now, from what I can gather from this thread and people's experiences is that all 3G iPhones have a slight yellow tint compared to the original iPhone. Its not as bad on the whole as my picture indicates.

If you have an original iPhone to compare it with, set both to maximum brightness with auto-dimming off. The iPhone 3G should be brighter than the original one. Yes it will have a yellowish tint compared to the blueish tint of the original iPhone. SOME iPhone 3Gs appear to have a slightly faulty screen/backlight and appear to be dimmer and very yellow compared to the original iPhone. In my opinion, these are faulty.

I'm a lot happier with my replacement phone although I would still prefer the colours a little cooler.

If you have an issue with the yellow tint but its not as bad as I described mine to be then I suggest filing some feedback with Apple about the iPhone using the following form:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

If enough of us ask for it, we MAY be able to get screen colour temperature options and maybe even more advanced colour/contrast/gammut settings etc - something professional photographers would probably like anyway so as to showcase their work on the fly better.

Some people prefer the blue tint, some people prefer the yellow tint. If we ask Apple enough, maybe they will give us some more choice on this. I fully believe this can be far better controlled with a software update. Honestly, there's a good chance that Apple purposefully made the screen appear this way so that the icons on the dashboard and films appear to have far more colour depth and contrast and so would pop out as better to some people.

Edit 2: Some comparison shots of my replacement iPhone 3G and my original iPhone 2G are here. A montage of my first iPhone 3G, replacement iPhone 3G and iPhone 2G are here.

Edit 3: Some people have reported better colour tones after connecting their iPhones to iTunes and doing a full restore to factory settings. It appears that a slightly newer firmware version is downloaded and this seems to have corrected the colour somewhat. I add that I did this with my replacement 3G iPhone by accident too because it got messed up during Apple's server activation crash so my second 3G iPhone photos are using this new build. Make sure you backup your iPhone before trying this.

edesignuk · Jul 11, 2008, 08:01 AM

uh oh...this can't be good. The start of another major QC issue? Say it ain't so!

Hope you are able to get it replaced.

cookiemoose · Jul 11, 2008, 08:03 AM

There was a LCD panel lottery with the first generation screens. I got lucky and had a screen which was fine but a friends was noticeably yellower.

Not sure if anyone ever had any success in getting theirs swapped if they had the yellowing issue.

sananda · Jul 11, 2008, 08:04 AM

oh! bad luck spanky. i hope this isn't widespread.

jaglad · Jul 11, 2008, 08:06 AM

Mine is noticeably yellow in comparison to my old iphone, in fact I am not very impressed with the iPhone 3G, I think I will keep my old one.

Spanky Deluxe · Jul 11, 2008, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edesignuk

uh oh...this can't be good. The start of another major QC issue? Say it ain't so!

Hope you are able to get it replaced.

Yeah, I'm not happy. Now I've got to go and take it back to Carphone Warehouse and start a repair/replacement process. God knows how long that'll take with the current shortages. At least I have my original iPhone though.

CPW are probably already sick and tired of me, spent most of the morning there!!

fastbite · Jul 11, 2008, 08:08 AM

Wow! this yellow screen crap is devastating. Sorry for this! Here we go again...

queshy · Jul 11, 2008, 08:12 AM

OH NO! This is bad news. Sucks you have to bring it back..

I hope this isn't an epidemic...

born4sky · Jul 11, 2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky Deluxe

Yeah, I'm not happy. Now I've got to go and take it back to Carphone Warehouse and start a repair/replacement process. God knows how long that'll take with the current shortages. At least I have my original iPhone though.

CPW are probably already sick and tired of me, spent most of the morning there!!

so apple did say that this is a defect ?

entwife · Jul 11, 2008, 08:15 AM

i work at o2 and my mate is from cpw, all screens i have seen so far (6) are yellow compared to 2g version

drpellypo · Jul 11, 2008, 08:17 AM

I have the yellow screen too. It is better in terms of contrast, but is suffering from the yellow tint.

cookiemoose · Jul 11, 2008, 08:18 AM

Waiting for City Link to deliver mine, fingers crossed if theres yellowing it's not too noticeable. Will report back..

ddk121 · Jul 11, 2008, 08:22 AM

I think I've got it too. Maybe it's normal?

cherbert · Jul 11, 2008, 08:23 AM

I wonder if this is caused by the firmware and can be fixed via an update?

stadidas · Jul 11, 2008, 08:24 AM

I haven't activated yet (waiting for my new number and then will transfer all texts etc), but just looking at the "Connect to iTunes" screen, it looks yellow compared to my original iPhone. With the current shortages, there's probably not a lot of point trying to take it back now. I'll wait a few weeks and then go in and complain. As far as I'm concerned a yellow screen is a defective unit. This is a premium phone and you should expect premium standards.

queshy · Jul 11, 2008, 08:25 AM

Anyone NOT have a yellow screened iPhone?

Bongolo · Jul 11, 2008, 08:27 AM

Same problem here!

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...30#post5773230

Nicholas.C · Jul 11, 2008, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cherbert

I wonder if this is caused by the firmware and can be fixed via an update?

I don't think so, anyone know becasue they've cut on a few things since the credit crunch started that this was coruced by it?

Abstract · Jul 11, 2008, 08:29 AM

I can understand that some iPhones will have a defect of some sort, and I'll usually tell them that no company is perfect. However, it sounds like a very large proportion of people have this problem.

willcodejavafor · Jul 11, 2008, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abstract

I can understand that some iPhones will have a defect of some sort, and I'll usually tell them that no company is perfect. However, it sounds like a very large proportion of people have this problem.

At least you can be sure that a 100% of the people that have reported this problem will have it. Unfortunately that does not say much

cherbert · Jul 11, 2008, 08:32 AM

Now I'm even more nervous waiting for my delivery. When I get it I'll post my results of the Daz Doorstep Challenge.

dalcorn1 · Jul 11, 2008, 08:34 AM

I noticed a yellow tint but it went away when i turned the brightness up

javadh · Jul 11, 2008, 08:35 AM

maybe its not a defect and all 3G phones have yellow screens... crappy screens to cut the price?

stuppy · Jul 11, 2008, 08:36 AM

Same thing here too. I thnk its something that I could get used to. And since it seems to be a problem with a lot of units I would imagine that Apple will either do a massive recall (and woudl assume they would send new handsets out before sending one back - so no disruption of use) - or fix it with a software update.

I rekon its a software issue myself.

Nicholas.C · Jul 11, 2008, 08:36 AM

the apple guy i spoke to on the phone said the only yellow screen you should get is in notes

Jul 11, 2008, 07:59 AM	#1
Spanky Deluxe macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London, UK	iPhone 3G Yellow Screen Issue Hi everyone, Does anyone else's iPhone 3Gs have a yellow screen tint? You can see it clearly in the following photo. The iPhone 3G is on the left, my old iPhone 2G is on the right. The 3G's one is distinctly yellow and dimmer than the 2G one when set to identical brightness. I'm on the phone to Apple Support now to try to look into this fault. Edit: UPDATE I've posted further down in this thread but I want to write something here for new folks in this thread. Since starting this thread, I've returned my iPhone and have been lucky enough to get another one and its a lot better. Now, from what I can gather from this thread and people's experiences is that all 3G iPhones have a slight yellow tint compared to the original iPhone. Its not as bad on the whole as my picture indicates. If you have an original iPhone to compare it with, set both to maximum brightness with auto-dimming off. The iPhone 3G should be brighter than the original one. Yes it will have a yellowish tint compared to the blueish tint of the original iPhone. SOME iPhone 3Gs appear to have a slightly faulty screen/backlight and appear to be dimmer and very yellow compared to the original iPhone. In my opinion, these are faulty. I'm a lot happier with my replacement phone although I would still prefer the colours a little cooler. If you have an issue with the yellow tint but its not as bad as I described mine to be then I suggest filing some feedback with Apple about the iPhone using the following form: http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html If enough of us ask for it, we MAY be able to get screen colour temperature options and maybe even more advanced colour/contrast/gammut settings etc - something professional photographers would probably like anyway so as to showcase their work on the fly better. Some people prefer the blue tint, some people prefer the yellow tint. If we ask Apple enough, maybe they will give us some more choice on this. I fully believe this can be far better controlled with a software update. Honestly, there's a good chance that Apple purposefully made the screen appear this way so that the icons on the dashboard and films appear to have far more colour depth and contrast and so would pop out as better to some people. Edit 2: Some comparison shots of my replacement iPhone 3G and my original iPhone 2G are here. A montage of my first iPhone 3G, replacement iPhone 3G and iPhone 2G are here. Edit 3: *Some people have reported better colour tones after connecting their iPhones to iTunes and doing a full restore to factory settings.* It appears that a slightly newer firmware version is downloaded and this seems to have corrected the colour somewhat. I add that I did this with my replacement 3G iPhone by accident too because it got messed up during Apple's server activation crash so my second 3G iPhone photos are using this new build. Make sure you backup your iPhone before trying this. __________________ "No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space." Last edited by Spanky Deluxe : Jul 11, 2008 at 07:54 PM.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:01 AM	#2
edesignuk Demi-God (Moderator emeritus) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Great(?) Britain	uh oh...this can't be good. The start of another major QC issue? Say it ain't so! Hope you are able to get it replaced. __________________ Search before you post: MRoogle **Better BBC Search**

Jul 11, 2008, 08:06 AM	#5
jaglad macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Royston, UK	Mine is noticeably yellow in comparison to my old iphone, in fact I am not very impressed with the iPhone 3G, I think I will keep my old one. __________________ 24" Alu iMac 2.8 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 1TB HD, 512Mb graphics. Alu MacBook 2.4Ghz 4Gb RAM, 160Gb TV, 3G iPhone

Jul 11, 2008, 08:08 AM	#7
fastbite macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London	Wow! this yellow screen crap is devastating. Sorry for this! Here we go again... __________________ If the movie is a turkey, stuff it! http://www.turkeyornot.com/

Jul 11, 2008, 08:12 AM	#8
queshy macrumors 68040 Join Date: Apr 2005	OH NO! This is bad news. Sucks you have to bring it back.. I hope this isn't an epidemic... __________________ "I always feel sorry for the guy in the iPhone commercials. He always gets a call right in the middle of trying to do something" (one1).

Jul 11, 2008, 08:03 AM	#3
cookiemoose macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2007	There was a LCD panel lottery with the first generation screens. I got lucky and had a screen which was fine but a friends was noticeably yellower. Not sure if anyone ever had any success in getting theirs swapped if they had the yellowing issue.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:04 AM	#4
sananda macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2007	oh! bad luck spanky. i hope this isn't widespread.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:15 AM	#10
entwife macrumors regular Join Date: Feb 2008	i work at o2 and my mate is from cpw, all screens i have seen so far (6) are yellow compared to 2g version __________________ Mac Mini c2d 1.83 iPhone 3G 8gb

Jul 11, 2008, 08:17 AM	#11
drpellypo macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Northumberland, UK	I have the yellow screen too. It is better in terms of contrast, but is suffering from the yellow tint.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:18 AM	#12
cookiemoose macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2007	Waiting for City Link to deliver mine, fingers crossed if theres yellowing it's not too noticeable. Will report back..

Jul 11, 2008, 08:22 AM	#13
ddk121 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales, UK	I think I've got it too. Maybe it's normal?

Jul 11, 2008, 08:23 AM	#14
cherbert macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2007	I wonder if this is caused by the firmware and can be fixed via an update?

Jul 11, 2008, 08:24 AM	#15
stadidas macrumors regular Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kent, United Kingdom	I haven't activated yet (waiting for my new number and then will transfer all texts etc), but just looking at the "Connect to iTunes" screen, it looks yellow compared to my original iPhone. With the current shortages, there's probably not a lot of point trying to take it back now. I'll wait a few weeks and then go in and complain. As far as I'm concerned a yellow screen is a defective unit. This is a premium phone and you should expect premium standards.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:25 AM	#16
queshy macrumors 68040 Join Date: Apr 2005	Anyone NOT have a yellow screened iPhone? __________________ "I always feel sorry for the guy in the iPhone commercials. He always gets a call right in the middle of trying to do something" (one1).

Jul 11, 2008, 08:27 AM	#17
Bongolo macrumors regular Join Date: Aug 2006	Same problem here! http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...30#post5773230

Jul 11, 2008, 08:29 AM	#19
Abstract macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: It's classified.	I can understand that some iPhones will have a defect of some sort, and I'll usually tell them that no company is perfect. However, it sounds like a very large proportion of people have this problem. __________________ "Oh, I've always wanted to touch Stanley," signs teacher Fran Zakoor, embracing the kids… ESPN Article, 04/09/2008

Jul 11, 2008, 08:32 AM	#21
cherbert macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2007	Now I'm even more nervous waiting for my delivery. When I get it I'll post my results of the Daz Doorstep Challenge.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:34 AM	#22
dalcorn1 macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2008	I noticed a yellow tint but it went away when i turned the brightness up

Jul 11, 2008, 08:35 AM	#23
javadh macrumors member Join Date: May 2008	maybe its not a defect and all 3G phones have yellow screens... crappy screens to cut the price?

Jul 11, 2008, 08:36 AM	#24
stuppy macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2006	Same thing here too. I thnk its something that I could get used to. And since it seems to be a problem with a lot of units I would imagine that Apple will either do a massive recall (and woudl assume they would send new handsets out before sending one back - so no disruption of use) - or fix it with a software update. I rekon its a software issue myself.

Jul 11, 2008, 08:36 AM	#25
Nicholas.C macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2008	the apple guy i spoke to on the phone said the only yellow screen you should get is in notes __________________ My Apple Tools! iPhone 1st Gen, 4GB iPhone 3G, 8GB Pay and Go iPhone 3GS 16gb, contract Mac Mini, G4.

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