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4S screen uneven backlighting

I bought another iPhone 4S on Friday (got lucky reserving one at the local store). This one has the same issue (dimmer top of screen) and also a little dimmer at the bottom. Not as bad as the previous one that I had with this issue. Screen color is otherwise decent. The issue seems to be more noticeable at lower backlight settings. It is still pretty annoying when reading mail or surfing the web. I am 50/50 on keeping it but so far this is the only problem with it.

Strangely, I have started to notice a similar issue with my old 3GS. It's not quite as bad as on the 4S. Maybe I will get used to it as I obviously have with the 3GS.
 
I didn't have this issue on my 3GS, but again my wife did on the bottom. I always thought it was because of the slide to unlock that kinda stained the glass after a while.

The retina display is absolutely gorgeous so it bring ls out the flaws if you have any.
 
vaugha said:
Your point?
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My point is that they have fresh refurbs waiting for you at the Apple store:p

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Shenaniganz08 said:
lots of ocd in this thread

every screenshot posted so far looks like a normal phone
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+10

It is simply the way the phones are built. Everyone will be the same. SOme phone are NOT built differently, they are EXACTLY the same inside. There are just some that are "sensitive" (OCD) to the problem and other that never even notice till a thread like this. Either way, they are all the same.
 
Stealthipad said:
My point is that they have fresh refurbs waiting for you at the Apple store:p

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+10

It is simply the way the phones are built. Everyone will be the same. SOme phone are NOT built differently, they are EXACTLY the same inside. There are just some that are "sensitive" (OCD) to the problem and other that never even notice till a thread like this. Either way, they are all the same.
Click to expand...

So?
 
vaugha said:
So?
Click to expand...


a)normal people don't notice minute imperfections

but more importantly

B) normal people if they do notice small imperfections do not allow these thoughts to fester, affecting their lives, causing them stress and anxiety


OCD = not normal. Ive read threads of people getting kicked out of Apple stores because they kept complaining that there was a small speck on every single replacement iphone they kept receiving. Or people that say their phone has a rattle when they shake it... well then stop shaking your damn phone

the point is, these people need to learn how to stop focusing on small minute defects, or if it really is affecting their life, seek help.
 
Shenaniganz08 said:
a)normal people don't notice minute imperfections

but more importantly

B) normal people if they do notice small imperfections do not allow these thoughts to fester, affecting their lives, causing them stress and anxiety


OCD = not normal. Ive read threads of people getting kicked out of Apple stores because they kept complaining that there was a small speck on every single replacement iphone they kept receiving. Or people that say their phone has a rattle when they shake it... well then stop shaking your damn phone

the point is, these people need to learn how to stop focusing on small minute defects, or if it really is affecting their life, seek help.
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Complaining about rattles and uneven backlighting are 2 different things. You're the one who's missing the point. Guess what? My phone rattles too when I tap it, but it ain't a problem for me. Why? B/c I don't tap it when I use it. But seeing how one part of the screen is dimmer than the other is however a problem since I view my phone (doh?). So here's the gist - I've paid good money for this phone and cost me even more w/ 13% hst for 64gb model here and therefore I'm entitled to every ounce of my own opinion as I see fit. The least I can ask is to have a phone that I want. Period. End of story.
 
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vaugha said:
Complaining about rattles and noticing uneven backlighing are 2 different things. You're the one who's missing the point. Guess what? My phone rattles too when I tap it, but it ain't a problem for me since I don't tap it when I use my phone. But seeing how one part of the screen is dimmer than the other is however a problem since I view my phone (doh?). So here's the gist - I've paid good money for this phone and cost me even more w/ 13% hst for 64gb model here, hence I'd like a phone that I want. Period. End of story.
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i have to agree here. my phone also rattle. i thought of it weird but now know why " lense " however. i paid same ammount as the next dude who lets say got a perfect screen. why i am payin the same ammount of money with not so perfect screen ?

i am not envyin the other guy or demanding him to get a not perfect screen. but i also would want to be equal to him. i dont see a halo on top of his head.

as far as backlighting. i will repeat again. in most cases this is NOT an issue. most of these iphone 4/4s have them. its just kind of a degree of how much u can see it. same goes for the color profile, some are very blue, some are very yellow/warm, some in the middle. i like my screen blue so i searched for one like that. others like it warm as it shows better colors. so to each has his own.

like i said in the other post. i do also have un-even backlighting. but its not bad. and since its there in all the iphone 4/4s then i am not going to complain about it as its not an issue. BUT if its so obvious that its getting people distracted from normal reading, then i suggest to swap for other phone with less obvious backlighting issues. but there is no screen with no backlighting on top when it comes to iphone 4/4s. period. i went though lots of iphones and i can confirm this.
 
There are phones with perfectly uniform screens and I have own 1 and seen a few. If the uniformity bothers you, take it back. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. If they are happy with their phone, good for them.

iPhone's quality control went to hell as it tried to meet demand. No one phone is the same. There are clicky home buttons and mushy ones, blue screens vs yellow, vs neutral, rattling cameras on some and static in the earpiece. So if it bothers you, take it back.
 
Yeesh.
I recently gave up on worrying about the quality of my Apple screens.
There's no such thing as a reliably perfect screen. Do some perfect screens exist? Sure, but I think that if we all took a deep breath and accepted the fact that most of our devices will have screen imperfections (which is kind of the nature of the beast), we'd all be a little happier. :)
My work Macbook Pro has severe yellowing on the bottom portion of the screen (seems to get worse when it's warmed up?).
My home Macbook Air is overall a little dingy/warm and has slight backlight imperfections on the bottom edge.
My ipad 2 has a little backlight bleed and definitely does not have uniform whites.
My iphone 4 is actually surprisingly good. Maybe a tiny bit greener on the bottom half?...
So, 1 device out of 4 has no noticeable screen imperfections.
AND YET, somehow... I manage to use each and every one of them every day and enjoy using them. :D
 
The screen issues seem to be an apple thing. Or maybe since people paid a premium for the apple product, it's ok to assume we are getting the best product for their money. I have screens from dell, Hp touchpad and Samsung and none ever exhibit problems like the way apple is. Use to be easy, look for dead pixels and that's it.
 
Kmart9419 said:
The screen issues seem to be an apple thing. Or maybe since people paid a premium for the apple product, it's ok to assume we are getting the best product for their money. I have screens from dell, Hp touchpad and Samsung and none ever exhibit problems like the way apple is. Use to be easy, look for dead pixels and that's it.
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In manner of fact, I have never seen blue tinted screen with fully uniform backlighting. Most if not all of uniform screens I saw- all were yellow tinted.
Thats make me think there are different factories with different screen brands, not only LG..
 
Was at Apple Store today and compared mine screen with the new batches they got there. All new phones had very white screens and mine looked a bit reddish when compared. It seems that I had to wait a bit for the new batches instead of going on 14 October to get one on launch day..
Also they all had visible leds on top of the screen when tilted- mine doesn't have, but it is also dimmer as we mentioned here.
Frankly, I would pay with pleasure there to get only my screen replaced with the one of the exposed phones there, but I seriously doubt they have such a policy..
 
Just picked mine up yesterday and noticed it this morning. Very distinct waves in the screen at all brightness settings. Googled this page and I see I'm not alone. I will take it to Apple tomorrow. Oddly, I had one of the yellowing iMacs also. Replaced that and am very happy.
 
Returned my 4S today for the dim/yellow-brownish top-half of the screen. I was trying to get used to it but every time I opened up Safari or the Mail app I would see it and I would wince. :( Since mail and web browsing are almost exclusively what I use the "smarts" of the phone for I deicded I wouldn't be able to live with this defect, thus the return.

Others that I have shown the issue to can't really see it. I have looked at coworkers' 4S's and none of theirs seemed to have this problem, at least nowhere near the same level as with mine (e.g. maybe slightly dimmer off in a corner). So this is a defect that (statistically) nobody else has and nobody else can see even if they had it. Maddening.

The genius at the store was very nice about the return though. He tried to verify the issue, didn't see it at first until I got him to look at Safari in landscape mode ("Google search" box looked brownish vs. white address box). I admitted that nobody else seems to see it (but that I did not notice it on other phones) and he said that it didn't matter, they just wanted me to be happy with the phone. Great genius experience.

Anyway, I don't know what to do now. I am addicted to the 4S' screen resolution and speed so it's hard to go back to my 3GS after using a 4S for a couple weeks.
 
I understand what you are going through. I think i will return mine as well. I mainly use the phone for internet and mail and they have white backgrounds. The darkish spots make me not wanting to use the phone at all or not turning it into landscape mode because of it. The yellowish phone I originally had was uniform and I am willing to take the yellow screen over the blue one if uniform. I have a dead pixel on this unit so I'll use that to get my exchange. I'm not even going to bring up the dimmer top as it seems all the geniuses are blind as a bat and will deny seeing any issues.
 
Kmart9419 said:
I understand what you are going through. I think i will return mine as well. I mainly use the phone for internet and mail and they have white backgrounds. The darkish spots make me not wanting to use the phone at all or not turning it into landscape mode because of it. The yellowish phone I originally had was uniform and I am willing to take the yellow screen over the blue one if uniform. I have a dead pixel on this unit so I'll use that to get my exchange. I'm not even going to bring up the dimmer top as it seems all the geniuses are blind as a bat and will deny seeing any issues.
Click to expand...

It's reassuring to know that others are seeing this; at least I know that I am not going crazy seeing things that are imperceptible to everyone else.

Regarding the yellow screen, I don't mind a screen that is warmer/cooler as long as it's reasonable. I have had a green/yellow screen and a blue one that were simply not 'white'. Comparisons with other displays over a wide range of whitepoints made this obvious (e.g. old MB Pro w/ CFL screen ~6200K, netbook w/ LED screen pushing 7500K+, plasma TV at 6500K, LCD monitors at work, others).
 
To close the loop, I went to a local apple store and had a talk w/ one of the geniuses. He agreed my screen has a problem and did an exchange. The next day I went back due to a strong yellow hue across the screen. Again, the genius agreed different colour tones can irritate some people and as a result agreed to do an exchange and got a 2nd replacement. Finally a phone that is problem-free. This was my 1st encounter w/ apple's cs and I feel they've earned a customer. Overall happy w/ their cs.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I remember a similar situation with the iPad 2 backlight fiasco. I'm not even going to find out how to check for mine on the iPhone.....what you don't know won't hurt you? Lol
 
The iPhone 4S has been a game of Russian roulette for me.

I'll start this off by saying that I am probably pickier than the average consumer and I get that. What's driven me crazy throughout this process is the marked difference between units that are supposedly the same product.

I've been through about 5 iPhones and all have had different issues. All but one had the rattling vibrate motor which everyone I talked to agreed was a defect. Between those four, each had a different color screen ranging from ice cold to literally brownish. Between those four, each had a different range of acceptable viewing angles. One even went completely, 100% yellow if you tilted it down at all. Ironically, this one had one of the better color temp screens when viewed straight on.

Of the five, one did not sound like a buzzer when vibrating. This one has, honestly, a neutral screen. Not super cool, not super warm. Just neutral. Finally. But wait, this unit, in exchange for coercing the QC gods to let it out without a major flaw, suffers from an uneven backlight and cosmetic damage. The right side of the screen is greenish and the left side is warmer/pinkish. The antenna band is also scratched and nicked along the right side.

Ok, so if you read this you can tell I am probably care more than the average consumer. Thats 100% correct. What really bothers me is the range of quality between the same device. I feel pity for the user out there that unknowingly gets a sub par phone that has crappy viewing angels or a piss-colored screen. To me, it's unacceptable for there to be this much variation and to feel like I'm having to open a pack of trading cards looking for the rare card (working iPhone). As the consumer, I shouldn't have to think there is a possibility there is a phone out there that is "better" than mine. I shouldn't have to open boxes upon boxes of phones to find one that doesn't have an issue.

I realize they are sourcing from many manufacturers to meet demand, but how ****ing hard is it to set color temperature on these things before they leave the factory? How hard is it to screen them for cosmetic or functional issues before they go out?

My solution to this problem is to grow some self control and get over it, because that's basically all that can be done besides no longer purchasing their products. This whole company was founded on the relentless pursuit of perfection and that is why I love Apple. I shouldn't have to think about this stuff.
 
catalyst6 said:
The iPhone 4S has been a game of Russian roulette for me.

I'll start this off by saying that I am probably pickier than the average consumer and I get that. What's driven me crazy throughout this process is the marked difference between units that are supposedly the same product.

I've been through about 5 iPhones and all have had different issues. All but one had the rattling vibrate motor which everyone I talked to agreed was a defect. Between those four, each had a different color screen ranging from ice cold to literally brownish. Between those four, each had a different range of acceptable viewing angles. One even went completely, 100% yellow if you tilted it down at all. Ironically, this one had one of the better color temp screens when viewed straight on.

Of the five, one did not sound like a buzzer when vibrating. This one has, honestly, a neutral screen. Not super cool, not super warm. Just neutral. Finally. But wait, this unit, in exchange for coercing the QC gods to let it out without a major flaw, suffers from an uneven backlight and cosmetic damage. The right side of the screen is greenish and the left side is warmer/pinkish. The antenna band is also scratched and nicked along the right side.

Ok, so if you read this you can tell I am probably care more than the average consumer. Thats 100% correct. What really bothers me is the range of quality between the same device. I feel pity for the user out there that unknowingly gets a sub par phone that has crappy viewing angels or a piss-colored screen. To me, it's unacceptable for there to be this much variation and to feel like I'm having to open a pack of trading cards looking for the rare card (working iPhone). As the consumer, I shouldn't have to think there is a possibility there is a phone out there that is "better" than mine. I shouldn't have to open boxes upon boxes of phones to find one that doesn't have an issue.

I realize they are sourcing from many manufacturers to meet demand, but how ****ing hard is it to set color temperature on these things before they leave the factory? How hard is it to screen them for cosmetic or functional issues before they go out?

My solution to this problem is to grow some self control and get over it, because that's basically all that can be done besides no longer purchasing their products. This whole company was founded on the relentless pursuit of perfection and that is why I love Apple. I shouldn't have to think about this stuff.
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Wow, by far the best post in this thread.

My first 4S-fine but needed more memory
2nd-Horrible brown tinted screen
3rd-Decided to go white. PERFECT screen, no bleed, no uneven tints. No battery issues but there is a scratch on the bezel and 2 chips in the white border.

Since its like a damn lottery in finding a good screen, I just gotta live with the chips and scratches and that came with the phone.

I don't really care about scratches as long as I made them. I hate for them to be on my phone right out of the box.
 
glhughes said:
Returned my 4S today for the dim/yellow-brownish top-half of the screen. I was trying to get used to it but every time I opened up Safari or the Mail app I would see it and I would wince. :( Since mail and web browsing are almost exclusively what I use the "smarts" of the phone for I deicded I wouldn't be able to live with this defect, thus the return.

Others that I have shown the issue to can't really see it. I have looked at coworkers' 4S's and none of theirs seemed to have this problem, at least nowhere near the same level as with mine (e.g. maybe slightly dimmer off in a corner). So this is a defect that (statistically) nobody else has and nobody else can see even if they had it. Maddening.

The genius at the store was very nice about the return though. He tried to verify the issue, didn't see it at first until I got him to look at Safari in landscape mode ("Google search" box looked brownish vs. white address box). I admitted that nobody else seems to see it (but that I did not notice it on other phones) and he said that it didn't matter, they just wanted me to be happy with the phone. Great genius experience.

Anyway, I don't know what to do now. I am addicted to the 4S' screen resolution and speed so it's hard to go back to my 3GS after using a 4S for a couple weeks.
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Why didn't you opt to just swap for a new one ?
 
bandofbrothers said:
Why didn't you opt to just swap for a new one ?
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Multiple reasons. They had no retail stock, I did not think a non-retail replacement would work out well due to previous experience (and just on principle), it might be a good idea to wait a couple months to let these and other production issues settle (e.g. ubiquitous static-in-earpiece issue), and going for an unlocked phone seems like a better idea the more phones I go through -- so that when I get 'the one' I don't have to go through this again for a long, long time. Also thinking maybe the unlocked ones get better QC as people value it more / would be more picky about it (yeah, yeah :rolleyes:).

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asleep said:
Mine is purrrrfect. :D
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Let me play with it for 5 minutes and I will show you everything that is wrong with it. ;)
 
I feel for all of you who have screen problems but I must have lucked out. White 4S perfect screen while holding it in any orientation. Good luck!
 
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