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4S screen uneven backlighting
- Thread starter HiRez
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I just don't know what to do.. Got 32GB day before yesterday, exchenged it immediately due to this awful brownish and washed out screen. Next one I got straight in the store- terribly scratched band and refused activation... Third one I got- unbelievable uneven screen (four dimmer waves across the screen) and pie yellow with brownish tint on the dimmer areas. All of these unit were from C3 factory.
Now I am still under 14 days return period and have a genius bar appointment on Wednesday.
I will demand for exchange for a unit from DN factory and if they don't have any- I am thinking of taking my money back and wait for month or two to see what will happen whit this terrible quality control and if there is no improvement and still this "russian roullete"- I will go for Galaxy Nexus or Moto RAZR...
First time I really want an Apple, and with this terrible QC they are like saying to me-" No, we don't want your money, just don't buy iPhone...". Or if I express myself in rude way: You stick the money in their a**, they fart it away...
Now I am still under 14 days return period and have a genius bar appointment on Wednesday.
I will demand for exchange for a unit from DN factory and if they don't have any- I am thinking of taking my money back and wait for month or two to see what will happen whit this terrible quality control and if there is no improvement and still this "russian roullete"- I will go for Galaxy Nexus or Moto RAZR...
First time I really want an Apple, and with this terrible QC they are like saying to me-" No, we don't want your money, just don't buy iPhone...". Or if I express myself in rude way: You stick the money in their a**, they fart it away...
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Heh. I was joking with the genius that I had a theory about the DN serial numbers being better built. He offered that if they had stock he could go look for one with that prefix in the back so it's probably not unreasonable to try to ask for one with that prefix when you exchange or buy another one.
Picked up my 64GB Black 4S from the Apple store yesterday. C3 serial. No problems. Crisp, clear and white. Previous launch day phone (same specs) from AT&T, was washed out a bit. Kind of blurry is the only way to describe it. I took it back due to a bad home button. No yellowing though. Either phone.
Problem does exist though.
As I mentioned above- terrible! Dimmer waves all over the screen!
The guy from the stuff in Apple Store showed me his 64GB White 4S- the best screen I've ever seen- white, crusp and beautiful! Looked for the factory where made- C3...
For now is like this for me:
C3 64GB Black/White- perfect screens, one of the best bets.
C3 32GB Black- crap, poor build and yellow screen, very uneven backlight and screen "flicker" ( interlace) problem.
DN 16GB Black- fine screen, cool white and crisp image ( except first batch on 14 Oct, where white appear reddish)
DN 16GB White- cool white screen, but flicker problem ( interlace lines) and poor screen quality as viewing angles)
Now I will tell you when I go on Wednesday for my exchange how is 32GB Black- DN factory if there any..
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I have an issue with the top few mm of the screen being dimmer with a yellowish tint. It's really noticeable when in landscape orientation on a light colored page. I can usually live with imperfections, but this is honestly bugging the crap out of me. I had an ipod touch for 3 years and the screen was absolutely perfect. Such a damned shame.
EDIT: Confirmed it wasn't a problem with the screen protector.
EDIT: Confirmed it wasn't a problem with the screen protector.
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^
I'd say return it, but I really doubt you will get a better phone. I only speak from experience. This really comes down to picking the defect that bothers you the least.
The phone I finally just gave up and settled on has a pink tint down the left side of the screen causing everything to be much brighter. At least the whole screen isn't yellow.
I got to the 4th replacement (for the vibrate issue) and just told AppleCare that I give up and didn't want to waste anyone else's time.
I wish I had just kept my iPhone 4.
I'd say return it, but I really doubt you will get a better phone. I only speak from experience. This really comes down to picking the defect that bothers you the least.
The phone I finally just gave up and settled on has a pink tint down the left side of the screen causing everything to be much brighter. At least the whole screen isn't yellow.
I got to the 4th replacement (for the vibrate issue) and just told AppleCare that I give up and didn't want to waste anyone else's time.
I wish I had just kept my iPhone 4.
One thing that I can 100% tell you with these phones - especially the 4 and 4S, the ambient lighting of your location makes a HUGE difference. Outside, the phone looks vibrant, crisp, clear. Inside depending on the light, the phone could look not so vibrant/washed out. Sometimes it could look crisper, more vibrant. Again, it depends on the ambient light that it's in.
Another thing I have noticed is there seems to be a "burn in" period with these screens. After a week or so of use, the screen seems to mellow out and show it's true colors so to speak. Not sure why.
My iPhone 4 replacement from Apple care earlier this year, has deeper blacks than the 4S I have now. Not by much but it's noticeable to me. Most other people wouldn't tell the difference.
Another thing I have noticed is there seems to be a "burn in" period with these screens. After a week or so of use, the screen seems to mellow out and show it's true colors so to speak. Not sure why.
My iPhone 4 replacement from Apple care earlier this year, has deeper blacks than the 4S I have now. Not by much but it's noticeable to me. Most other people wouldn't tell the difference.
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)
You're onto something it seems. Also I noticed side by side the 4S is not as bright as the 4, and can appear a bit "dim" not yellow just warmer, but if you crank up the brightness a bit it evens with whites more standing out.
Color on the other hand on these warmer screens is nice as they are rich and pop.
AbSoluTc said:
You're onto something it seems. Also I noticed side by side the 4S is not as bright as the 4, and can appear a bit "dim" not yellow just warmer, but if you crank up the brightness a bit it evens with whites more standing out.
Color on the other hand on these warmer screens is nice as they are rich and pop.
Yeah. The screens are warmer but not yellow like the yellow screen fiasco that I unfortunately dealt with last year and with the 3GS. Ugh. Hope that never happens again.
Congrats. That one does look pretty good; maybe slightly dimmer in the top right and perhaps slightly in the bottom left but that might just be the camera. Even if it does have those slight areas it looks decent to me and not unreasonable for an LCD panel, especially compared to the two I've had with this issue.
BTW, I went 'back in time' and bought a new old-stock iPhone 4/16 GB on the cheap on Weds to hold me over until I decided what to do about the 4S. I am coming from a 3GS and the Retina's resolution is like crack for my eyes.... Anyway, the screen on this one (made Sep 2011) is actually better than the ones on all of the 4S phones I've had! It still has some minor inconsistencies, e.g. slightly yellower at the bottom, but it's clear and crisp and white (perfect at 2/3 brightness, a little warm at 1/3); overall so much better than what I thought I would have to settle for with one of these displays! Now that I know what the display is supposed to look like, I don't think I would have kept any of the 4S phones I've had longer than a day. Simply amazing.
Thanks! Bottom left corner looks dimmer because of my camera, the top right corner may be also, in real I can't see it or if I force my imagination to 100%, may be I see something, but this is just in my head I think..
This unit was definately among the best when compared to the rest, exposed in the store.
This unit was definately among the best when compared to the rest, exposed in the store.
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LCDs do typically have uneven blotches of brightness, however it all depends on where they are on the screen, how big, and how bad (and manufacturers do actually grade the panels by the severity of these defects). If I stare at a white screen on monitors I use for hours every day I can see the same issues, but they are relatively minor and certainly don't interfere with my general use of the displays. I don't notice them unless I go looking. That seems to be the bucket I would put your display into and I'd call that 'normal' for an LCD.
The display on my new 4 falls into the same 'normal' bucket -- yeah, there are a few things I can see if I really go looking but it's just fine in normal use and doesn't bug me when I'm reading emails, e.g. I wouldn't classify any of the 4S screens that I've had to be in the 'normal' bucket -- I was always trying to figure out what was wrong with them (why is the top so dim, what is this yellow 'crust' around the edges of the screen, why are the blues and greys greenish, etc.).
Yes, I see your point. It costed me a lot of time and research, spending in the store before I get the last one. Went at Apple Store every day and observed batches, S/N , etc.
Saying this means that QC of Apple has become really lower than last years and what you've done only prove it. I was thinking to do the same as you did, but finally decided to give it a last shot.
Saying this means that QC of Apple has become really lower than last years and what you've done only prove it. I was thinking to do the same as you did, but finally decided to give it a last shot.
Video of my Uneven Backlight.
Here's a video of my uneven backlight below. Mine presents itself as a bright white spot in the middle of my screen extending from the right side of the phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3Ce-Uc6ag
Not sure if I should return it, the new screen is pretty neutral and I don't want another yellow one!
Here's a video of my uneven backlight below. Mine presents itself as a bright white spot in the middle of my screen extending from the right side of the phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je3Ce-Uc6ag
Not sure if I should return it, the new screen is pretty neutral and I don't want another yellow one!
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My last 4S had that issue, plus the top area was significantly dimmer than the bottom and it had a yellow 'crust' around the top edge of the screen. Bugged me whenever I was reading something on the screen. The screen on my new 4 is much better.
BTW, does your serial number start with C39? 3/3 of phones with a C39 prefix that I have seen have exhibited this issue to a certain extent. The best 4S screens I have seen seem to be DNP or DNQ prefixed.
Just wondering, is it normal to be able to see the leds actoss the top (earpiece end of phone) when you hold the phone kind of horizontal/at an angle, or sometimes just whatever is on the screen makes them noticeable in general...
I can see 6 I think, havent tried too hard to count, but they are all evenly spaced and u see the colours on the screen in that area are slightly brighter beneath where the LEDs show. I really don't think I care enough to be upset over it but wouldn't mind knowing if it's actually supposed to be like this or not.
I can see 6 I think, havent tried too hard to count, but they are all evenly spaced and u see the colours on the screen in that area are slightly brighter beneath where the LEDs show. I really don't think I care enough to be upset over it but wouldn't mind knowing if it's actually supposed to be like this or not.
If you can notice them when looking at the image straight on then that may indicate a problem. The effect you are describing sounds like "light leakage" and it's what was affecting the iPad 2 displays earlier this year. You should do a search for "LCD light leakage" and see if the images you find match what you're seeing. Typically this issue will be more prominent with darker images.
Heck you've got me holding my iPhone 4 at all angles to see if I can see any LEDs ! Fortunately I can't.
Lol
Lol
Returned the 32G 4S and got a 16G. It had an odd Siri problem, so returned for another the same day. It is a C3 serial and works and looks fine.
I can see the LEDs on top and seems to be slightly dimmer on top. If you can live with, then cool. I would. I can handle slightly dimmed. My phone is about 20% dimmer on top from rest of screen so reading on white background is a real pain as your eyes adjust each time you read a row.
