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New iPhone: Shimmering Screen/Scan Lines/Interlacing?

TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
I'm not really sure what to call it, but I just got a new iPhone 3G and when I move the device and look at the screen at the same time, I see faint lines appear all over the screen... almost like interlaced lines or scan lines, but when I stop moving the screen, the lines stop. I checked my iPod touch and my 1st Gen iPhone and neither of them have this issue. Should I take it back? Anyone else see this?
 
TheSpaz said:
I'm not really sure what to call it, but I just got a new iPhone 3G and when I move the device and look at the screen at the same time, I see faint lines appear all over the screen... almost like interlaced lines or scan lines, but when I stop moving the screen, the lines stop. I checked my iPod touch and my 1st Gen iPhone and neither of them have this issue. Should I take it back? Anyone else see this?
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My old 2G iPhone did this. I just learned to get used to it, but I would advise you to take it back to the store.
 
tryppy said:
you have the worst luck it seems with this phone :\
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My girlfriend's iPod touch has the same problem and I've never liked it on hers. I just have a feeling that I won't be able to convince Best Buy that it's a problem.
 
TheSpaz said:
My girlfriend's iPod touch has the same problem and I've never liked it on hers. I just have a feeling that I won't be able to convince Best Buy that it's a problem.
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I had that problem. Took it back and they gave me a new one. Though that was at the Apple Store.
 
Did you not just ask in another thread just the other day if anyone thought BB would take back an iPhone if there were issues? You even mentioned or alluded to the fact that you had not bought it yet.

My advice to you would be to return it to BB. My advice to you in the future when you're about to spend that kind of money on any device is to seek assistance from an employee in understanding the terms and conditions of their return policy. I do not know if you ever got your answer here about BB's return policy but my guess is no. I would never purchase anything like an iPhone from a store where I didn't have some knowledge of how their return policy would work.
 
jessica. said:
Did you not just ask in another thread just the other day if anyone thought BB would take back an iPhone if there were issues? You even mentioned or alluded to the fact that you had not bought it yet.

My advice to you would be to return it to BB. My advice to you in the future when you're about to spend that kind of money on any device is to seek assistance from an employee in understanding the terms and conditions of their return policy. I do not know if you ever got your answer here about BB's return policy but my guess is no. I would never purchase anything like an iPhone from a store where I didn't have some knowledge of how their return policy would work.
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I just stopped at an AT&T store and showed them my phone and I even had my original iPhone to compare it to and the guy said that he definitely sees the problem I described and he advised me that I should return it to Best Buy as long as it's within the 30 day period.
 
Amt said:
I had that problem. Took it back and they gave me a new one. Though that was at the Apple Store.
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If Best Buy gives me a hard time, I might have to take it back to the Apple Store. Do you know if I'm supposed to do a full erase on the iPhone before I take it in, or do they do it. I'm not talking about a restore, but rather a secure erase (zero-out all data).
 
Update: As I figured... the Best Buy people didn't see what I was talking about. The woman said it looked fine and she couldn't see any lines. I continued to argue with her for a few minutes... and I asked very nicely if I could just swap it out for a new iPhone... she said I could return it, pay the restocking fee and get a new one... so that's what I did. The new one is a LOT better in terms of the shimmering lines (although it's still faintly there, but not as bad as the first iPhone). The really cool thing about this new iPhone is that there is no negative blacks at all... the blacks look a little gray (which I prefer) because now when I look at a dark image, I can see all the details instead of just a black blob like my old iPhone.

I have a LITTLE bit of light leak through the rubber seal which I managed to reduce by gently pushing on the rubber with a tooth pick and it doesn't bother me too much... so I think I got THE iPhone that I'm going to keep. This is awesome! It was worth the $50 restocking fee to me.
 
TheSpaz said:
Update: As I figured... the Best Buy people didn't see what I was talking about. The woman said it looked fine and she couldn't see any lines. I continued to argue with her for a few minutes... and I asked very nicely if I could just swap it out for a new iPhone... she said I could return it, pay the restocking fee and get a new one... so that's what I did. The new one is a LOT better in terms of the shimmering lines (although it's still faintly there, but not as bad as the first iPhone). The really cool thing about this new iPhone is that there is no negative blacks at all... the blacks look a little gray (which I prefer) because now when I look at a dark image, I can see all the details instead of just a black blob like my old iPhone.

I have a LITTLE bit of light leak through the rubber seal which I managed to reduce by gently pushing on the rubber with a tooth pick and it doesn't bother me too much... so I think I got THE iPhone that I'm going to keep. This is awesome! It was worth the $50 restocking fee to me.
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isnt the restock fee only 10%? it is, you got jipped!
 
Yeah, since I was an early upgrader (only having my first Gen iPhone for a few months) I had to pay $499 for the 3G. 3G should be coming to New Hampshire this fall, so we'll see how that goes.
 
TheSpaz said:
Yeah, since I was an early upgrader (only having my first Gen iPhone for a few months) I had to pay $499 for the 3G. 3G should be coming to New Hampshire this fall,
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further supporting the apple community = spoiled kids and snobs(thanks dude above)
 
Mac Sux said:
further supporting the apple community = spoiled kids and snobs(thanks dude above)
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Yeah, seriously. I don't understand what's so bad about buying what you like. I liked it, so I bought it. I have the money to do so and it's my own money, so I guess I spoiled myself then.
 
The General said:
Every iPhone in existance has the "interlacing" you speak of. You wasted $50.
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False. I must have had one that was bad because I can't see it on my 1st Gen iPhone, my iPod touch, the iPhones at the AT&T store and the iPhone at Best Buy. If they ALL do it, there must be some that are so small that you can't see it because I held my 1st Gen iPhone next to my 3G and I could see it on the 3G easily and it was non-existent on the 1st Gen. I'm glad I spent the $50 because I don't have the negative black issue and the screen is brighter, plus the glass is perfectly flush with the chrome bezel. Sweet.
 
Update: Okay, so I'm at the Salem Apple Store and I just looked at ALL the iPhone 3Gs they had and ALL of them have this problem and most of them were worse than mine :) I guess I won't be exchanging this one because I'll just get more of the same.
 
Robertjn2000 said:
Just got a 3G and I have no lines........ I feel ripped off if all the rest have them!!:mad:
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I have the second gen 32gig touch. The screen was perfect when I got it, and I started to notice the interlacing around the bottom left edge about 2 weeks ago (90 days after purchase) and it has progressed to the point where it now affects almost the entire perimeter to a depth of about 4mm.

It might be some kind of de-lamination occurring at the edges and this would explain the progression. I bought mine at Costco Vancouver because they have a 90-day no-bs return policy but I've unfortunately slightly missed the deadline. I did try to take it back and the returns clerk quietly suggested that I buy a new one, wait a week, and then bring back the old one with the new package. LOL!

I'm going to take it to the Apple :apple: store at Pacific Centre and see what they say first. It's clearly a flaw and needs to be addressed by Apple. I got the device with the express purpose of showing extremely high quality HDR video clips to clients... so I KNOW it was a perfect screen with no jittery interlacing (YUK) when I got it. In fact, I stared at it so much during the first few week that I almost fell in love with how beautiful the screen was....
 
1)Mate, they will check the Serial number on the IPHONE, that'll tell them how old it is, then they will check the one on the box which leads to point 2)

2) The serial number is on the IPHONE and on the BOX, so when the two dont match, they'll see the better of it

Its not a safe bet, i wouldnt advise doing it, unless the same guy you talked to agrees to do it so make up a day you could come in and he could do it if he agrees to
 
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