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Kevo156

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 12, 2010
27
9
Seattle
From the pictures I've seen of the white iPhone 4 it looks like there are little holes above the ear piece. It seems like they would get plugged with pocket lint or dirt over time. Are they really holes or are they holes under glass? This might stop me from going with the white one.
 
From the pictures I've seen of the white iPhone 4 it looks like there are little holes above the ear piece. It seems like they would get plugged with pocket lint or dirt over time. Are they really holes or are they holes under glass? This might stop me from going with the white one.

they are holes under the glass. the glass is all one piece.
 
That's my only complaint about the white iPhone is that the sensors are much more visible compared to the black iPhone. But the white just looks really good imo, and it'll match my Beats headphones :D
 
i think the sensor look on the white iphone is kind of nice because its a feature thats always been hidden. im sure they put it dead center for obvious look reasons.
 
I like white iPhones because most people have black ones. I'm hoping it stays that way lol.
 
I’m with you Kevo!! (unfortunately for you :p)
I’m betting/hoping the visibility of the sensors are less noticeable in real life...
 
i wanted a (Product)RED iPhone 4 now that will be nice..or the other colors of the nano's

but im going white this time sensor showing or not..

you think they could of just made the ear speakers just a bit tiny bigger to fit the sensor under next to the speakers to have more of a clean look..thats what i would of done..
 
Personaly I would get the white but I don't like the sensor there and it's easier to see the black ring around the screen. Also but not too important the seems are still black in the white model
 
they are holes under the glass. the glass is all one piece.
That's the case with previous iPhone models but not with the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 has small holes above the speaker for the sensors. It is most visible in the white model but if you look closer you can also see it on the black model. Someone took a picture and made it a bit brighter:
iphone-4-black.jpg


It seems to me this is just part of the glass cover, there might be some white or black sheet underneath it. This makes it a bit cheaper to manufacture.
 
From the pictures I've seen of the white iPhone 4 it looks like there are little holes above the ear piece. It seems like they would get plugged with pocket lint or dirt over time. Are they really holes or are they holes under glass? This might stop me from going with the white one.

The sensor is on both iPhones, no matter the colour
 
From the pictures I've seen of the white iPhone 4 it looks like there are little holes above the ear piece. It seems like they would get plugged with pocket lint or dirt over time. Are they really holes or are they holes under glass? This might stop me from going with the white one.
It's a proximity sensor. I wouldn't worry about dirt or pocket lint. The sensor's job is to detect light (turning the screen brightness up or down depending on the current lighting conditions), so it's most likely underneath the class. There's no need for it to be on top.

P.S. The sensor is on both models.
 
If you think buying a white iPhone will put you in the minority...it still might but a ton more people will be getting the white iPhone this time around.
 
If you think buying a white iPhone will put you in the minority...it still might but a ton more people will be getting the white iPhone this time around.

possibly, possibly not... no way to tell, but i would imagine the general public will go with the more standard look of black.
 
That's the case with previous iPhone models but not with the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 has small holes above the speaker for the sensors. It is most visible in the white model but if you look closer you can also see it on the black model. Someone took a picture and made it a bit brighter:
iphone-4-black.jpg


It seems to me this is just part of the glass cover, there might be some white or black sheet underneath it. This makes it a bit cheaper to manufacture.

i havent seen an iphone 4.. and i havent heard of that either. what benefit does apple have by putting holes in the glass? the sensors have always worked perfectly fine behind the glass.
 
i havent seen an iphone 4.. and i havent heard of that either. what benefit does apple have by putting holes in the glass? the sensors have always worked perfectly fine behind the glass.

The current 3G and 3GS do have holes visible. They're actually larger and have 3 of them. They most likely moved them above the speaker due to the front camera.
 
The current 3G and 3GS do have holes visible. They're actually larger and have 3 of them. They most likely moved them above the speaker due to the front camera.

i must not be understanding.. my iphones have always had a solid piece of glass on the front. i dont see any holes next to the ear speaker. we are talking on top of the glass right and not underneath?:confused:
 
I like the white iPhone but those holes above the earpiece bug me for some reason. I don't know how to explain it, it just doesn't look smooth.
 
i must not be understanding.. my iphones have always had a solid piece of glass on the front. i dont see any holes next to the ear speaker. we are talking on top of the glass right and not underneath?:confused:

Look at the area around the speaker grill on the front of your iPhone, while in sunlight. You'll notice three sensors. These are the holes we're talking about. For clarification, -no- iPhone, whether it's the original, 3G, 3G S, or 4, has perforations in the glass face- all have "holes," which are actually sensors, but none have holes in the glass itself.
 
It's a proximity sensor. I wouldn't worry about dirt or pocket lint. The sensor's job is to detect light (turning the screen brightness up or down depending on the current lighting conditions), so it's most likely underneath the class. There's no need for it to be on top.

P.S. The sensor is on both models.

Incorrect. The 3G and 3G S have two proximity sensors and one ambient light sensor, while the original iPhone has only one proximity and one ambient light sensor. When you press the phone against you during a call and the screen turns off, that's the proximity sensor at work; when the screen changes its brightness automatically, that's the ambient light sensor.
 
i havent seen an iphone 4.. and i havent heard of that either. what benefit does apple have by putting holes in the glass? the sensors have always worked perfectly fine behind the glass.
The sensors still are behind the glass but the iPhone 4 is a bit different. The 3g and 3GS had a black front and a black or white back. iPhone 4 has either white front and back or black front and back. The front and the back are the same colour. Using a black front has the advantage of being able to hide sensor holes really easily. You won't see them easily, only in a certain angle (there are some pictures on the internet that show the sensor holes).

However, white is not able to do such thing, it will clearly show the holes which would be really ugly. They needed a way of making it look good without rendering the sensors useless. They found a way of doing that by lasercutting holes so you get something that resembles a grill. When fabricating something you want to do that as efficient and low cost as possible. By using the same top layer for both colours you can achieve this. And there is the added bonus of having a universal look to both colours.

It's about making something function properly and still look good.
 
Except from the fact that the picture you're showing only shows the bending test. It's something you'd find at quality control, not something you'd find in the production line ;)
 
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