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iPad Air screen defect?
- Thread starter xenaki
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It is with great reluctance that I write this. 
My Air's screen has a very slight yellow tint on the left side, in portrait mode. However, this is not always visible, and varies with which site I'm on. This site shows the yellow tint the most, while sites like Google's search page look nearly 100% uniform. There isn't a defined line on my Air, and the transition is basically imperceptible unless you view the extreme right and left sides. I'm OCD-ish about most everything that costs more than $.50, but this isn't bothering me. I also wouldn't have noticed it unless I read this thread.
I haven't read the entire thread, but could this be due to using a single light bar? I googled "iPad Air Single Light Bar", but the first page of results all pertained to Apple switching to two light bars for the iPad 3's retina display.
EDIT: I just felt the need to emphasize "SLIGHT".
My Air's screen has a very slight yellow tint on the left side, in portrait mode. However, this is not always visible, and varies with which site I'm on. This site shows the yellow tint the most, while sites like Google's search page look nearly 100% uniform. There isn't a defined line on my Air, and the transition is basically imperceptible unless you view the extreme right and left sides. I'm OCD-ish about most everything that costs more than $.50, but this isn't bothering me. I also wouldn't have noticed it unless I read this thread.I haven't read the entire thread, but could this be due to using a single light bar? I googled "iPad Air Single Light Bar", but the first page of results all pertained to Apple switching to two light bars for the iPad 3's retina display.
EDIT: I just felt the need to emphasize "SLIGHT".
It really annoys me to see those perfect white screens in the store and then take home a yellow one x3. And no, it isn't the store lighting - I've compared my yellow ones to the demo in the store and can easily see the difference (brightness all the way up on mine too).
So far, my screen has been just fine. I suspect there are some with real issues - hopefully those folks can get replacements without the issue.
Overall, I bet its NOT a rampant problem though. This kind of stuff happens everytime something new gets released from just about every company. Including Apple.
Overall, I bet its NOT a rampant problem though. This kind of stuff happens everytime something new gets released from just about every company. Including Apple.
Ooooppps...... I forgot to mention the yellow tint disappears once brightness is above 70%. It use mine at 40-50% most of the time.
Mine has the yellow tint on the left side as well. I am not sure if it is getting worse or just varies or maybe I just notice it more but it seems to be darker now. You can really notice it on settings. The entire left panel of options is much darker/yellow than the right portion. It's going back but I'll wait as long as I can so hopefully I can get a replacement from a newer later produced batch. I got it at Best Buy and I am an Elite Plus Rewards member so I think I have 45 days for an exchange.
Just took out my early 2013 rMBP, and went to a white screen. The top of the screen has a SLIGHT pink tint, and the bottom a yellow tint. The bottom might not be as bright as the top, but this is something I never noticed over the past six months. I'll have to look at another high res monitor when I get a chance....
Mine has gotten so bad I think you can tell from this picture. Look how clean/white the right side looks in comparison. It really is a problem for me since I need color accuracy for my main ipad use. Apple store saw it too though so just gotta have fingers crossed my replacement is accurate.
Yeah, that's really obvious. Are you saying it got worse over time? I had a look at mine earlier and it seemed as though it got darker on the sides, but i'm not sure if its real, or just me going crazy
Yeah, that's really obvious. Are you saying it got worse over time? I had a look at mine earlier and it seemed as though it got darker on the sides, but i'm not sure if its real, or just me going crazy
I'm pretty sure it got worse but its possible I'm just more aware of it. When I first checked for yellow I had to open an all white page and I could see some faint yellow. Now I can see it in any light apps the moment I open them.
I returned my first iPad Air and luckily the second one is flawless.
Just an FYI, I looked in an Apple store and all their demo units were perfect, looked at the serial number and they ALL started with DMPL or DMPR....then I went to Best Buy to exchange my first iPad (had a different series number, was like DXLG or something) for a new one and asked the cashier if I could check out the serial number first. Confirmed it was a DMPL and sure enough, fired the Air up and the screen was flawless!
Just an FYI, I looked in an Apple store and all their demo units were perfect, looked at the serial number and they ALL started with DMPL or DMPR....then I went to Best Buy to exchange my first iPad (had a different series number, was like DXLG or something) for a new one and asked the cashier if I could check out the serial number first. Confirmed it was a DMPL and sure enough, fired the Air up and the screen was flawless!
I still don't think the serial numbers hold any trends in screen quality. Mine's a DMPL and it has the yellow tint/dim edges issue.
My current issue is with DMPL. From posts I've seen there is no clear correlation between Mfg code and defects.
Well in that case, I'm just grateful I got off the merry-go-round on the second try. Good luck to everyone else still searching.
I intend to have mine swapped out this weekend. Who know's what i'll end up with this time.
That's how my last one was. I returned it and got a refund.
I dare anyone to tell me that not accepting a product like this is being OCD.
I wonder if this flaw is a result of the new IGZO technology? I will probably keep my ipad 4 another year and wait for the ipad 6.Hopefully Apple will have sorted this issue out by then.
I was kinda predicting earlier this year that the IGZO displays will have some teething problems as is the case with most new technology.
I was kinda predicting earlier this year that the IGZO displays will have some teething problems as is the case with most new technology.
That is quite terrible but what is the most alarming is that you said it got worse over time. Mine has a slight dark left bar issue, but I don't want to keep it only to have it get worse.
I had to return my first Air because the GPU was completely broken and glitching/flashing on many apps. It also had the same left-side tint that many are reporting. For the record, the Apple employee that took my return told me that the tint was not normal and is considered a defect.
My second Air has a horrible pink/green/pink tint pattern from top to bottom in portrait. This is hugely distracting on many real use cases (my criteria for whether to consider an issue return-worthy).
I'm going back this weekend, but honestly I'm not sure if I want to do another swap or just skip this gen altogether. Between the screen issues and uncertainty about whether 1gb of ram will hold up against 64-bit applications... i'm really not sure anymore. I will probably give it one more swap, and if the results aren't good, I'll skip this gen. Sigh, this really all feels like a waste of time.
My second Air has a horrible pink/green/pink tint pattern from top to bottom in portrait. This is hugely distracting on many real use cases (my criteria for whether to consider an issue return-worthy).
I'm going back this weekend, but honestly I'm not sure if I want to do another swap or just skip this gen altogether. Between the screen issues and uncertainty about whether 1gb of ram will hold up against 64-bit applications... i'm really not sure anymore. I will probably give it one more swap, and if the results aren't good, I'll skip this gen. Sigh, this really all feels like a waste of time.
It's not. All retina screens have had problems with uneven tint. I've gone through four different iPad 3 and three iPad 4 and all of them were uneven, some were better, some were worse. On iPad 3/4 you could see it in top/down direction, iPad Airs are obviously affected left/right.
Then how come this never gets mentioned in any reviews? Are all review units ringers?!
OCD becomes worse over time if not treated. I'm not referring to anyone in particular, but once a person with this tendency notices something, they can become overly fixated. If gour screen didn't bother you until you read this thread, rotate the tablet until you don't know which way it's oriented. If you think you see the yellow area, but see it on the right, you're looking too hard. Viewing angle also affects screen color and brightness. I did the rotation thing a few times, and was wrong about which side I thought was yellow 9 times out of 10.
If you have a shadowy line, return it.
If you have a shadowy line, return it.
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