iPad Air screen defect?

[syd430]

Yep, got a crappy uneven screen. The colour noticeably shifts when scrolling text based sites such as this. Ipad 4 screen was even and crisp. Had the same issue with my first 2 ipad 3's and first two ipad 4's. I think I'm just going to live with it this time. Couldn't be bothered playing the exchange game.

 

[mcdj]

i was in a Best Buy store today, and they didn't have any Airs out on display yet. i was playing around with the ipad4 and the mini. i looked under the counter and there had to be 50 boxes of ipad4s all discounted slightly with stickers for "open box item" or something like that

at the time it seemed very strange to me

after reading this thread, i'm guessing this problem has existed in many previous ipads as well

I'm guessing that stack of 4s were returns spurred by the release of the Air.

 

[l0gikb0mb]

Tried two (second time 32gb) and both were pretty bad. Green/darker on the left, and pink/blue on the right. It looks pretty awful.

The 'shadow line' isn't that bad, pretty minuscule actually. Not acceptable, but far less annoying than the tint issues. Really bad to try to make the screen immersive as possible (on a device that IS only a screen), and then have such bad tint issues.

It'll be going back. I don't think I'm going to try again in the near future.

 

[Mikekan]

This is mine btw. The new one I just got today.
First is all white wallpaper. Since I read about the darker left side. Now my brain tries to convince my eyes the left side is indeed a bit darker lol. But in reality it's all good to my eyes.
Image

second is my new one (right) next to my old one
Image, last is black wallpaper
Image.

P/S: Home button at the bottom.

I'm settled with this one

I see absolutely no difference between the left and the right picture.

 

[smoking monkey]

I have exactly the kind of thing the OP described, though mine is fairly subtle. I'm not sure that most people would mind it, but I find it irritating, and given that I sprung from the 128gb model, I'm not going to keep it.

Given all the other reports here, and my general feeling that the Air isn't worth upgrading from iPad 4 anyway, I'm probably just going to take my money back and wait to get my hands on a mini whenever they become available.

Though to be honest, I'm sure I'll change my mind 50 different times before I end up taking action. The only thing I'm sure about is I'm definitely not keeping this unit.

For what it's worth (and probably not much), I second the opinion that if you have a 4, upgrading is a bit more of a luxury than a necessity. Doesn't mean you shouldn't. Just means you can still get a great experience with a 4 in my opinion.

I'm (un)lucky, my screen has no bleed and is (not) uniform. It's warmer than my ipad 1 and 2 screens, but I'll get used to it (no I didn't). Apart from that I reckon the machine is fantastic for those of us on older or no iPads.

Bah... Mine has the dirty left side with yellow and perfect right side. I realised it this morning after waking up. I set it up yesterday and only checked it really for light bleed and it was absolutely perfect on that. but after using it a bit I quickly realised the rather glaring yellow tint on the left. I didn't have Samsung screens on my 1 and 2, so here's hoping my replacement won't be a samsung. I'll take a bit of light bleed over this yellow tinting rubbish any day as my 2 has a bit of light bleed, but it's never been a problem for me.

 

[sportsciences]

Funny thing: after two days of playing around with the iPad, the 'shadow line' on the left disappears more and more. My first thought was, that my eyes got used to it, but after a 'wife-check' (she doesn't care about these kind of issues, but noticed the shadow at first sight) even she says, it's nearly gone.
Only when brightness is low, there's a very slight darker line.

 

[ZipZap]

Yes. In portrait, mine is a faint horizontal darker ill-defined line about 1/3 down from the top.

I will wait a few days to see if it fades. I have AppleCare on it, so I'm in no rush yet to replace.

Applecare does not matter...everyone has a 1 year warranty. Doubt you'll wait more than 14 days to ensure you get a new device and not a refurb.

----------

That is one good thing Apple does, is rectify the problem, until it is fixed. Hope mine is okay!

You're better off getting it rectified in the return period.

 

[junglesnake]

I must have got lucky! Mine is absolutely perfect! Both of them and I'm picky as hell!

 

[RJCP]

I got the slightly yellow left hand side as well.

I didn't notice it at first and only noticed the vertical shadow on the left side which more people have mentioned but that actually seems to have gone away? Weird.

I'm not sure about the yellow tint on the display wing temporary though and I had feedback from people who had this issue in the past with other models and now seem to have found a good screen, so I'm not sure how much of a "let it settle" thing this is.

I think it's got more to do with over-keen and under-trained cheap workforce than anything else...

I'm gonna get it replaced today and I'll make sure I leave the store with a better unit. I guess the entire "I don't want to enter the display lottery" doesn't really apply because I've already entered it unwillingly.

 

[ZipZap]

After exchanging numerous iPad 3 units with the exact same screen flaws before finding an acceptable one and after deciding against an iPad 4 because all of the ones that I saw had similar issues, I have learned the following.

1. Screen flaws do not go away. It doesn't matter how long you keep it. I kept one of my flawed iPads for over a month, and the screen flaws did not change or go away.
2. Batches do not matter. Apple buys these screens in huge quantities. They do not buy them in small amounts and they do not scrap parts. It was three months before I got an iPad 3 that was acceptable. And i got lucky. I went through quite a few batches before hitting on this one.
3. Apple will say anything to get you to keep the device you have past your return period. The "settling in" comment is the perfect example. And short of actual dead pixels, they will never admit seeing a screen defect. They may grudgingly give you a few replacements, but it will always be grudgingly.
4. Location bought does not matter. My iPad 3s came from two best buys, three targets, and an apple store. It didn't matter.
5. None of these issues are related to glue drying. Tear downs have proven that glue is not involved.
6. Not everyone will have screen issues and not everyone that does will see or notice them. My father in law's iPad 4 is definitely darker along the left side. He just doesn't see it. I am not going to point it out, because once seen, it can't be unseen.
7. Apple relies on people to accept flaws for the sake of owning the product. If everyone who had flaws chose to reject them, then the sheer number of returns would force Apple to rethink its practices. This same thing can be seen with the retina MacBook and the LG screen ghosting issues. A very expensive device with a big flaw in some of the screens. And not only are people accepting it, but they are spending an additional 289 dollars on apple care, in case it becomes a problem that they can't accept in the future.

I wonder if these flaws are just the result of the technology. I keep seeing the term IGZO thrown around. I was hoping these new iPads would have those screens in them. From what I have read, they are supposed to have more even backlighting.

It makes me sad to see that they continue on the iPad Air. I hope that at least there are fewer problems than on the previous models. I wish everyone luck.

Aside from dead pixels or visible lines...can you tell me if any of these issues affect the screen when something other than an all white screen is displayed?

----------

If there's no problem with your Apple product, go to a forum and search until you find one!

I'm positive there are some hyperanal, check it out with a magnifying glass folks out there, but they do far more harm than good to the average folks...

Notice how the review sites all had no issues?

Notice how no one can get a picture of the "issue"?

I'm sure it exists to some extent, but it's so minor, and is likely an occurrence on MOST ips lcd's Apple and otherwise, that the vast majority of folks would never notice or care unless the .01% screams bloody murder about the atrocity of it all.

It's their right to do so, but it doesn't mean they aren't a severe minority.

I would agree with these statements. Also, this is the only device/company where I have seen this level of complaining.

I've gone back and looked at my older laptops from Dell and there's bleed and uneven hueing. Never, ever thought about it...

I think there is just a segment of Apple Owners that are just OCD about the screen.

If you got dead pixels or lines then by all means get a replacement.

----------

There's no way you swapped 26 iPads in 8 days through a single Apple store. You must have done it via some combination of different retailers. Apple will shut you down after 3-4 tries. I squeezed 5 swaps out of them but they were mighty sick of my face after that.

Did you actually do exchanges, or 26 buy/returns? Or a combo? My debit card would have imploded after just a few returns, since the money takes 3-5 business days to be credited to your account.

If I were the store manager, I would have shut him down, refunded his money and told him to shop elsewhere. Clearly he wants a level of quality that is well beyond reasonable.

----------

Here's what it looks like on mine, remember though this is quite hard to capture with a photo:

Portrait, home button on bottom, darker all along the left:

Image

Portrait, home button on top, darker all along the right:

Image

Sorry,

what's wrong with these screen shots?

----------

This is mine btw. The new one I just got today.
First is all white wallpaper. Since I read about the darker left side. Now my brain tries to convince my eyes the left side is indeed a bit darker lol. But in reality it's all good to my eyes.
Image

second is my new one (right) next to my old one
Image, last is black wallpaper
Image.

P/S: Home button at the bottom.

I'm settled with this one

Does this really affect usability. Does the screen really look bad with normal use?

 

[Markyyy]

Will I be entitled to a replacement? My iPad air has a black speck stuck between the display and the glass, maybe 2 pixels in size. It's noticeable when the display is outputting lighter colours, like on white screens, or when using safari to read black-on-white text.

Here are the photos I've taken of it (in the folder icon, and to the right of the safari search results):

 

[bwhli]

Aside from dead pixels or visible lines...can you tell me if any of these issues affect the screen when something other than an all white screen is displayed?

----------



I would agree with these statements. Also, this is the only device/company where I have seen this level of complaining.

I've gone back and looked at my older laptops from Dell and there's bleed and uneven hueing. Never, ever thought about it...

I think there is just a segment of Apple Owners that are just OCD about the screen.

If you got dead pixels or lines then by all means get a replacement.

----------



If I were the store manager, I would have shut him down, refunded his money and told him to shop elsewhere. Clearly he wants a level of quality that is well beyond reasonable.

----------



Sorry,

what's wrong with these screen shots?

----------



Does this really affect usability. Does the screen really look bad with normal use?

For me, it was a pretty big issue. I really only use my iPad as a sheet music viewer, so the majority of the screen is always white. The gradient on the screen was enough to give me a headache, so I returned it and went back to my 4th gen.

 

[WilliamG]

I think Apple has made sure LG has done some work regarding light leak. It's the lowest I've ever seen it on an iPad since... ever. Far fewer threads complaining about that this year.

 

[luckylisp]

Will I be entitled to a replacement? My iPad air has a black speck stuck between the display and the glass, maybe 2 pixels in size. It's noticeable when the display is outputting lighter colours, like on white screens, or when using safari to read black-on-white text.

Yes. If you're not happy, exchange it.

 

[techiebug]

Aside from dead pixels or visible lines...can you tell me if any of these issues affect the screen when something other than an all white screen is displayed?

----------



I would agree with these statements. Also, this is the only device/company where I have seen this level of complaining.

I've gone back and looked at my older laptops from Dell and there's bleed and uneven hueing. Never, ever thought about it...

I think there is just a segment of Apple Owners that are just OCD about the screen.

If you got dead pixels or lines then by all means get a replacement.

----------



If I were the store manager, I would have shut him down, refunded his money and told him to shop elsewhere. Clearly he wants a level of quality that is well beyond reasonable.

----------



Sorry,

what's wrong with these screen shots?

----------



Does this really affect usability. Does the screen really look bad with normal use?

No not at all. I didn't notice any darker or yellowish area. It's absolutely fine to me. Hell if I didn't come here, I deffinitely wouldn't give a damn lol. What I care is dead pixels and light leak, but these are fine on my air too.

 

[interfreak]

Sorry,

what's wrong with these screen shots?

Are you blind and illiterate? Or just a troll?

 

[Markyyy]

Does anyone have a detailed cross-section-esque description/diagram of the ipad air display/multitouch sensor/ glass construct? I'm wanting to figure out if the black speck i have under my screen could be moved with some ultrasound if it's within an airgap, or whether the black speck is literally stuck there for good.

 

[Psypher]

I've gone through 3 iPads so far.

1. Dark speck stuck under the screen
2. Dead Pixel, 2 faint horizontal shadowy lines across the screen in portrait mode.
3. Yellow tint on left side of the screen in portrait mode.

At this point I plan on keeping the latest one. The only time I notice the yellow tint is when the split keyboard comes up. It's very frustrating because it's a huge waste of time to keep having to go back and exchange them. I'm shocked all of these are getting through QA.

 

[RJCP]

I've gone through 3 iPads so far.

1. Dark speck stuck under the screen
2. Dead Pixel, 2 faint horizontal shadowy lines across the screen in portrait mode.
3. Yellow tint on left side of the screen in portrait mode.

At this point I plan on keeping the latest one. The only time I notice the yellow tint is when the split keyboard comes up. It's very frustrating because it's a huge waste of time to keep having to go back and exchange them. I'm shocked all of these are getting through QA.

Same here. I'm keeping a yellow tinted one and waiting a couple of months until these exchanges end up at the genius bar with new screens.

As for your last question. Easy: under-prepared cheap workforce at Foxconn factories teaming up with pressure to accomplish Apple's deadlines.

 

[axvol]

Some photos

Yellow tint only in the left

 

[Bloodlustt]

Wow thats exactly how my air 128 gig att one was on saturday. Pink on the left side of the screen and yellow on the right. I immediately returned it. I love how some people don't think this is a major problem. The screen is different colors for Pete's sake lol. New one coming on monday hope its ok but based on what I've read here I'm not optimistic. You would think they could at least get the display right lol, i mean who is passing these screens in QC are you blind that you can't see that? Good grief.

 

[QE2]

I hear people mentioning a line, about an inch or so in from the left side, but I'm finding that I've got a darker top left corner. It seems that a dark line comes in about 5mm or so.

I've taken a few pics, but as always it seems less obvious in the photos, have a look (try expanding for better detail); https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9nhjpnzpyjxp1w3/rEbIJoyEJr

btw, home button is facing down in all the images...

tbh, I really don't want to get into the position of returning things, not least because there's no guarantee things will change for the better!

 

[NovemberWhiskey]

I have the same thing.

Saw 3/4 ipads in the Apple store had the same problem.

Also noticed two ipads side-by-side had different colored screens. One was greenish on the keyboard area. One pinkish.

Unfortunately, I think bad screens are just the nature of Apple these days (yes, due to upstream suppliers). My ipad 3, and 4 both had yellow blotches.

They said it may be glue that needs to dry, but I am not sure how any compounds will evaporate from inside the device (especially under the screen).

 

[supervelous]

Similar issue. Love the air, but left side of the screen has a warm color temp (yellowish whites) and the right side has a cooler color temp (bluish whites).

 

[interfreak]

Here's what it looks like on mine, remember though this is quite hard to capture with a photo:

Portrait, home button on bottom, darker all along the left:

Image

Portrait, home button on top, darker all along the right:

Image

Well, I returned my Air that had a darker strip down the LHS and swapped it for another one..that has exactly the same issue, though not as bad.

I'm hopping off this exchange merry-go-round RIGHT. NOW. lol

Some users here have reported that having the display on full brightness for several hours with a white screen seems to minimise the effect after a while, so I'll give that a shot.