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Itinj24

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Original poster
Nov 8, 2017
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New York
S5 SBSS. Noticed today in direct sunlight there’s a bump that comes to point under the display (not the glass screen but the actual display). Been having bad battery life lately as well. Getting about 7-8% battery drain per hour when it used to be 4-5% per hour. Think it could be related? Display also looks like it has an “orange peel” finish but that one spot where the bump is, is fairly noticeable under direct sunlight. Wasn’t looking for any imperfections but definitely raised my eyebrows when I noticed it. Can’t go to an Apple Store at the moment since they’ve closed the doors for the next couple weeks. Looking for preliminary insight or if anyone seen this before. Thanks.
 
It could be the sign of a swollen battery. How old is your machine and how many cycles are on the battery?
Does a swollen battery start at one particular spot? It looks like there’s a dust particle under it lifting it in just that one spot. I got the Watch last week of September and charged it pretty much every night since. Not sure how to check how many cycles on the battery. Don’t see that on the watch or in the companion iPhone app, unless I’m missing something. Tried taking a pic but it was difficult to get the correct angle and have the camera focus on it.
 
It doesn’t sound like age related battery swelling. My S0 battery swelled up just before Christmas. The first indication was a different sound when tapping the screen - well, a sound at all in fact. Next day the screen moved noticeably and within a few days it completely separated from the watch.

I Google’d and it isn’t dangerous like phone batteries are (to my surprise, but it’s a chemical change in the battery rather than a failure), so I just stopped using mine - easy as it was an S0 and I was only sleep tracking with it.

All the above aside, battery swelling is the most likely cause IMO, but given it’s a point then it’s either something not flush with the back of the display being pressed by the battery (unlikely) or. Point failure of the battery, which might be more like a phone battery failure.

Here in NZ we don‘t have any Apple stores, so while yours are closed you can ring them like we have to do and they’ll tell you what they think, and what you should do. I’d do that soon as the most likely thing in the watch to have expanded that I know of it’s the battery.
 
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It doesn’t sound like age related battery swelling. My S0 battery swelled up just before Christmas. The first indication was a different sound when tapping the screen - well, a sound at all in fact. Next day the screen moved noticeably and within a few days it completely separated from the watch.

I Google’d and it isn’t dangerous like phone batteries are (to my surprise, but it’s a chemical change in the battery rather than a failure), so I just stopped using mine - easy as it was an S0 and I was only sleep tracking with it.

All the above aside, battery swelling is the most likely cause IMO, but given it’s a point then it’s either something not flush with the back of the display being pressed by the battery (unlikely) or. Point failure of the battery, which might be more like a phone battery failure.

Here in NZ we don‘t have any Apple stores, so while yours are closed you can ring them like we have to do and they’ll tell you what they think, and what you should do. I’d do that soon as the most likely thing in the watch to have expanded that I know of it’s the battery.
Thanks for that info. I’ll monitor it and see if it gets worse. Didn’t know the battery could fail at one point like that so glad I asked. Really difficult to see the light distortion under room lights and would never know it’s there unless I knew where to look but in sunlight it’s prominent.
 
I don’t know if the battery can fail at one point either, I’m just speculating as I doubt there would be a point on the back of the display.

I’m assuming from your description that it’s a physical bump rather than the display having some odd pixels that look like a bump. I had a 10.5” iPad Pro that developed a light spot that was replaced on warranty, but it didn’t look like a physical distortion, and in any case it was LCD and the Watch is OLED.

If it was mine I guess my hope would be that it gets worse, so it’s easy to see and I’d get a replacement as I wouldn’t be happy to keep it as-is. Is it possible it’s always been there and you only just noticed it? Unlikely as you say the battery has got noticeably worse.
 
I don’t know if the battery can fail at one point either, I’m just speculating as I doubt there would be a point on the back of the display.

I’m assuming from your description that it’s a physical bump rather than the display having some odd pixels that look like a bump. I had a 10.5” iPad Pro that developed a light spot that was replaced on warranty, but it didn’t look like a physical distortion, and in any case it was LCD and the Watch is OLED.

If it was mine I guess my hope would be that it gets worse, so it’s easy to see and I’d get a replacement as I wouldn’t be happy to keep it as-is. Is it possible it’s always been there and you only just noticed it? Unlikely as you say the battery has got noticeably worse.
It’s possible it was there the whole time. Need the right angle and direct sunlight to see it and I may have not seen it in those conditions before. I can see the contours of it. It doesn’t cause any distortion at all on the pixels but it most definitely looks like a physical bump. Could definitely reproduce it for an Apple genius since now I know exactly where to look so even if it remains the same, I should still get a replacement. The bump itself doesn’t bother me. It’s the possibility that it’s causing my battery life issues.
This image of a Galaxy Fold would best describe what I’m seeing but it can’t be felt...

3EAD8F01-5203-47D3-AFBF-FF96E146E5DD.jpeg
 
Oh, OK, that’s a fair bump.

I guess monitor it and return it when the Apple stores open again, or ring Apple if it gets much worse before then in case it’s a dangerous battery issue.
 
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Oh, OK, that’s a fair bump.

I guess monitor it and return it when the Apple stores open again, or ring Apple if it gets much worse before then in case it’s a dangerous battery issue.
Thanks for the feedback 👍
 
It's normal, and unlikely you'll find a version without it. I believe it may exclusive to the stainless/sapphire models, though. I went through 4 models (all with various bumps/waves under the display) before I gave up. If you do some searching, you'll see similar threads!
 
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It's normal, and unlikely you'll find a version without it. I believe it may exclusive to the stainless/sapphire models, though. I went through 4 models (all with various bumps/waves under the display) before I gave up. If you do some searching, you'll see similar threads!
Great to know. Saves me a trip to Apple. I feel much better now, thanks!

Never dropped or bumped it or anything which led me to believe it was either something with the battery or a manufacturers blemish.
 
Great to know. Saves me a trip to Apple. I feel much better now, thanks!

Never dropped or bumped it or anything which led me to believe it was either something with the battery or a manufacturers blemish.

It drove me crazy... until it didn't. I wish it wasn't something common, but it's also pretty easy to move past (and you'll stop noticing/caring, I think). I went through the Apple Store with a sales rep and we didn't find a single SS model that didn't have it on the show floor - makes me think that people who claim they don't have it probably don't notice it (and good for them! Wish I wasn't so obsessive).

See, e.g.:
 
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It drove me crazy... until it didn't. I wish it wasn't something common, but it's also pretty easy to move past (and you'll stop noticing/caring, I think). I went through the Apple Store with a sales rep and we didn't find a single SS model that didn't have it on the show floor - makes me think that people who claim they don't have it probably don't notice it (and good for them! Wish I wasn't so obsessive).

See, e.g.:
Yep, I forgot about it instantly after you said it was normal lol. Mine looks similar to that last photo only not as sharp. Mine is more rounded off at the apex. Thank you for taking the time to reply. It’s much appreciated.
 
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