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Defective iPhone 5 (Black) - Common Defect? Should I replace?

K

Kelped

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 24, 2010
51
0
I noticed a minor blemish on the iPhone 5 I received by preorder last Friday. I've been staring at it all weekend and even went to the Apple Store to check out the other phones. I noticed a similar blemish (same location on phone) on three of the seven display models I examined.

IMG_0542b.jpg

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IMG_0555b.jpg


Should I request a replacement? I've never returned an Apple product before. How much hassle does the process entail? My concern is that they will replace it with a refurbished model or make me wait a week or however long it takes to get a replacement.
 
I have 1 or 2 tiny spots like that.....im fine with it. i already put a bumper on it and forgot about it. im not waiting a month for a replacement
 
Mine had 1 or 2 spots like this as well...hardly noticeable and im ok with it. Not gonna stay perfect looking forever anyway, just get a good case and you'll be fine. If your super anal, get a white one as it appears to have less cosmetic defect issues...
 
Theres like around 120 pages worth of posts like this.

But in your situation, I think I'll just keep it. I have a similar blemish as well but it's hard to tell from a feet away or so plus I small scuff on the bottom of my phone.

You can still replace it if that makes you happy at an Apple store (or at your Carrier if that's where it's from), just be forewarned that some people came back home with replacements far worse than what they had before.
 
JoshObra said:
Theres like around 120 pages worth of posts like this.

But in your situation, I think I'll just keep it. I have a similar blemish as well but it's hard to tell from a feet away or so plus I small scuff on the bottom of my phone.

You can still replace it if that makes you happy at an Apple store (or at your Carrier if that's where it's from), just be forewarned that some people came back home with replacements far worse than what they had before.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response. I did not know that people are ending up with worse replacement phones. iPhone 5 or iPhone 4/4S?

If I do end up requesting a replacement, do you think it would be better to wait a few days or should I try to do it immediately? Does Apple already have stocks of refurbished iPhone 5's?
 
Kelped said:
Thanks for your response. I did not know that people are ending up with worse replacement phones. iPhone 5 or iPhone 4/4S?

If I do end up requesting a replacement, do you think it would be better to wait a few days or should I try to do it immediately? Does Apple already have stocks of refurbished iPhone 5's?
Click to expand...

I'm talking about iPhone 5's. If you bought it from Apple.com/Apple Store then you can just simply walk in and ask for a replacement because you're not happy with the condition of the phone. I think you can do this within the 14-day period from when you received the phone (or was it 30 days? Well it's one or the other).

It's kind of hard to find the specific post from the scuff thread, but one person reported that he went through at least opening five sealed iPhones before he found a perfectly made phone. But there are those who managed to get a perfect one easily, so it really depends on the persons luck here I guess.

I personally cannot confirm how true and often a scuffed phone from a sealed box comes up. And this applies to both white and black iPhone 5's, it's just that it's less noticeable on the white iPhone.
 
I went through four replacement devices and none were proper. I opted for the least damaged and plan to try again with a separate batch.
 
If the rest of the phone is flawless, I'd probably stick with that phone for now. I went to a couple different stores to look at the display models on release day on yours looks a lot better than what I saw out there as far as factory flaws go.
 
Yes that is common. Mine has the same issue at two of those seams where the anodized aluminum meets that little separator. Sure, it's not ideal, but it's so minor I'm ok with it, and a replacement phone has a decent chance of being the same or worse.
 
If the rest of the phone is flawless, I'd probably stick with that phone for now. I went to a couple different stores to look at the display models on release day on yours looks a lot better than what I saw out there as far as factory flaws go.
 
Swap it, keep it.

There is no downside to keeping it.

The downside to swapping it is getting one that has something else amiss.

MY first one had a scratch AND a defective lighting port.

I swapped it before the charge ran out. Got Two days and change out of it.

Jury is still out on the replacement allthough the scratch is gone and the port now works.
 
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