I think I'm onto something here. Those of you with cracks...

[TheSpaz]

I've been through 3 iPhone 3G's already and I'm currently on my 4th one. I remember when I got my first 3G, I could see shadows of the inner components if I looked at the back in a very dark room. My current (4th) iPhone does not have any cracks (yet) but, it has a few chips in the plastic (which were probably my fault somewhere). The thing is... this may be different plastic or treated differently because I do not have any cracks forming on this one AT ALL and the chips haven't gotten any larger. Here's the good discovery though... If I go into a dark room and look at the back of the iPhone, I cannot see any light showing through the plastic. I don't see the shadows of the internal components on this one. Could it be that Apple is using a thicker plastic now?

Those of you with cracks, check the back of your iPhone in the pitch dark and see if you can see the shadows I am talking about. Make sure you turn up your screen brightness. It also helps if you lay your iPhone face down to block light from the screen. If you don't have cracks, you should check anyway to see if what I am saying is true. I only have 1 iPhone 3G so I cannot really test this on other units.

Thank you!

Also, I was just at Wal-Mart and the demo model they have does not have the wavy lines on the screen... I think the QC department is kicking it up a notch on the iPhone 3G build quality. It's about time!!!

 

[anjinha]

That's a good theory. I will check that tonight, although I don't know if I wanna find out if I have cracks since here in Portugal apple doesn't exchange iPhones, they only send it to repair.

 

[Mikey B]

I've been through a few 3G's as well, and all of them have had the "back light leak." But, not all of them developed cracks. Maybe it's just that not enough time has passed perhaps. The thing is, I'm surprised to hear that you dont have the light leak on your current iPhone. It's been better on some than others, but all 3G White iPhones I've seen have it, including the one I just got due to the silence switch ceasing to function.

 

[TheSpaz]

I've been through a few 3G's as well, and all of them have had the "back light leak." But, not all of them developed cracks. Maybe it's just that not enough time has passed perhaps. The thing is, I'm surprised to hear that you dont have the light leak on your current iPhone. It's been better on some than others, but all 3G White iPhones I've seen have it, including the one I just got due to the silence switch ceasing to function.

Okay, I'll check again tonight. The thing is... I figured my new iPhone had it, so I told my brother "Hey, check this out..." I turned off the lights and I flipped the iPhone over... what the heck? This one isn't showing it... weird. I wanted to show him how the light leaked through the back and you could see some of the internal components. I guess I'll try again.

 

[Mikey B]

Okay, I'll check again tonight. The thing is... I figured my new iPhone had it, so I told my brother "Hey, check this out..." I turned off the lights and I flipped the iPhone over... what the heck? This one isn't showing it... weird. I wanted to show him how the light leaked through the back and you could see some of the internal components. I guess I'll try again.

Hopefully you are right though. The back light leak drives the OCD monster that lives in my head crazy.

I've been ok with my current iPhone, though it is there. The last one with faulty silencer was the best. Hardly noticeable.

 

[svndmvn]

Okay, I'll check again tonight. The thing is... I figured my new iPhone had it, so I told my brother "Hey, check this out..." I turned off the lights and I flipped the iPhone over... what the heck? This one isn't showing it... weird. I wanted to show him how the light leaked through the back and you could see some of the internal components. I guess I'll try again.

I don't know if the quality has gotten better, I've had about 6 iPhones, new and probably refurbs, of different qualities and different build weeks. Different countries as well. All black, though. Is your 4th iPhone more recent? Was it built in a more recent week?
I'm pretty sure 2.2 made the brightness lower than it was, could that be the reason why you can't see the internals now?

 

[nickspohn]

I must be lucky, because i only went through 1 iPhone first gen due to a signal problem, and I'm still on my original iPhone from day one. Although I do have tiny cracks all along the camera. And i mean tiny.

 

[acfusion29]

Didn't someone say that the newer iPhone's are heated for longer so the cracks don't show?

 

[pintnight]

I bought my iPhone 3G (white 16G) when it came out last year. I have a small crack that noticed last year, but that doesn't concern me because I don't have OCD to worry about stuff like that. The iPhone is working just fine with a crack on it. I also just checked to see if I could see the light coming through the back of the iPhone that is coming through the plastic and there is none. But, then again, how would that effect how the iPhone work?

I have never heard of so many OCD people.

 

[TheSpaz]

I bought my iPhone 3G (white 16G) when it came out last year. I have a small crack that noticed last year, but that doesn't concern me because I don't have OCD to worry about stuff like that. The iPhone is working just fine with a crack on it. I also just checked to see if I could see the light coming through the back of the iPhone that is coming through the plastic and there is none. But, then again, how would that effect how the iPhone work?

I have never heard of so many OCD people.

Haha! Seeing the light through the back wasn't my concern. The fact that I CAN'T see it now just means perhaps they're using a thicker plastic now so it won't crack... that's all I meant. I do not flip my iPhone over and look for light.