iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro screen uniformity issue

[Louis.dionne]

I think they are skimping on QC hoping most folks won't notice.

Yes I think they are indeed! Production issues (+ general ship shortage) were reported a few days back, and I think they might have accepted slightly below normal quality level display panels to mitigate the impact on stock…

at least they don’t seem to have any issue with replacing faulty units

 

[kirk.vino]

Yes I think they are indeed! Production issues (+ general ship shortage) were reported a few days back, and I think they might have accepted slightly below normal quality level display panels to mitigate the impact on stock…

at least they don’t seem to have any issue with replacing faulty units

Conspiracy much?
It’s always been like that with Apple. Even before the OLED screen phase. I had screen panel issues with the 3GS, 5S, 6S, X, 11Pro, iPad 2 and iPad 3, MacBook Pro 2015. All these devices have been returned/repurchased multiple times as many of them had bad screen panels with very poor uniformity. I think the iPad 3 was actually the worst! That was their first Retina iPad and the quality of those screens was just atrocious. It wasn’t just some shift, there were multiple tints in different parts of the screen.

 

[trix1701]

(pro phone) My screen is a little worse than previous one for uniformity... slighter red on top, greener on bottom, but not so bad,

but everything else is so much better!

- no more green tint with video's, and now in proper framerate with promotion
- actually acts like a real OLED, in darkness picture perfect, no black/dark gray/dark green issues, everything looks way I expect it should for OLED
- definitely flickers less, its noticeable and better
- I didn't notice extra brightness at first, but outdoors I see it, makes it much easier to read in any environment
- promotion for everything, not just video, no going back for me
- camera using raw format have a major jump in quality I think (not so much in regular as processing makes look similar, skies too blue and the awful extra sharpening, apple why not sharpness setting??? Proraw is very good, but raw better except really miss the HDR, 3rd party raw apps don't have as good HDR as proraw)

Prores is interesting, except I'll skip as long as usb2 speed, what a pain (also no setting to skip icloud upload for prores GB+ files, but still beta, Apple can still give options in time)

 

[ihakim]

iPhone 13 mini was horrible out of the box. Picture below. Got it exchanged and the new one has a very slight tint but I’m happy and keeping it.

 

[yass31]

My 13 Pro Max had the uniformity issue too and it was bothering me as it is an expensive phone ...
Went to the Apple Store today to get it exchanged as I was still on the 14 days. The new one seems to be ok

 

[jjamesv]

Here’s some photos of my display.

The photos were taken at around 25% brightness using grey backgrounds in a stock iOS app - in this case, Settings (the 3rd image is a zoomed in screenshot of the Settings background from the 1st)

Typically photos make the issues look more pronounced than in reality, though in this case I’d say the they’re pretty accurate, albeit the display was not as bright as the photos would imply. Something else the camera couldn’t capture was the subtle flicker I see across the screen under these conditions.

I’ve never had this issue before on my iPhone X or 12, Both OLED, so I’m not sure how bad this is on a scale of ‘Keep It’ to ‘Get That to the Apple Store, and Fast!’ I know in reality nobody here can really answer the question for me, but if you want to share your opinions based on the photos please do.

As per my previous post, I’m reticent to play the screen lottery with Apple again because I know it’s most likely going to end up being a long and drawn out process (especially since this one is on finance) with little to no improvement.

I’m also really anxious to take it to the Apple Store and have them not see the issue, deny it’s existence, or have me try and reproduce it in store (which just wouldn’t be possible under the stores bright lighting conditions) and me look like an idiot.

At the same time this is the most expensive damn smartphone I’ve ever bought and now, every time I use it, it’s all I see whether subconsciously or not.

This is what I get for upgrading from my perfect iPhone 12 that I could’ve kept but didn’t because I convinced myself I’d need a better camera and screen *shakes head*

I have something like that, and if you notice it’s almost like the light from the brighter text is spilling into the grey. Same with the top.

 

[jjamesv]

Hi everyone! I am truly relieved (but saddened) to see I’m not the only one who spotted issues with the display of their new iPhone 13 Pro Max. Based on earlier pictures in the thread, I feel like mine is probably one of the worst…

My boyfriend bought one too, the exact same day as I did, and his device’s display is flawless *jealous*

I attached a picture below and have an appointment later today at my local Apple Store. I’ll keep you updated on what the genius says.

View attachment 1858230

p.s yes my device is in French; Hi from Montréal!

Yeah, looks like it’s actually defective.

 

[maka344]

My 13 Pro Max had the uniformity issue too and it was bothering me as it is an expensive phone ...
Went to the Apple Store today to get it exchanged as I was still on the 14 days. The new one seems to be ok

Did they have stock or was it a genius replacement?

 

[yass31]

Did they have stock or was it a genius replacement?

They had stock.
I checked before going that there was availability for in store pick-up, without placing the order. Went there and asked to return mine and get another.

 

[Scorpionxx]

Hey looks like mine (13 pro max) is sh*t too. Honestly I’m so disappointed since i haven’t had this problem with iphone 12 or any other iPhone I had in the past.

 

[jaychoy912]

how do you check for this?

 

[adamlbiscuit]

how do you check for this?

If you don't notice it through normal use, you're better off not looking for it. You'll be much happier that way.

Nonetheless if you really are curious, the best way to reproduce the issue is to go into the Clock App in Dark Mode, go to create a new alarm, ensure the screen brightness is around 25% or lower and that you're in a dark room with the lights off. Check the uniformity against the dark grey background of the Alarm interface.

There's also YouTube video tests that people recommend, but I prefer to try reproducing the issue in a real-world setting such as setting an alarm at night before bed.

 

[karless]

If you don't notice it through normal use, you're better off not looking for it. You'll be much happier that way.

Nonetheless if you really are curious, the best way to reproduce the issue is to go into the Clock App in Dark Mode, go to create a new alarm, ensure the screen brightness is around 25% or lower and that you're in a dark room with the lights off. Check the uniformity against the dark grey background of the Alarm interface.

There's also YouTube video tests that people recommend, but I prefer to try reproducing the issue in a real-world setting such as setting an alarm at night before bed.

Could you post a screenshot , in which menu should we check it?

 

[adamlbiscuit]

Could you post a screenshot , in which menu should we check it?

This is the menu I was referring to, but honestly anything with a dark grey colour will show the issue.

Before you look for the issue, bear in mind that because of the nature of OLED it’s likely yours will show the issue. What you’re checking for really is how pronounced it is and how much it bothers you personally.

 

[karless]

This is the menu I was referring to, but honestly anything with a dark grey colour will show the issue.

Before you look for the issue, bear in mind that because of the nature of OLED it’s likely yours will show the issue. What you’re checking for really is how pronounced it is and how much it bothers you personally.

Thank you , do you really have an issue ?

 

[adamlbiscuit]

Thank you , do you really have an issue ?

I did on my old phone that got replaced yesterday. The new unit has the same issue but to a much lesser extent and I'm happy with it. No screen technology, whether it be CRT, LCD, LED or OLED is perfect. It's all about finding the display that you're happy with.

There'll be thousands of people out there with a phone screen the same or worse than my initial iPhone 13 Pro Max. However, it might be something they never notice or it genuinely does not bother them at all. They'll be 100% satisfied regardless and to them I'd be saying 'keep it' despite my own personal tolerance for such things.

For others such as me, these things are noticeable and distracting, hence for those I'd be recommending to have a chat with Apple. Earlier in the week I was a bit put off by the thought of doing it but now I've been to the Genius Bar and had a positive experience, I'm more likely to recommend it.

 

[Prabas]

Seems to be perfect here, I’ve tried all brightness levels.

 

[Zubba]

I love the 120hz, but have noticed after a few days that the screen uniformity of my 13Pro is significantly worse than my outgoing 11Pro. This is especially evident at night with low brightness (say 10% or so). For example, in Apollo the left to right, green to red tint is extremely noticeable and irritating. I am going to return this unit but may wait a few weeks (months) for the factory to improve on this. Unless this is within tolerance for OLED displays and you have to just live with it, which would really suck since I'm not looking forward to playing the panel lotto.

Damn, that's horrible. Just rushed to test mine using same app and nothing like that at all; completely uniform.

 

[jjamesv]

Last day of my 14 today (if I’ve done the math right) and I’m not sure what to do. I could ask for a replacement, but I actually think mine’s on the better end of what I’ve seen. I’m annoyed, because for so much money, it should be better. Do you get to choose the one you want to keep when they send out a replacement?

 

[jjamesv]

Mine looks same as your tbh but I think yours may be slightly worse. I don't have uniformity issues until I hit like
For me the flaw is most prominent when displaying this video (linked below) at the 20% grey section at 0% brightness in a pitch black room. My edges are darker and centre is brighter. Curious to see if anyone in the same conditions has a perfect screen. A lot of people are running light grey and taking photos of it saying it's uniform. Mine is like that too, you have to display a darker shade to really show the issues.

There are plenty of high end OLED TV's out there that also exibit the issue so the argument that "oh I payed a fortune for this phone I should expect a perfect screen" may not the most accurate. OLED tv's cost 4 - 5 times as much and still have the issue. It really is a lottery at the end the day. If the manufacture threw away all the not perfect screens I don't think they could make any profit at all. Because the fact is under normal viewing conditions it's a non existent issue. If it is then yes return it.

Not saying that perfect screens don't exist out there I think they do, but I also think a handful of them will have uniformity issues and hence it's not worth returning. Might end up like you exchanging 4 - 5 times which I don't think it's worth it. Here is the link, sorry if I ended up triggering anyone.

Really hard to see anything wrong with mine at 0% brightness on that test, except for a slight blushing at 20 and 40%, but it might be my eyes playing tricks.

 

[jjamesv]

Went to another store today. Again, all three 13 were darker on the right side. Mine was also the brightest of them all. I'm even happier now. If you can, really go to see some demo units you guys.

When you say darker on the right side, does that come across as slightly yellower on the left?

 

[coso]

When you say darker on the right side, does that come across as slightly yellower on the left?

Mmh, checked again and I don't have particular color casts. If I turn True Tone off (I love it) the screen becomes pretty much cold and neutral. It's just slightly brighter on the left side and slightly darker on the right side. With dark mode one, the grey on the right side becomes warmer/reddish, as in other photos posted in this thread, but less severe. In Italy across various store I checked around ten iPhone 13s and all were like this. So it should be pretty easy to find the same in other demo units. Unless different part of the world received wildly different production lots.

 

[jjamesv]

Mmh, checked again and I don't have particular color casts. If I turn True Tone off (I love it) the screen becomes pretty much cold and neutral. It's just slightly brighter on the left side and slightly darker on the right side. With dark mode one, the grey on the right side becomes warmer/reddish, as in other photos posted in this thread, but less severe. In Italy across various store I checked around ten iPhone 13s and all were like this. So it should be pretty easy to find the same in other demo units. Unless different part of the world received wildly different production lots.

Huh, I would say it's brighter on the left, with the light having a slightly yellowish cast, so yes, brighter would then also mean a slight bit yellower. Where I notice it is in the greys on the keyboard. Letters on the left look slightly different to ones on the right, but I'm looking for it too, and when I look at white full screen, it's not clear there's any cast. Like you, when I checked the store, I thought others were similar, but now maybe I'm 2nd guessing myself.

EDIT: This is just to add, I'd forgotten my store comparisons were with auto brightness off, no TT, and brightness cranked. That was REALLY hard to tell much difference between the screens I looked at, including mine.

 

[coso]

Huh, I would say it's brighter on the left, with the light having a slightly yellowish cast, so yes, brighter would then also mean a slight bit yellower. Where I notice it is in the greys on the keyboard. Letters on the left look slightly different to ones on the right, but I'm looking for it too, and when I look at white full screen, it's not clear there's any cast. Like you, when I checked the store, I thought others were similar, but now maybe I'm 2nd guessing myself.

EDIT: This is just to add, I'd forgotten my store comparisons were with auto brightness off, no TT, and brightness cranked. That was REALLY hard to tell much difference between the screens I looked at, including mine.

I'm sure they were all the same. If you can go check again. For a fast comparison I just put two fingers in the middle of the screen and just quickly glance at time on the upper left part and then battery on the upper right, difference in brightness is so easy to spot this way. But it's not a biggie to me. There are worse problems on these 13 Pro, like the 1x camera blurrier than the one on the 12 and previous iPhones. Check this https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4601849 and I also opened this https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ftness-less-sharp-than-older-iphones.2315872/ (or there's always the comments on the macrumors article https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-an-older-iphone-its-time-to-upgrade.2314868/ ). Sorry, end /OT

 

[IconIc215]

Last day of my 14 today (if I’ve done the math right) and I’m not sure what to do. I could ask for a replacement, but I actually think mine’s on the better end of what I’ve seen. I’m annoyed, because for so much money, it should be better. Do you get to choose the one you want to keep when they send out a replacement?

If you opt for a replacement in my experience...no. They expect to receive the phone matching the serial number you initiated the request for. If you want to compare and keep the better of the two/three or however many, your better off buying them outright which gives you a little more flexibility. I played the replacement game a few years back and the one they sent me wound up being worse off and had to send the better of the two back. If I have doubts anymore of a quality issue, I now just purchase them (when you can find them) and return the one I don't want. Your in a tough spot as your 14 day period is up today assuming you got it on launch. So you either have to try to find one today or go the replacement route if you want to roll the dice. Sometimes when you start to return/replace you go down this rabbit hole chasing something that doesn't exist when in reality the better of all the phones was the initial one you purchased. Its your money though so do what makes you satisfied.