Just wanted to post something that may help people. I have gone through several iPhone 4 and 4S units (long story, involving carrier changes, etc.) and have some experience with a lot of the quality control issues with the 4/4S form factor.
Specifically focusing on the "rattle" noises people are describing, there are at least 3 separate things here:
1) the phone makes a noise when tapped or set down on a hard surface near the top right (where the camera is located).
this is the autofocus. the noise is hard to reproduce unless you do the above, meaning if you just shake the phone along an axis parallel to the screen (ie moving the phone left to right, perpendicular to the movement of setting a phone straight down on a surface), you won't hear the noise.
I believe pretty much every iPhone 4 or 4S makes this noise, and it's nothing to worry about.
2) the phone makes a noise when shaking near the top right (same location as above). this noise to me sounds a bit different than the autofocus, and is more of a real "rattle", although it is not very loud, and is only audible when shaking pretty vigorously, along an axis parallel to the screen (ie moving the phone left to right, perpendicular to the movement of setting a phone straight down on a surface).
In this way, it is unlike the autofocus noise, and is actually something else. What it is is the sleep button. To confirm, try doing the shaking motion with a finger lightly holding the sleep button in place, and you won't hear the noise any longer. A good number of iPhone 4 and 4S units are built with loose sleep buttons that you can actually move back and forth laterally within its slot with your finger(nail)s (perpendicular to the direction of pressing it down), and this internal looseness is what accounts for this faint rattling noise.
As an aside, a good number of units also show volume buttons and mute switches that are similarly loose, but these tend not to make any noise when "shaken".
There are many units out there that do not have any loose buttons, and won't make this kind of noise.
3) the 4S makes an intermittent, LOUD rattling noise when receiving an incoming call on vibrate. the noise is attenuated a bit if you hold the phone near the sim card slot.
this seems to be a problem with the 4S vibrating motor which is rattling against something internal.
There are units out there that do not make this noise.
So in sum, in my view, 1) is the camera, and is normal, 2) is arguably a defect, and 3) is definitely a defect.
hope this helps
Specifically focusing on the "rattle" noises people are describing, there are at least 3 separate things here:
1) the phone makes a noise when tapped or set down on a hard surface near the top right (where the camera is located).
this is the autofocus. the noise is hard to reproduce unless you do the above, meaning if you just shake the phone along an axis parallel to the screen (ie moving the phone left to right, perpendicular to the movement of setting a phone straight down on a surface), you won't hear the noise.
I believe pretty much every iPhone 4 or 4S makes this noise, and it's nothing to worry about.
2) the phone makes a noise when shaking near the top right (same location as above). this noise to me sounds a bit different than the autofocus, and is more of a real "rattle", although it is not very loud, and is only audible when shaking pretty vigorously, along an axis parallel to the screen (ie moving the phone left to right, perpendicular to the movement of setting a phone straight down on a surface).
In this way, it is unlike the autofocus noise, and is actually something else. What it is is the sleep button. To confirm, try doing the shaking motion with a finger lightly holding the sleep button in place, and you won't hear the noise any longer. A good number of iPhone 4 and 4S units are built with loose sleep buttons that you can actually move back and forth laterally within its slot with your finger(nail)s (perpendicular to the direction of pressing it down), and this internal looseness is what accounts for this faint rattling noise.
As an aside, a good number of units also show volume buttons and mute switches that are similarly loose, but these tend not to make any noise when "shaken".
There are many units out there that do not have any loose buttons, and won't make this kind of noise.
3) the 4S makes an intermittent, LOUD rattling noise when receiving an incoming call on vibrate. the noise is attenuated a bit if you hold the phone near the sim card slot.
this seems to be a problem with the 4S vibrating motor which is rattling against something internal.
There are units out there that do not make this noise.
So in sum, in my view, 1) is the camera, and is normal, 2) is arguably a defect, and 3) is definitely a defect.
hope this helps
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