iPhone SE screen interlacing lines??

[thadoggfather]

I recently purchased two SEs, one 64GB model just as they were purging stock in preparation for the 128GB release, then I purchased one of the 128GB because they were being heavily discounted. Just my luck that the 128GB unit is the one with the inferior screen.

The 128GB unit's screen is inferior in multiple ways.

Firstly, it has the issue described in this thread. There is flicker with the supplied slide at higher brightness level, a weird flicker that messes with your brain because it's right on the edge of perception when looking square at the screen, but becomes more noticeable when you're moving your eyes. This is the kind of flicker that I can imagine some people being more sensitive to than others, and maybe some people can't see it even if their phone is doing it. I haven't seen any pseudo scan lines or flicker in normal images (yet), so I would probably not have been too worried about this one issue in isolation. The 64GB unit has zero flicker on that slide, regardless of brightness.

The 128GB unit's screen is also noticeably warmer, and it's blacks aren't as deep. The backlight brightness is the same, but the 64GB unit has less "glow". The distinctly different black screen characteristics make me suspect that, in addition to the A9 lottery, that the iPhone SE might also be subject to a LCD panel lottery.

For the record, the serial numbers on both units start with DX3.

Would that happen to be a boost mobile SE?

Great deal on those tempting too but I already have a 64 SE that serves my needs

 

[Oubadah]

Would that happen to be a boost mobile SE?

Great deal on those tempting too but I already have a 64 SE that serves my needs

No, I'm in NZ and several big box stores inexplicably dropped NZD$200 off the price shortly after the phones were refreshed. Aside from the 64/16GB purge prices and Apple's price shuffle last year, I'd never seen more than a $50 reduction on the iphone SE since it was first introduced here.

 

[thadoggfather]

No, I'm in NZ and several big box stores inexplicably dropped NZD$200 off the price shortly after the phones were refreshed. Aside from the 64/16GB purge prices and Apple's price shuffle last year, I'd never seen more than a $50 reduction on the iphone SE since it was first introduced here.

Oh gotcha. Still, glad it worked out !

That seems a way more substantial discount

 

[G.McGilli]

No Flickering on full brightness

C39
[doublepost=1493585657][/doublepost]

I am wondering if I can ask in Apple Store to get a new unit with first digits of the S/N "C3". I am still in the 14-days returning frame..

What's the difference with a C39?

I got mine on launch day - so it's not a newer version?

 

[alitek12]

I recently purchased two SEs, one 64GB model just as they were purging stock in preparation for the 128GB release, then I purchased one of the 128GB because they were being heavily discounted. Just my luck that the 128GB unit is the one with the inferior screen.

The 128GB unit's screen is inferior in multiple ways.

Firstly, it has the issue described in this thread. There is flicker with the supplied slide at higher brightness level, a weird flicker that messes with your brain because it's right on the edge of perception when looking square at the screen, but becomes more noticeable when you're moving your eyes. This is the kind of flicker that I can imagine some people being more sensitive to than others, and maybe some people can't see it even if their phone is doing it. I haven't seen any pseudo scan lines or flicker in normal images (yet), so I would probably not have been too worried about this one issue in isolation. The 64GB unit has zero flicker on that slide, regardless of brightness.

The 128GB unit's screen is also noticeably warmer, and it's blacks aren't as deep. The backlight brightness is the same, but the 64GB unit has less "glow". The distinctly different black screen characteristics make me suspect that, in addition to the A9 lottery, the iPhone SE might also be subject to a LCD panel lottery.

For the record, the serial numbers on both units start with DX3.

Not sure if there is a lottery, I been through 8 phones and all of them have it. It's a mix of DX3, F17, F18, FRGT, wish I could get a C39 but those are not in stock anymore :/

 

[Oubadah]

Not sure if there is a lottery, I been through 8 phones and all of them have it. It's a mix of DX3, F17, F18, FRGT, wish I could get a C39 but those are not in stock anymore :/

Well I have the two units, and in a side-by-side comparison one of them absolutely, positively does not have any flicker. And it seems pretty certain to me that the panels are different. They even have different off-axis glow characteristics (on a black slide one has a more reddish glow). The flicker itself might not have anything to do with the different panels though.

One more thing that I've noticed about the unit with the inferior screen, is that when viewed at an acute angle, I can see a slight ripple effect on the upper-right edge of the screen. This is a very rough example of the pattern, because it doesn't show up on camera:

Again, you can't see it when viewing the phone normally, so it's another non issue.

I wish I'd never got the second phone, because now I can't make up my mind which one to keep. I could really use that 128GB, but the 64GB unit has an undeniably better screen (don't care about the flicker because I've never once seen the issue manifest outside of that slide, but I do care about the deeper blacks and cooler color temp).

The 128GB phone has another thing in it's favor: the home button is significantly quieter than the button on the 64GB unit.

 

[Oubadah]

I take back what I said about this issue never manifesting outside of that slide. I've been using the 128GB phone extensively over the last few days, and I can definitely see a faint "interlacing" effect in certain shades (eg. light greys). I've returned monitors for this issue, but I've only seen it on TN LCDs, never IPS. The Dell S2716DG and Acer XB280HK are two monitors that definitely had it. I don't know the correct terminology, but people seem to be calling it "pixel inversion". I never see anything on my 64GB unit, even when I compare them side-by-side.

 

[djc6]

I purchased two iPhone SEs and immediately noticed this issue on one of them without ever previously hearing about this problem.

Both have serial numbers starting with DX3 - both flicker with the sample image above, but one phone flickers far more and I find the vertical lines quite bothersome on this unit. On the second using with less flickering, I don't notice it.

I've not been able to purchase a replacement during return period since iPhone SEs are out of stock. I'm thinking of going to apple store and seeing if they will swap the screen.

I have an iPhone 5S - serial begins with DNP that exhibits zero flicker. I'm replacing my 5S with an SE due to pending Verizon CDMA network shutdown - the 5S doesn't have Voice over LTE capabilities.