iPhone SE yellow display and UV light treatment

[radiohead14]

So I started leaving my SE out in the sun for the past two days now, just to test whether the theory of the sun's UV rays will cure the glue on the yellow display. 4 hours yesterday, and another 4 today. It's been sunny these past two days with clear skies, so I just left it laying out on our roof deck here in NYC, so it can get optimal exposure.

Unfortunately, I can't see any improvements. The yellow band on the top looks exactly like it did the first day I got it. I'm going to keep testing it for the rest of the week, but I'm not hopeful. This really seems like Apple is just using poor quality displays, so they could squeeze a bit more profit out of the SE. I've gone through 6 exchanges now just to see if there is even a normal panel being used in this, but even the most decent one I've gotten had a slight yellow band on the top.

Has anyone else tried to cure their yellow displays via UV light, either naturally or via lamp? Curious to hear how your results were. As of now tho, I call BS to anyone who says that it's just the glue drying, and that it'll improve over time. These are just terrible quality displays.

 

[Armen]

So I started leaving my SE out in the sun for the past two days now, just to test whether the theory of the sun's UV rays will cure the glue on the yellow display. 4 hours yesterday, and another 4 today. It's been sunny these past two days with clear skies, so I just left it laying out on our roof deck here in NYC, so it can get optimal exposure.

Unfortunately, I can't see any improvements. The yellow band on the top looks exactly like it did the first day I got it. I'm going to keep testing it for the rest of the week, but I'm not hopeful. This really seems like Apple is just using poor quality displays, so they could squeeze a bit more profit out of the SE. I've gone through 6 exchanges now just to see if there is even a normal panel being used in this, but even the most decent one I've gotten had a slight yellow band on the top.

Has anyone else tried to cure their yellow displays via UV light, either naturally or via lamp? Curious to hear how your results were. As of now tho, I call BS to anyone who says that it's just the glue drying, and that it'll improve over time. These are just terrible quality displays.

6 exchanges? At that point I'd accept that as normal and decide if I wanted to keep it or not.

 

[imagineadam]

Oh man!! I went through the OCD with the yellow, splotchy, dark corners, shadows, color temperature shift from left to right you name it I had it in some form with my iPhone 6. I went though about 7 and then I got one that was pure white pretty much perfect but it has one speck of dust in the upper left hand corner!!! I couldn't believe it. I gave up and I began to realize how ridiculous I was being and wasteful. But on the other hand I know the feeling of getting something new and wanting it to be right and it just isn't. It sucks and it's annoying to see they are still using the same display tech. It's time for a change! Bring in the OLED's next year! Oh and leaving it in the sun will do nothing I was doing that crazy desperate stuff too!! You're just going to have to learn to live with it. I feel for you though. It drives me nuts when I see that little speck of dust but I just take a deep breath and let it go. Hang in there!

 

[Channan]

I'm so glad my iPhone SE's display seems fine. If there is any yellow, I don't notice it so I can't complain.

 

[radiohead14]

6 exchanges? At that point I'd accept that as normal and decide if I wanted to keep it or not.

i have no issue doing the exchanges, since i live right by 4 Apple stores. and it's hard to ignore it, since i always notice the yellow band when reading with a white background. i think if more people hadn't settled when this issue arose in the past, we wouldn't keep reliving this subpar quality. it's upsetting to think that just because it's the cheaper iPhone, that Apple deemed it ok to order cheaper low quality displays, when there are plenty of equal or cheaper phones out there with considerably better quality panels.

Oh man!! I went through the OCD with the yellow, splotchy, dark corners, shadows, color temperature shift from left to right you name it I had it in some form with my iPhone 6. I went though about 7 and then I got one that was pure white pretty much perfect but it has one speck of dust in the upper left hand corner!!! I couldn't believe it. I gave up and I began to realize how ridiculous I was being and wasteful. But on the other hand I know the feeling of getting something new and wanting it to be right and it just isn't. It sucks and it's annoying to see they are still using the same display tech. It's time for a change! Bring in the OLED's next year! Oh and leaving it in the sun will do nothing I was doing that crazy desperate stuff too!! You're just going to have to learn to live with it. I feel for you though. It drives me nuts when I see that little speck of dust but I just take a deep breath and let it go. Hang in there!

the one i got that had the least amount of yellowness turned out to have had a busted volume down button. i should've just kept that and had the button repaired... but its still ridiculous that i have to settle for that on a brand new phone.

 

[Armen]

i have no issue doing the exchanges, since i live right by 4 Apple stores. and it's hard to ignore it, since i always notice the yellow band when reading with a white background. i think if more people hadn't settled when this issue arose in the past, we wouldn't keep reliving this subpar quality. it's upsetting to think that just because it's the cheaper iPhone, that Apple deemed it ok to order cheaper low quality displays, when there are plenty of equal or cheaper phones out there with considerably better quality panels.



the one i got that had the least amount of yellowness turned out to have had a busted volume down button. i should've just kept that and had the button repaired... but its still ridiculous that i have to settle for that on a brand new phone.

After 6 units I think you could rule out a defect and have to conclude that the yellowish tint is within normal specifications for the model no?

 

[radiohead14]

After 6 units I think you could rule out a defect and have to conclude that the yellowish tint is within normal specifications for the model no?

i wouldn't call it "normal".. no.

cheap quality.. yes

paying $500+ and just having to settle for poor quality is why we're still having to go through multiple exchanges to this day. if more people had returned/exchanged back when this issue started popping up on the 4, then Apple would've thought twice about purchasing cheaper quality displays from suppliers. and again.. when cheaper phones have higher quality panels than the SE, then Apple should be concerned, since it does tarnish their reputation.

also, others have mentioned that they received perfectly fine panels, so how would yellow banding on a panel be considered normal spec? this is more on Apple's QA.

 

[Armen]

i wouldn't call it "normal".. no.

cheap quality.. yes

paying $500+ and just having to settle for poor quality is why we're still having to go through multiple exchanges to this day. if more people had returned/exchanged back when this issue started popping up on the 4, then Apple would've thought twice about purchasing cheaper quality displays from suppliers. and again.. when cheaper phones have higher quality panels than the SE, then Apple should be concerned, since it does tarnish their reputation.

also, others have mentioned that they received perfectly fine panels, so how would yellow banding on a panel be considered normal spec? this is more on Apple's QA.

Well, normal as in it passed Apple's QA and is sold like that.

 

[Laserducky]

i wouldn't call it "normal".. no.

cheap quality.. yes

paying $500+ and just having to settle for poor quality is why we're still having to go through multiple exchanges to this day. if more people had returned/exchanged back when this issue started popping up on the 4, then Apple would've thought twice about purchasing cheaper quality displays from suppliers. and again.. when cheaper phones have higher quality panels than the SE, then Apple should be concerned, since it does tarnish their reputation.

also, others have mentioned that they received perfectly fine panels, so how would yellow banding on a panel be considered normal spec? this is more on Apple's QA.

Yellowing has been there for iPhones for quite some time now. I remember how some people who got the iPhone 5 compared its yellow screen to their crispy white 4s phones.

Of course you deserve a fully functional phone and one that's devoid of yellow screen but living in an imperfect world, sometimes we don't get a 'perfect' device. Some people get lucky and get a perfect phone or perhaps they aren't looking too carefully at their phones (for better or worse!).

Chances are that if you keep playing this exchange game long enough, you may actually end up with a yellow screen AND other issues.

Cheers !

 

[LovingTeddy]

Depends on how you compare. iPhone SE's screen looks terriblely warm compare to iPhone 5S then iPhone 5S's screen is very warm compare with iPhone 5.

Then I compared iPhone SE's screen with Nexus 5X (2 of them), Nexus 5X's screen looked even more warm.


Everyone has different taste to the screen. Someone like warmer screen, someone like cooler screen. I like screen looks mor cooler than yellow.

That is being said. I have said over and over again, Apple need give us option to calibrate screen to owner's taste. I should able to change screen temperature to my line without go jailbreak.

Samsung provides several colour profiles for users to choice, Apple should do that too. This would help people like OP going for extensive replacement.
[doublepost=1462839453][/doublepost]

Well, normal as in it passed Apple's QA and is sold like that.

Or Appe's quality control has gone down hills for past years. As iPhone became mass selling devices, QA usually going down hills.

 

[radiohead14]

Depends on how you compare. iPhone SE's screen looks terriblely warm compare to iPhone 5S then iPhone 5S's screen is very warm compare with iPhone 5.

Then I compared iPhone SE's screen with Nexus 5X (2 of them), Nexus 5X's screen looked even more warm.


Everyone has different taste to the screen. Someone like warmer screen, someone like cooler screen. I like screen looks mor cooler than yellow.

That is being said. I have said over and over again, Apple need give us option to calibrate screen to owner's taste. I should able to change screen temperature to my line without go jailbreak.

Samsung provides several colour profiles for users to choice, Apple should do that too. This would help people like OP going for extensive replacement.
[doublepost=1462839453][/doublepost]

Or Appe's quality control has gone down hills for past years. As iPhone became mass selling devices, QA usually going down hills.

I wouldn't mind a warmer screen if it was uniform, but as it stands now.. all 6 exchanges I've gotten had terribly uneven yellowing. Some had blotches all over, while most just had the yellow band up top. I've tried hard to ignore it, but I can't when I'm constantly seeing it, considering most things I do on my phone consists of a white background.

And yea, screen calibration is what I miss having recently come back from Android. My previous Sony Z3C let you adjust the white balance as a stock feature.

 

[radiohead14]

Update: 2 weeks of testing and unfortunately, UV light treatment didn't work at all. I've just gone ahead and had Apple replace the screen. At least this way, you will have a display that the staff has pre-screened. It just goes to show that Apple's QA doesn't care about letting these awful displays go out the factory. The Apple store staff diagnosed and found a bunch of flaws on my display within 2 minutes.. Something the factory doesn't bother with apparently.

This is probably my last Apple product, as I've had bad experiences the past few years with their quality.. from my MacBooks to the iPhones.

If anyone is still trying to play the screen lottery, I suggest you just go ahead and go for the repair instead. It's silly that I had to get a brand new phone through repairs already, but I'm just sick of playing. Apple is now associated with poor quality to me.

 

[AndrewR23]

Update: 2 weeks of testing and unfortunately, UV light treatment didn't work at all. I've just gone ahead and had Apple replace the screen. At least this way, you will have a display that the staff has pre-screened. It just goes to show that Apple's QA doesn't care about letting these awful displays go out the factory. The Apple store staff diagnosed and found a bunch of flaws on my display within 2 minutes.. Something the factory doesn't bother with apparently.

This is probably my last Apple product, as I've had bad experiences the past few years with their quality.. from my MacBooks to the iPhones.

If anyone is still trying to play the screen lottery, I suggest you just go ahead and go for the repair instead. It's silly that I had to get a brand new phone through repairs already, but I'm just sick of playing. Apple is now associated with poor quality to me.

Wait for a jailbreak and jb it. Called color profiles and it lets you change the temp to however u want.

Yellow screens are software related.

 

[radiohead14]

Wait for a jailbreak and jb it. Called color profiles and it lets you change the temp to however u want.

Yellow screens are software related.

Not the case with the SE screens. I asked the tech who worked on mine, and he did try to calibrate it, but it was the backlighting that's off. They have a diagnostic tool they showed me that highlights the flaws on the actual hardware/display panel.

Anyway, after all that.. I now finally have an SE that has a decent panel and doesn't have rattling buttons... The way it should've been right out of the box. This whole experience has really turned me off, and has really tarnished Apple's past quality reputation for me.

 

[AndrewR23]

Not the case with the SE screens. I asked the tech who worked on mine, and he did try to calibrate it, but it was the backlighting that's off. They have a diagnostic tool they showed me that highlights the flaws on the actual hardware/display panel.

I shoulda read the whole thread before replying. Yeah your case is diff. I meant the whole screen being yellow

 

[phrehdd]

I have a 5s that has been around the block a couple of times and was seriously considering the 5se. Threads like these make me wonder if it would still be a good choice.

From what you folks know, which of the models seems to be more likely when bought to be in expected/perfect shape - 5se, 6, 6s (and plus models)?

 

[AndrewR23]

I have a 5s that has been around the block a couple of times and was seriously considering the 5se. Threads like these make me wonder if it would still be a good choice.

From what you folks know, which of the models seems to be more likely when bought to be in expected/perfect shape - 5se, 6, 6s (and plus models)?

its all random tbh. Avoid the 6 bc the front camera shifts.

 

[cola79]

I have a little yellowish top too, but this is common for Apple phones since the 4.

In my case the backlight is even and no led flashlights in the corners, so I kept it.

I've seen that much worse than in my case, so I'm not so picky about that Apple issue anymore.

I buy iPhones because of the os, if I want hardware quality, every Chinese low budget android would offer better quality nowadays.

Most Apple users never use other brands and have to justify the high price before themselves, so they are not aware of what level of quality is up to date today.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Only a matter of time before Apple clamps down on all of us and only allow a couple exchanges. Getting 5-6 replacements with the same problem would tell normal people that it is just the way it is. This only increases the cost of iPhones for everyone.

 

[radiohead14]

Only a matter of time before Apple clamps down on all of us and only allow a couple exchanges. Getting 5-6 replacements with the same problem would tell normal people that it is just the way it is. This only increases the cost of iPhones for everyone.

You know it's quite sad that there's a bunch of Apple loyalists that are just willing to accept issues as the standard, and anyone who refuses to gets labeled as not "normal". I'd rather keep exchanging legit issues when I'm paying premium prices for supposed "premium" devices. It's Apple's responsibility to respond to these returns and exchanges by correcting the issue instead of limiting consumer rights, as you so think they would do (which they won't). It's even sadder that, from what I gather from others, this has been a problem since the iPhone 4. The fact that Apple hasn't yet corrected it just shows they don't care.. And that tells you a lot about the company. If they want to avoid returns and exchanges, then ffs.. they need to correct their quality assurance to avoid it from happening in the first place.

 

[Newtons Apple]

You know it's quite sad that there's a bunch of Apple loyalists that are just willing to accept issues as the standard, and anyone who refuses to gets labeled as not "normal". I'd rather keep exchanging legit issues when I'm paying premium prices for supposed "premium" devices. It's Apple's responsibility to respond to these returns and exchanges by correcting the issue instead of limiting consumer rights, as you so think they would do (which they won't). It's even sadder that, from what I gather from others, this has been a problem since the iPhone 4. The fact that Apple hasn't yet corrected it just shows they don't care.. And that tells you a lot about the company. If they want to avoid returns and exchanges, then ffs.. they need to correct their quality assurance to avoid it from happening in the first place.

What is sadder is people like you who label people as Apple loyalists. I do care but am pointing out how stupid it is to go though 5-6 devices and all have the same perceived defect. Consumers have a right to look else where and buy a different product if they are unhappy with what they have.

It is your response that is typical and predictable.

 

[radiohead14]

What is sadder is people like you who label people as Apple loyalists. I do care but am pointing out how stupid it is to go though 5-6 devices and all have the same perceived defect. Consumers have a right to look else where and buy a different product if they are unhappy with what they have.

It is your response that is typical and predictable.

What is it to you that I, and others, have chosen to just keep trying to get a device that is issue free? A device that should match what we paid for. Why is it stupid that I want to get the SE because it's the only phone that fits my criteria right now with the size and camera? And "perceived defect"?? It's been easy to get the exchanges, since even the Apple staff have verified actual hardware defects. You come in here telling us, the people who just want an issue free device for the money we paid, that we are not "normal". You just want us to stay quiet because of your fear that Apple will "increase the iPhones cost for you".

 

[Newtons Apple]

What is it to you that I, and others, have chosen to just keep trying to get a device that is issue free? A device that should match what we paid for. Why is it stupid that I want to get the SE because it's the only phone that fits my criteria right now with the size and camera? And "perceived defect"?? It's been easy to get the exchanges, since even the Apple staff have verified actual hardware defects. You come in here telling us, the people who just want an issue free device for the money we paid, that we are not "normal". You just want us to stay quiet because of your fear that Apple will "increase the iPhones cost for you".

What is it to me? Higher cost for Apple hardware for everyone.

I am not "coming in here" to tell you anything . . just stating fact that if you get multiple phone with the same problem . . . well no where does Apple promise a perfect phone in everyone's eyes. I am not trying to convince you, I can see that will never happen. I agree that we will never agree. Keep on swapping and enjoy!

 

[I7guy]

Not the case with the SE screens. I asked the tech who worked on mine, and he did try to calibrate it, but it was the backlighting that's off. They have a diagnostic tool they showed me that highlights the flaws on the actual hardware/display panel.

Anyway, after all that.. I now finally have an SE that has a decent panel and doesn't have rattling buttons... The way it should've been right out of the box. This whole experience has really turned me off, and has really tarnished Apple's past quality reputation for me.

Family has been using iPhones since the iPhone 4; and only one had ever been returned. That one did not have a screen or button problem. You were unlucky.

 

[Gnomeo86]

I changed two yellow SEs before I gave up and I ended up buying a 6s (they wouldn't give my money back, only a Gift Card). Now I regret giving up my 4s, which had a perfect display.

Apart from the yellow band, my SEs had other problems due to the cheap quality. The home buttons were very loud when pressed and the vibration was anything but "silent".

I wonder though why none of the professional reviews I read mentions any of these problems, especially the yellow screen... The reviewers only noticed the rattling power button, which is a complete non-issue to me. Seems like Apple has deliberately provided perfect items to the media outlets and their stores, while selling the yellow crap to its customers.

Also, in the SE's "Issues" section on MacRumors there is only one thing mentioned, "BLUETOOTH CALLS". It difficult to imagine that the editors have failed to notice all the complaints in their own forum. I'm more inclined to think that it was a decision...

On the bright side, while the yellow band seems to be unfixable, the screen's yellow tint can be fixed easily without the need of a jailbreak: http://applelives.com/adjust-color-temperature-iphone-screen-using-gamma-thingy.html

I tried it on my 6s, which has the yellow tint too, and it worked like magic!