Screen interlacing still present on 5S

[kockgunner]

I've seen more 5s with this problem than the 5. The 5 was more 50/50 (although with all the ones I had, it was more like 95% interlaced, but go figure).

With the 5s, every single one in the store has had it to some degree. It's become so much of an issue, I half expect the iPads to have interlacing as well and leave surprised to see the panels on the iPads are so much better than in the iPhones.

My anecdotal observations were done from iPhone 5, 5s, and iPads from friends and in these stores: Best Buy, Futureshop, The Source, and Apple stores.

 

[samven582]

I've seen more 5s with this problem than the 5. The 5 was more 50/50 (although with all the ones I had, it was more like 95% interlaced, but go figure).

With the 5s, every single one in the store has had it to some degree. It's become so much of an issue, I half expect the iPads to have interlacing as well and leave surprised to see the panels on the iPads are so much better than in the iPhones.

My anecdotal observations were done from iPhone 5, 5s, and iPads from friends and in these stores: Best Buy, Futureshop, The Source, and Apple stores.

Looks like Apple's suppliers are trying to keep up demand and are cutting corners.

 

[FedoraBoy]

I am having the exact same issue described repeatedly on this thread.

Originally purchased iPhone 5s (white) which had the unfortunate battery issue with 4 hours battery life.

Second attempt was a (black) iPhone 5s flawless except for dead pixels and dust under the glass. However, I did not notice this for two months or they appeared suddenly. This phone had 10 1/2 hours battery life and was scratch free, basically brilliant.

Third try received a (refurbished) unit. Pre owned if I'm correct. This one has the issue described.

For me it's very distracting and I am personally dismayed with the process of loading and erasing my data the several times. If the phone was $300 unlocked I wouldn't care much but I paid close to $900 for mine. In addition to this the Genius experience is not fun at all. I may go Samsung.

 

[Shoco]

I've returned 4 iPhones 5s so far trying to get an interlacing-free unit.

It's very easy to do where I live as long as you return it within 2 weeks, no question asked, gets exchanged for a new sealed one each time.

What's crazy is that in store none of the models on display have the problem, none. So it's possible to get one without the problem.

The one I have right now is okay, by far the best out of the 5 I've tested, but it's noticeable. The previous one I had flickered like crazy on the test image and I could see the vertical lines all the time during everyday use. I have myopia so any flaw with the display is gonna be noticeable to me.

Honestly this is shameful from Apple, even if it's not something most people can see, when you spend that much money on a device it shouldn't have such a flaw on the most important part of the device, but hey if they want to play that game then so can we, returning models left and right until we get one without the issue and making them lose tons of money in the process. Eventually they'll get the message if enough people do it.

 

[Preed08]

I've returned 4 iPhones 5s so far trying to get an interlacing-free unit.

It's very easy to do where I live as long as you return it within 2 weeks, no question asked, gets exchanged for a new sealed one each time.

What's crazy is that in store none of the models on display have the problem, none. So it's possible to get one without the problem.

The one I have right now is okay, by far the best out of the 5 I've tested, but it's noticeable. The previous one I had flickered like crazy on the test image and I could see the vertical lines all the time during everyday use. I have myopia so any flaw with the display is gonna be noticeable to me.

Honestly this is shameful from Apple, even if it's not something most people can see, when you spend that much money on a device it shouldn't have such a flaw on the most important part of the device, but hey if they want to play that game then so can we, returning models left and right until we get one without the issue and making them lose tons of money in the process. Eventually they'll get the message if enough people do it.

Even more shameful that they wont man up to the issue. Its one of the things that keep me from fully enjoying my iphone.
Its come to the point that i just use my phone sideways when i can

 

[RiddlaBronc]

Wow, I thought this would have been fixed by now?

I am glad mine is flawless

 

[cstm]

Wow, I thought this would have been fixed by now?

I am glad mine is flawless

What does your serial number start with? I've had F1, F2 and D and they all had interlacing screens.

 

[aphexacid]

How are you guys seeing this with ios7?
I downloaded the one for iPhone 5/5S screens and set it as my wallpaper with reduce motion off and the wallpaper does look like it used to look with iOS 6. On iOS 6 it used to look like a plain grey background. Now it looks like it was zoomed in a little bit for some reason bug I definitely didn't zoom in

 

[suijkerwerk]

Got my iPhone 5S today and I noticed very small vertical scan lines at first sight. My colleagues didn't notice them to be honest.

Anyway: the test image provided here only flickers when I use the parallax-effect. When the image is held still, nothing happens.

I have a DN-coded display.

Am I to picky or are small vertical scan lines, seen from 10 cm's from my eyes, normal?

 

[cstm]

Got my iPhone 5S today and I noticed very small vertical scan lines at first sight. My colleagues didn't notice them to be honest.

Anyway: the test image provided here only flickers when I use the parallax-effect. When the image is held still, nothing happens.

I have a DN-coded display.

Am I to picky or are small vertical scan lines, seen from 10 cm's from my eyes, normal?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1668140/
Try this image, if it doesn't flicker then you don't have screen interlacing

 

[jclardy]

It's because they're so new. Screens, like headphones, take awhile to kind of 'warm up' over the first few weeks of use. It's hard to explain. But give it a few weeks and the 'problem' just disappears. You're probably trading in your phones too fast.

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I think some people's brains just run at a higher frames per second than others. Some people have a higher 'frequency' than others. Your brain probably runs at 2 gigahertz while your friend's brain runs at 1 gigahertz. I bet you kick his butt in Halo or Call of Duty as well.

How else do you explain some people being so much better at FPS games?

Time investment?

But yes, some people do have better vision than others. I can see nothing on my 5s and never noticed anything on my other iPhones (3GS, 4, 4S, 5...)
The only refresh rate issue I saw is on the retina iPads (Including the air) when scrolling quickly the lines get wavy (Left to right in portrait) because it refreshes progressively in landscape.

 

[suijkerwerk]

Today I received my third iPhone 5S... Again with the flickering image and vertical lines... This time the serial started with F17...

At this point I'm like... Hell I'll take the damn device, with lines and all... But on the other hand... The whole retina effect dissapears because of the lines.

 

[sonicblue83]

Today I received my third iPhone 5S... Again with the flickering image and vertical lines... This time the serial started with F17...

At this point I'm like... Hell I'll take the damn device, with lines and all... But on the other hand... The whole retina effect dissapears because of the lines.

I totally agree with you about disappear the whole retina defect. That's why I also went through different replacements as well until I finally got one with a perfect screen. The perfect ones are still out there, there are just not too many of them. But with enough patience you will get one too. My experience is still that the C39 serials have less screen problems, but maybe it was just coincidence. I haven't seen any perfect F2 and DN serial yet though (but I'm sure some F2 and DN have to be perfect as well).

 

[Mackan]

Checked 4 iPhone 5s/c today in store. 2 were C39 and the other 2 were F2. All screens looked great. Was unable to check that picture due to the forums being down at that very moment... but again, the screens looked great.

 

[RokkenRock]

My iPhone 5s is having the same issue. I don't notice it ALL the time, but when I do, particularly when it's on almost full brightness, it's annoying and I don't like having a defected phone that I am going to use for two to three years. My cousin bought it for me in UK so I don't think I can return it or get it replaced here in Norway.

Hopefully I can live with it as I use it more often and hopefully the one my wife is getting won't have the same issue or else she would be pissed and then I'll be MORE pissed.

The screen is otherwise much better than the one in my iPhone 4S. The color is much better. The whole phone is a fantastic update for me. If not for this issue I could go to hell with it. That is why I'm as frustrated as I am right now.

 

[RokkenRock]

I have nearsightedness but I think the eye strain is due the interlaced screen's flicker which is a secondary symptom of a bad display. I can clearly see the Facebook icon and other blues and greys flickering all the time. My friends thought I was crazy because they all got perfect screens on the first try but I've gone through 7 iPhones and all had interlacing. When I go back to the iPhone 4, the screen is so comfortable to look at. Colours are solid and sharp. Every time I look at my iPhone 5 screen, my head starts to hurt a little.

Same for me. I could care less about the lines as I only see them from time to time, but my eyes become tired much sooner than before. It's much worse when the phone turn brightness all the way. Man that is bad. I have to turn auto adjust brightness off to ease the problem.

 

[sonicblue83]

Well, here an update about my story with the "scan lines/interlaced lines":

I wanted to buy a golden 64GB 5S for my girlfriend. Unfortunately at the local Apple Store they weren't able to give me one without the visible lines. All the phones they had there had a DN serial and bad displays.

Really upset about the Apple Store I went to a store of the biggest local provider and bought a golden 64GB 5S there (since they also have a 14 days money back policy). They also only had DN serials since it looks like at the time 99% of the iPhones 5S available in my country have a DN serial. The big surprise was, the phone I bought had an absolutely perfect screen! No visible lines at all and no flickering with the test image. My eyes are very trained by now, I see in few seconds if the screen has the lines or not (just looking at the settings and mail icon is enough). But the screen of the 5S I bought today IS perfect, the way every retina screen should be. I checked the serial at chipmunk and saw that the phone was made in December! I don't know if this time I was just lucky in the panel lottery, or maybe (even if they would never admit it officially) Apple did realize the quality issue and changed something so therefore the new production has good displays.

All the DN serials I saw before were really bad (much worse than the F1 and F2), but all of them were made in September. The good serials which I saw and were made in September started with C39.

I'm really wondering if all iPhones made in December or later now have good displays or not.

 

[samven582]

Well, here an update about my story with the "scan lines/interlaced lines":

I wanted to buy a golden 64GB 5S for my girlfriend. Unfortunately at the local Apple Store they weren't able to give me one without the visible lines. All the phones they had there had a DN serial and bad displays.

Really upset about the Apple Store I went to a store of the biggest local provider and bought a golden 64GB 5S there (since they also have a 14 days money back policy). They also only had DN serials since it looks like at the time 99% of the iPhones 5S available in my country have a DN serial. The big surprise was, the phone I bought had an absolutely perfect screen! No visible lines at all and no flickering with the test image. My eyes are very trained by now, I see in few seconds if the screen has the lines or not (just looking at the settings and mail icon is enough). But the screen of the 5S I bought today IS perfect, the way every retina screen should be. I checked the serial at chipmunk and saw that the phone was made in December! I don't know if this time I was just lucky in the panel lottery, or maybe (even if they would never admit it officially) Apple did realize the quality issue and changed something so therefore the new production has good displays.

All the DN serials I saw before were really bad (much worse than the F1 and F2), but all of them were made in September. The good serials which I saw and were made in September started with C39.

I'm really wondering if all iPhones made in December or later now have good displays or not.

Thanks for the head ups. I will give it a shot tomorrow to see if the displays in my area have improved or not

 

[RebornProphet]

Just found this thread after a quick search.

I got my black 5s a week ago now and I have very mild vertical "scan lines", most noticeable when the display is at full brightness or when viewing a grey or blue background.

It's not immediately noticeable until you quickly shift your focus from one part of the display to another. My serial number begins DNPM, as does my wife's white & gold 5s which has the same issue, very mild "scan lines".

Having read about people with different serials having the "issue" and getting replacements with the issue, I'm not going to bother with the hassle of returning it to O2 (bought online, my wife's was bought in store) or visiting the Genius Bar.

Has anyone returned it for this and been laughed out the Apple store?

EDIT: I spoke to Applecare online and the agent verified that the issue did not sound normal and that the phone should be 'repaired or replaced' and has placed notes on the file for the serial number for the 'Genius' to review tomorrow. Only one week old too, but as I got it when upgrading my O2 contract via O2 Online I don't have time to go through O2 for a brand new replacement, so will need to accept an Apple Refurb instead.

As long as the screen has the same colour reproduction as my current phone but without the scan lines I'll be happy. 9:20am tomorrow I'm booked in.

 

[samven582]

Just found this thread after a quick search.

I got my black 5s a week ago now and I have very mild vertical "scan lines", most noticeable when the display is at full brightness or when viewing a grey or blue background.

It's not immediately noticeable until you quickly shift your focus from one part of the display to another. My serial number begins DNPM, as does my wife's white & gold 5s which has the same issue, very mild "scan lines".

Having read about people with different serials having the "issue" and getting replacements with the issue, I'm not going to bother with the hassle of returning it to O2 (bought online, my wife's was bought in store) or visiting the Genius Bar.

Has anyone returned it for this and been laughed out the Apple store?

EDIT: I spoke to Applecare online and the agent verified that the issue did not sound normal and that the phone should be 'repaired or replaced' and has placed notes on the file for the serial number for the 'Genius' to review tomorrow. Only one week old too, but as I got it when upgrading my O2 contract via O2 Online I don't have time to go through O2 for a brand new replacement, so will need to accept an Apple Refurb instead.

As long as the screen has the same colour reproduction as my current phone but without the scan lines I'll be happy. 9:20am tomorrow I'm booked in.

Keep us updated

 

[bigcstyle4]

As long as the screen has the same colour reproduction as my current phone but without the scan lines I'll be happy.

Good luck finding a screen without lines, and I mean that sincerely.

They seem to be quite rare nowadays. Since 99.9% of people either wouldn't notice/be able to see the lines, or if it was seen, wouldn't think anything of it, don't expect this to change in future production runs.

This has been ongoing since the 3GS and with each phone release becomes more and more common.

 

[RebornProphet]

So I got it swapped, the "Genius", Adam said he could see it and swapped it. Replacement came out a white cardboard box, not a black plastic one, so not sure if this is a refurb or not.

New unit has the same issue. Identical. I compared it to the display models which were perfect.

Went back upstairs, and was met by this big bald, obnoxious, pompous prick of a bloke who scoffed and said the phone was fine, he couldn't see it and that Adam couldn't see it either and swapped it out of goodwill.

I was then told to basically deal with it and leave.

Apple stores have become PC World.

 

[I7guy]

If Adam didn't see it, is it possible there was no issue or there is some hyper-sensitivity?

 

[RebornProphet]

If Adam didn't see it, is it possible there was no issue or there is some hyper-sensitivity?

Read my post again then come back.

He said he seen it when I was at the Bar, when I returned he claimed to his superior that he didn't see it. My receipt says error was "verified at Bar".

There are vertical scan lines, the display models don't have them and my wife's 5s doesn't have them. I'll just need to put up with them.

 

[I7guy]

Read my post again then come back.

He said he seen it when I was at the Bar, when I returned he claimed to his superior that he didn't see it. My receipt says error was "verified at Bar".

There are vertical scan lines, the display models don't have them and my wife's 5s doesn't have them. I'll just need to put up with them.

Reread my post, the second phone I was referring to.