iPhone 12 Pro Screen sounds hollow and noisy when tapping. Is it normal?

[serra]

After several years using Android phones I finally decided to go back to iPhones.

As soon as I started using my new iPhone 12, I was surprised -and disappointed- by how the screen sounds when tapping on it.
It feels hollow and you can clearly hear every single tap, like it is made of plastic. This is especially true when you tap on the center of the screen, while the corners are much more silent.

I know that it might seem stupid, but I find it very annoying. Also, it sounds like a "cheap" product.

All my previous Android phones never had such issue and I could barely hear my finger tapping on the screen.
At first I thought it was a faulty unit and asked for a replacement. Unfortunately, also the second iPhone 12 had the same problem.

I know that many of you will think this is not an issue at all and that I should simply get used to it.
However, I don't think this is a solution for a +1k euros phone.

So, here are my questions: is this the "normal" sound of an iPhone? Or should I replace it again?

 

[RRC]

I’d suggest posting a video of the noise, or try to compare your device with one from the Apple store or anywhere else with the phone on display.

You shouldn’t hear anything unless you’re tapping it hard, which isn’t required.

 

[serra]

Hi RRC, thanks for your reply.
I tried to compare with a few iPhones on display but the stores were all quite noisy so I was not able to judge.
Here is a video of my phone. The actual sound is a bit different but I imagine this is enough to get an idea of the issue.
p.s.
I'm tapping with the same strength -not hard- across the whole screen. It gets noisy when I tap on the center of the display.

 

[0906742]

As soon as I started using my new iPhone 12, I was surprised -and disappointed- by how the screen sounds when tapping on it.
It feels hollow and you can clearly hear every single tap, like it is made of plastic. This is especially true when you tap on the center of the screen, while the corners are much more silent.

I know that it might seem stupid, but I find it very annoying. Also, it sounds like a "cheap" product.

I can confirm mine does that too. Not sure if this is related which manufacturers panel is in used but mine sounds just like you describe and compared to my X it is night and day difference where X sounds solid as a rock.
Mine is 12 Pro 6.1". Also if I look screen from angle and press it in the middle with some force, I can see screen bends quite a bit while pressing. Like is is thinner and/or softer.

 

[colinw123]

I noticed it straight away on a new 12 and 12PM kinda hollow sounding but they went back for the yellow screen issue anyway. Went back to my old Android phone in the end.

 

[serra]

I can confirm mine does that too. Not sure if this is related which manufacturers panel is in used but mine sounds just like you describe and compared to my X it is night and day difference where X sounds solid as a rock.
Mine is 12 Pro 6.1". Also if I look screen from angle and press it in the middle with some force, I can see screen bends quite a bit while pressing. Like is is thinner and/or softer.

Will you keep it or ask for a replacement?

I really like the 12 Pro but I hate the hollow screen noise.
Switching to iOS is already costing me a lot and I've already replaced a 12PM for the same reason (and its huge size)... I'm wondering whether it's worth trying with another unit or they are all like this.

 

[0906742]

Will you keep it or ask for a replacement?

I really like the 12 Pro but I hate the hollow screen noise.
Switching to iOS is already costing me a lot and I've already replaced a 12PM for the same reason (and its huge size)... I'm wondering whether it's worth trying with another unit or they are all like this.

I don't think exchanging will not anything for the hollow noise, unless there is difference between panel vendors delivering panels to 12 Pro's. I doubt not.

Anyway, delivery times are like 1 month for 12 Pro's so we are pretty much stuck with what we get. I hate my panel uniformity difference between upper and lower half of the screen but what you gonna do, you need to returns yours within 2 weeks but wait for new for a 1 month... Can't do that.

 

[Saludos]

Same tought here. Using my brand new iPhone 12 mini I felt the same “sound”. I had an iPhone SE 1gen before, tapping in it dosen‘t sound like this, the sound is ...solid rock. tapping on my 12mini is like tapping a plastic toy. Do you think is this normal? is this a faulty batch?

 

[serra]

Anyway, delivery times are like 1 month for 12 Pro's so we are pretty much stuck with what we get. I hate my panel uniformity difference between upper and lower half of the screen but what you gonna do, you need to returns yours within 2 weeks but wait for new for a 1 month... Can't do that.

I can get a new one in a couple of days from my local Apple store, but... I've already replaced it once and I see that others have the same issue.
I will return this one for sure, but I'm not sure whether to give Apple another chance or not before going back to OnePlus.

It would be great if someone can confirm this is indeed a faulty screen issue or the standard sound of the 12P.
Anyone with a 12P that sounds like a solid phone?

 

[0906742]

I can get a new one in a couple of days from my local Apple store, but... I've already replaced it once and I see that others have the same issue.
I will return this one for sure, but I'm not sure whether to give Apple another chance or not before going back to OnePlus.

It would be great if someone can confirm this is indeed a faulty screen issue or the standard sound of the 12P.
Anyone with a 12P that sounds like a solid phone?

I'm pretty sure hollow sound is a feature, maybe something to do with the new durable glass.
But for a piece of mind go ahead and try another but I'm 99.99999% sure it sounds the same and my advice to you is that are you absolutely happy with the screen uniformity on the unit you have now? If the answer is yes, then ask yourself are you so lucky your next replacement also have perfect screen or are you willing to accept worse screen just to try if you can get rid of hollow sound...

 

[HatMine]

Can someone please tell me this is a joke? For the love of god, please do not take this phone to Apple and have them exchange it, I do not want them to increase the sales price even more to cover the costs of all your made-up "issues".

 

[SaddleSC]

I have a 12 Mini and a 12 Pro. In my family we own 4 different 12s. The 12 non-pro and mini feel much more hollow than the Pro but they all have a tappy hollow sound. I quite like it. If you are happy with the coloration of the screen, don’t under any circumstances exchange. The new one will sound exactly the same but the screen will undoubtedly be worse.

 

[fredriks]

I’ve had this sound on every iPhone I’ve had. I’ve got used to it and don’t notice it anymore , it was a bit annoying when I first heard it but nothing is wrong with it so....

 

[serra]

Can someone please tell me this is a joke? For the love of god, please do not take this phone to Apple and have them exchange it, I do not want them to increase the sales price even more to cover the costs of all your made-up "issues".

You might think that this is a "made-up issue", but the fact is that we just tried to figure out whether it is an issue or not.
A more polite answer would have been "No, this is how they are supposed to be"

Anyway, I think that when you pay 1200 euros for a phone, you have at least the right to complain if its built quality feels not good. Especially when we are talking of a company that charges you a premium for -also- the overall user experience with their products.

 

[HatMine]

I can get a new one in a couple of days from my local Apple store, but... I've already replaced it once and I see that others have the same issue.
I will return this one for sure, but I'm not sure whether to give Apple another chance or not before going back to OnePlus.

It would be great if someone can confirm this is indeed a faulty screen issue or the standard sound of the 12P.
Anyone with a 12P that sounds like a solid phone?

You might think that this is a "made-up issue", but the fact is that we just tried to figure out whether it is an issue or not.
A more polite answer would have been "No, this is how they are supposed to be"

Anyway, I think that when you pay 1200 euros for a phone, you have at least the right to complain if its built quality feels not good. Especially when we are talking of a company that charges you a premium for -also- the overall user experience with their products.

Judging by the upper quote, you have already exchanged it once and will do so again. My point is that it is no wonder the price is high when people are exchanging their phones like crazy, even when there is arguably nothing wrong with them. I have an iPhone 12 Pro myself and I have never even reflected over the sound it makes when I touch the screen. Even in your video I hear nothing strange; just the sound of someone tapping a screen.

 

[Iorgo]

After several years using Android phones I finally decided to go back to iPhones.

As soon as I started using my new iPhone 12, I was surprised -and disappointed- by how the screen sounds when tapping on it.
It feels hollow and you can clearly hear every single tap, like it is made of plastic. This is especially true when you tap on the center of the screen, while the corners are much more silent.

I know that it might seem stupid, but I find it very annoying. Also, it sounds like a "cheap" product.

All my previous Android phones never had such issue and I could barely hear my finger tapping on the screen.
At first I thought it was a faulty unit and asked for a replacement. Unfortunately, also the second iPhone 12 had the same problem.

I know that many of you will think this is not an issue at all and that I should simply get used to it.
However, I don't think this is a solution for a +1k euros phone.

So, here are my questions: is this the "normal" sound of an iPhone? Or should I replace it again?

Hi Serra, did you get used to the phone after all? What is your conclusion? I recently purchased an iphone SE 2020 and noticed the same "problem". I compared my iphone SE 2020 with iphone models: 8, X, 11, 12 and i came to the conclusion that all iphone screens are the same. The hallow sound in your video is normal, this is how they are supposed to be.

 

[Pipefish]

After several years using Android phones I finally decided to go back to iPhones.

As soon as I started using my new iPhone 12, I was surprised -and disappointed- by how the screen sounds when tapping on it.
It feels hollow and you can clearly hear every single tap, like it is made of plastic. This is especially true when you tap on the center of the screen, while the corners are much more silent.

I know that it might seem stupid, but I find it very annoying. Also, it sounds like a "cheap" product.

All my previous Android phones never had such issue and I could barely hear my finger tapping on the screen.
At first I thought it was a faulty unit and asked for a replacement. Unfortunately, also the second iPhone 12 had the same problem.

I know that many of you will think this is not an issue at all and that I should simply get used to it.
However, I don't think this is a solution for a +1k euros phone.

So, here are my questions: is this the "normal" sound of an iPhone? Or should I replace it again?

I’ve just come from an S21Ultra to a 12 Pro Max - I noticed this too, it’s definitely a real thing. I was surprised at how cheap and plastic the screen feels. It doesn’t bother me and I personally love the phone.

But it is a very noticeable thing when coming from a flagship Samsung.

 

[LFC2020]

I’ve just come from an S21Ultra to a 12 Pro Max - I noticed this too, it’s definitely a real thing. I was surprised at how cheap and plastic the screen feels. It doesn’t bother me and I personally love the phone.

But it is a very noticeable thing when coming from a flagship Samsung.

Feels normal to me 🤔 maybe it’s the Ceramic Shield, or as Steve would say you’re tapping it wrong. 😂

What made you switch over?

 

[Pipefish]

Feels normal to me 🤔 maybe it’s the Ceramic Shield, or as Steve would say you’re tapping it wrong. 😂

What made you switch over?

I just fancied a change. The last iPhone I’d had was the 3GS. I moved to Android because it wasn’t restricted like the iPhone was and because back then I think Android phones were way ahead in most things.
I’d been Android ever since but wanted a change. Then my wife got an iPhone issued as her work phone, which she hates, but I kind of thought looked quite nice.

The main thing that put me off was that in my view, the Home Screen of the iPhone just looked like a permanently open app drawer that you could do nothing with. I hated that. After Apple introduced widgets, I didn’t see a reason not to give the iPhone another go.

Basically, because they introduced widgets.

I don’t regret it!

 

[LFC2020]

I just fancied a change. The last iPhone I’d had was the 3GS. I moved to Android because it wasn’t restricted like the iPhone was and because back then I think Android phones were way ahead in most things.
I’d been Android ever since but wanted a change. Then my wife got an iPhone issued as her work phone, which she hates, but I kind of thought looked quite nice.

The main thing that put me off was that in my view, the Home Screen of the iPhone just looked like a permanently open app drawer that you could do nothing with. I hated that. After Apple introduced widgets, I didn’t see a reason not to give the iPhone another go.

Basically, because they introduced widgets.

I don’t regret it!

Welcome to the walled garden. 😊 the good old 3GS days, my first ever iPhone. 🥺

 

[jts1207]

Coming from a Samsung S9+ and feel the same way. My Samsung actually feels like solid glass while the 12PM seems like cheap hollow plastic. Doesn’t seem to me this PM screen could ever crack or shatter as it seems like thin plastic

 

[serra]

Hi Serra, did you get used to the phone after all? What is your conclusion? I recently purchased an iphone SE 2020 and noticed the same "problem". I compared my iphone SE 2020 with iphone models: 8, X, 11, 12 and i came to the conclusion that all iphone screens are the same. The hallow sound in your video is normal, this is how they are supposed to be.

I finally kept the phone. Although I got a bit more used to the noise, it still bothers me sometimes.

 

[LFC2020]

I finally kept the phone. Although I got a bit more used to the noise, it still bothers me sometimes.

You’re tapping the screen wrong 😁

 

[Iorgo]

I think i solved the mystery. Most Samsung models have a metal baseplate underneath the screen and this creates the feeling of solid build when you tap it. The iPhone screen sits directly on the battery and other components. probably the lack of a hard and continuous surface creates different acoustics (hollow sound) when you tap it.
I think this is one of the reasons why the iPhone is thinner and lighter.

​

 

[Madjack7691]

After several years using Android phones I finally decided to go back to iPhones.

As soon as I started using my new iPhone 12, I was surprised -and disappointed- by how the screen sounds when tapping on it.
It feels hollow and you can clearly hear every single tap, like it is made of plastic. This is especially true when you tap on the center of the screen, while the corners are much more silent.

I know that it might seem stupid, but I find it very annoying. Also, it sounds like a "cheap" product.

All my previous Android phones never had such issue and I could barely hear my finger tapping on the screen.
At first I thought it was a faulty unit and asked for a replacement. Unfortunately, also the second iPhone 12 had the same problem.

I know that many of you will think this is not an issue at all and that I should simply get used to it.
However, I don't think this is a solution for a +1k euros phone.

So, here are my questions: is this the "normal" sound of an iPhone? Or should I replace it again?

My wife's iPhone 12 makes the same sound, I actually like it and makes me want one.