Other This years screen lottery (17, 17 pro, 17 pro max and air)

[AlexStrife]

You certainly can't order and return it again and again. I think, at some point your account will be blocked or the companies will refuse to send you a new device again. People who have ordered many devices will certainly have done so at various retailers, not just at Apple or Amazon. However, this is nothing for me - some companies are known for the fact that returns do not always go smoothly. No thanks… ;-)

But: That doesn't mean I would accept any display. Something like I posted above (that of a friend) would not be acceptable to me.

Okay, but what you posted could reasonably be changed; however, here we’re talking about overall quality, and to get something perfect you’d really have to make a lot of exchanges (or be extremely lucky).
On the other hand, I’ve also read about lots of Samsung units with those reddish reflections (which makes me wonder if they’re noticeable even when looking at the screen straight on; not on all of them, of course, but several people have pointed it out).
In fact, I’ve been reading this thread from the beginning and one user in the end kept the GH3 because he preferred the completely white display compared to the “reddish white” of the Samsung.
I get the feeling that potentially any display can have defects, regardless of the fact that there are few Samsungs among the PM units. If they were all Samsung, for example, maybe by the third replacement you might already find a display that satisfies you.
If I’m not mistaken, you also got a Samsung after 8 replacements.

It may be that Samsung displays generally tend to be a bit on the reddish side, but of course on some units this will be more noticeable than on others (because it depends from piece to piece).

 

[Faerlina]

Okay, but what you posted could reasonably be changed; however, here we’re talking about overall quality, and to get something perfect you’d really have to make a lot of exchanges (or be extremely lucky).
On the other hand, I’ve also read about lots of Samsung units with those reddish reflections (which makes me wonder if they’re noticeable even when looking at the screen straight on; not on all of them, of course, but several people have pointed it out).
In fact, I’ve been reading this thread from the beginning and one user in the end kept the GH3 because he preferred the completely white display compared to the “reddish white” of the Samsung.
I get the feeling that potentially any display can have defects, regardless of the fact that there are few Samsungs among the PM units. If they were all Samsung, for example, maybe by the third replacement you might already find a display that satisfies you.
If I’m not mistaken, you also got a Samsung after 8 replacements.

I had 2 Samsung G9N - and gave them back - I kept the GH3 instead which I have since November (Amazon would allow to give it back until 15.1.26). The Samsungs were not uniform and reddish.

 

[AlexStrife]

I had 2 Samsung G9N - and gave them back - I kept the GH3 instead which I have since November (Amazon would allow to give it back until 15.1.26). The Samsungs were not uniform and reddish.

Two? Both reddish?

 

[Faerlina]

Two? Both reddish?

Yes. 😉 And not uniform. Yellowish at the bottom, more reddish on the top. I found that tiring for the eyes.

 

[nunolikeapple]

My G9N is sublime, uniform, excellent brightness and not reddish/yellowish at all, pure white.

Much better than my previous 2 GVC and GH3 units. Horrible screens.

 

[Faerlina]

My G9N is sublime, uniform, excellent brightness and not reddish/yellowish at all, pure white.

Much better than my previous 2 GVC and GH3 units. Horrible screens.

Yes, I believe you!
But the fact is: they are all different. There are good and bad panels of both manufacturers.

After what I've seen so far either in the Apple store or in my private environment, I think, the chance of getting a Samsung display on a PM as beautiful as yours is probably 5-10 percent. In fact, I haven't seen a Pro Max with such a display live until now! (Only here in the thread on photos)

 

[VerenS]

You're doing the right thing. I also keep my absolutely not perfect device, although I could still return it until 15.1.26. But after a few weeks of use, you don't notice these things anymore. And 2026 or 2027 we will start the next round anyway. 😂

See y'all in September for another round of arguing 😎

 

[VerenS]

May I ask for you help on the uniformity of the display??

Today as I was chilling I took my phone and read every comment here.
Yes E V E R Y comment. It was fun I must say.

Then I decided to take a test again of my phone and my wife’s.
I have as I said and iPhone 17 pro Max silver 256 with G9N panel and my wife’s is an iPhone 17 pro orange with G9N panel.

What I found and there is where I need you help. My display in all test shows a very good uniformity. Slightly pinkish on the lower left part of the display but only visible on white background with 15-20% brightness. My wife’s on the other hand the 1/5 of the display - at the lower part - is pinkish but at very low brightness 15-20% the shapes on the screen for example from safari bar is hard to see the outlines. When I asked her if she get bothered from this see told me that see never put that low brightness and for her is not a problem or an issue ( I guess see is a normal person 😂😂 ).

But on both phones on Viber, Facebook messenger but not on WhatsApp - apps that uses the old keyboard design, the keyboard on the 17 PM looks like it is on the right is 20% grey and on the left is 15% grey. And that only on 40-50% brightness. On dark mode, there is no difference at all. With or without TT at all brightness levels.

On my wife’s on the other hand the lower part of the keyboard is on the left more green and on the right more pink. But again at the same circumstances as the PM.

I decided to take a print screen and make a test background with the color of the keyboard to test the screens. You can have it to test your screen too.
This is more like real world test.
There was no difference between left and right on the 17 PM neither on the 17 P.

On EVERY other app or site or photo or settings or whatever, the screens are both look pretty good. On a previous reply I said that there was some uniform issues but I did not see them now on the 17 PM. Only on my wife’s. But again with the test above this is not noticeable at every day use.
I think at that point that something is going on with me and the fact that I am looking for the problem and my brain creates the problem.

Or there is a software glitch that makes the screen to feel off in some apps.

I will post photos of the phones just for the community here to discuss. Thanks.

I have the exact same things on the 17PM with the G9N. A combo between your phone and your wife's.

 

[VerenS]

This is the 17 PM. At the moment I have not access to the other phone. As you can see there is an error on the photos. there is a pinkish hue at the bottom of the display as well as a little halo on the screen. Both of them are not visible on by naked eye on any brightness level. on any angle. is just from the lens of the camera and the position of the phone at the time of shooting. I say that I am pleased with the uniformity but the keyboard think I do not know whats I s going on.I couldn't capture it on camera..

The 17 pro I briefly owned captured the same issues on my phone, some of which weren't visible to the naked eye either.

 

[VerenS]

Also... you guys are still here?! Happy New Year you punks 🤘😂 but like someone said earlier, we should have the dust settle in and meet again in September.

Hopefully we'll have a nice bbq and drinks while discussing the 18 lineup and have the fold peeps join in and see how much horror so many of us endured. 🤣

 

[VerenS]

Mmmh, no pinkish on the bottom for me on the photos. I think, it looks very good.

I can see the pinkish tint, but this could be due to my own pinkish tint. iPhoneception 😵‍💫

 

[sd13]

My G9N is sublime, uniform, excellent brightness and not reddish/yellowish at all, pure white.

Much better than my previous 2 GVC and GH3 units. Horrible screens.

Only 1-2 people who love blue/green tinted screens are complaining about Samsung panels and posted 1000 times each how much they hate it, so it looks like there are widespread complaints but it’s literally only a loud minority. According to objective measurements, the Samsung panels are much more accurate and have way less greenish blue tint than lg panels. Red is the opposite of cyan so what’s they are calling reddish is actually better color accuracy than what they prefer. They prefer a cold and sterile white balance. A reference mastering monitor which has the gold standard of pure white will also look too reddish to them.

 

[AlexStrife]

My G9N is sublime, uniform, excellent brightness and not reddish/yellowish at all, pure white.

Much better than my previous 2 GVC and GH3 units. Horrible screens.

The fact that Samsung displays are better (meaning the defect-free ones) doesn’t imply that LG panels are horrible in general. And you only need to read around a bit to realize that’s the case. If you’re happy with your panel, I’m glad for you.

Between the two “sides,” I’m not even sure which one is doing more self-convincing.

Personally, I prefer reading balanced opinions: I’ve seen people who have tried both good Samsung and good LG units and appreciated both, while still acknowledging that Samsung was better. The fact that one is better doesn’t mean the other is garbage in all conditions (because depends on single unit).

 

[nunolikeapple]

I will not fall in that narrative and persuasion.

I am simply sharing my personal experience. I have the right to express my opinion and choose how I describe it.

To reiterate: I’ve owned three units with LG screens, and in my experience, they were absolutely horrendous.

Compensation is indeed a strong defense mechanism.

 

[nunolikeapple]

Only 1-2 people who love blue/green tinted screens are complaining about Samsung panels and posted 1000 times each how much they hate it, so it looks like there are widespread complaints but it’s literally only a loud minority. According to objective measurements, the Samsung panels are much more accurate and have way less greenish blue tint than lg panels. Red is the opposite of cyan so what’s they are calling reddish is actually better color accuracy than what they prefer. They prefer a cold and sterile white balance. A reference mastering monitor which has the gold standard of pure white will also look too reddish to them.

Perfectly described.

 

[AlexStrife]

Yes, I believe you!
But the fact is: they are all different. There are good and bad panels of both manufacturers.

After what I've seen so far either in the Apple store or in my private environment, I think, the chance of getting a Samsung display on a PM as beautiful as yours is probably 5-10 percent. In fact, I haven't seen a Pro Max with such a display live until now! (Only here in the thread on photos)

Looking at the two panels from the front (the Samsung you have had and your LG) and, putting the tinting aside for a moment (assuming your Samsung didn’t have yellow tinting, etc.), do you think the Samsung panel (you have tried two of them) was enormously better than the LG one, to the point that the LG looked horrible in comparison? I mean in terms of sharpness, color quality, etc., when viewed straight on.

Again, one thing is to say that the Samsung is better (no one here is denying that Samsung panels are the best on the market), and another thing is to say that the LG ones are so bad in every situation that it’s unacceptable to keep one of them under any circumstances. I’m waiting for your opinion, since you’ve seen many panels and you’re definitely a very meticulous person.

Just reading the 100 pages of this thread is enough to see that there are lots of different opinions on the topic. There are even people who have a 17PM with an LG screen, who have a bit of the usual green tinting at certain angles, but still prefer it to the Samsung screen from their previous models (like 15PM or 16PM).

In short, you’ll find every kind of opinion. If I were only reading comments where everyone (or 90% of them) agreed that LG screens are unacceptable compared to any Samsung display, then fine, I’d take that as the “one absolute truth.” But that really doesn’t seem to be the case.

 

[AlexStrife]

I can't stand this screen hierarchy / tier page that keeps getting cited to over and over again. There's absolutely no proof that this is the case other than "trust me bro". I've gone through so many phones and sold them all off over the years. I've had many so-called top tier G9N screens with terrible pink tint along 1/3 the screen, terrible uniformity, terrible off-axis shift. I've also had some near perfect GH3 screens. It is a complete lottery and one person's GH3 can be perfect and the other's trash.

My LG 17PM and wife's Samsung 16PM are identical in terms of brightness and color. Hers has a little less off-axis shift and goes pink whereas mine is slightly blue/green.

Once again I'm a total believer that LG alone doesn't mean crap at all, or a bad Samsung = wow its Samsung so you're set. It really comes down to the individual panel regardless of manufacturer. It's just an interesting extra bit of info.

I'm getting better at spotting LG or Samsung without looking it up too, for really subtle differences. But we're both going to enjoy our devices

As many know on here I’m very fussy with panels, but particularly with concerns exactly like yours. The GVC panel on mine is a breath of fresh air from Samsung panels I’ve owned in iPhones in the past for sure. Really happy. Slight green tint when tilting or not.

This is my first post, although I’ve been a long-time reader of MacRumors. I felt the need to address some of the claims being made here.

It’s simply not true that the GH3 is “the worst.” These codes only indicate production lines or assembly locations from LG. The idea that GH3 panels are inferior originated from a 2021 article that has since been debunked. Apple enforces strict quality requirements, and no display that fails to meet those standards would ever ship.

In practice, many GVC and GH3 panels look virtually identical, and even panels from the same production line can show subtle variations.

Are there differences between Samsung and LG panels? Yes, each manufacturer has its own production methods. But ultimately, every panel is calibrated to Apple’s standards, so all of them meet the same baseline of quality. Apple also protects new screens against burn-in more aggressively in the first weeks, and this behavior can vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, which may explain why panels can feel different at first.

OLED panels are most vulnerable to uneven wear in their first hundreds of hours of use. That’s why Apple applies stronger burn-in protection at the beginning, limiting peak brightness a bit more aggressively and shifting pixels more often.

Once the organic layers stabilize, the risk of permanent image retention drops and the panel can run closer to its full potential. This behavior can also vary slightly depending on the manufacturer, since Samsung and LG use different materials and production methods.

If you’ve been used to Samsung panels for years, an LG screen may feel different at first. That doesn’t make it worse, it’s mostly about adjustment and personal preference. Calling GH3 ‘the worst’ doesn’t just spread misinformation, it unnecessarily discourages owners, when in fact they have a fantastic display that fully meets Apple’s high standards.

Let’s put an end to the “GH3 is the worst” myth once and for all.

Enjoy your iPhone.

I'm quoting this old posts because it’s just one of many similar ones I’ve read in this discussion, and I basically totally agree with what these users say.

It also makes me smile that the ranking of the various panels has been going around for years now (since the days of the iPhone 13), as if LG panels couldn’t have improved in quality over the years. I’ll repeat it: the fact that Samsung makes the best panels doesn’t mean LG’s can’t improve over time. You’ve been bringing up the same ranking since the iPhone 13 days—make of that what you will.

 

[Faerlina]

Looking at the two panels from the front (the Samsung you have had and your LG) and, putting the tinting aside for a moment (assuming your Samsung didn’t have yellow tinting, etc.), do you think the Samsung panel (you have tried two of them) was enormously better than the LG one, to the point that the LG looked horrible in comparison? I mean in terms of sharpness, color quality, etc., when viewed straight on.

Again, one thing is to say that the Samsung is better (no one here is denying that Samsung panels are the best on the market), and another thing is to say that the LG ones are so bad in every situation that it’s unacceptable to keep one of them under any circumstances. I’m waiting for your opinion, since you’ve seen many panels and you’re definitely a very meticulous person.

Just reading the 100 pages of this thread is enough to see that there are lots of different opinions on the topic. There are even people who have a 17PM with an LG screen, who have a bit of the usual green tinting at certain angles, but still prefer it to the Samsung screen from their previous models (like 15PM or 16PM).

In short, you’ll find every kind of opinion. If I were only reading comments where everyone (or 90% of them) agreed that LG screens are unacceptable compared to any Samsung display, then fine, I’d take that as the “one absolute truth.” But that really doesn’t seem to be the case.

I don't care how often people here claim that Samsung displays are the better displays - I have eyes in my head. And if I tell you that the displays of my two G9Ns were inconsistent and reddish, then you can believe me that. ;-)
For comparison, I still have a 15 PM here, also with a G9N screen - this one does NOT look reddish and also not inconsistent. It looks a bit warmer than my current GH3 and has no color change when tilting. This is a perfect display for me! But overall, both look pretty much the same.

I don't care what any people tell me, a ****** display is and remains a ****** display, even if it's Samsung. My current LG is good, I don't have to prove it to anyone, I have compared it with many other displays and I know what I have to pay attention to. And no, it is not bluish or „too white“, absolutely not. ;-)

 

[nunolikeapple]

Subjective experiences and personal inclinations do not constitute irrefutable facts. It is essential to remain mindful of one’s distinct aesthetic preferences and functional requirements.

From my perspective, Samsung panels are typically superior, as they align more effectively with my specific criteria.

There is no obligation to escalate this discourse or feel a compulsive need to validate, substantiate, or dismantle a particular argument.

 

[Faerlina]

Only 1-2 people who love blue/green tinted screens are complaining about Samsung panels and posted 1000 times each how much they hate it, so it looks like there are widespread complaints but it’s literally only a loud minority. According to objective measurements, the Samsung panels are much more accurate and have way less greenish blue tint than lg panels. Red is the opposite of cyan so what’s they are calling reddish is actually better color accuracy than what they prefer. They prefer a cold and sterile white balance. A reference mastering monitor which has the gold standard of pure white will also look too reddish to them.

There were far more than just 1-2 people who complained here over 100 pages about their inconsistent and reddish Samsung displays! 🤣

 

[Faerlina]

Subjective experiences and personal inclinations do not constitute irrefutable facts. It is essential to remain mindful of one’s distinct aesthetic preferences and functional requirements.

From my perspective, Samsung panels are typically superior, as they align more effectively with my specific criteria.

There is no obligation to escalate this discourse or feel a compulsive need to validate, substantiate, or dismantle a particular argument.

Exactly, that's YOUR opinion, but not a universal fact. Other people have different opinions and different preferences. That's totally ok too!

 

[AlexStrife]

I don't care how often people here claim that Samsung displays are the better displays - I have eyes in my head. And if I tell you that the displays of my two G9Ns were inconsistent and reddish, then you can believe me that. ;-)
For comparison, I still have a 15 PM here, also with a G9N screen - this one does NOT look reddish and also not inconsistent. It looks a bit warmer than my current GH3 and has no color change when tilting. This is a perfect display for me! But overall, both look pretty much the same.

I don't care what any people tell me, a ****** display is and remains a ****** display, even if it's Samsung. My current LG is good, I don't have to prove it to anyone, I have compared it with many other displays and I know what I have to pay attention to. And no, it is not bluish or „too white“, absolutely not. ;-)

Later, if I remember, I’ll send you a photo privately, but after checking the display carefully now and recording a video with the XR, I noticed that even when tilting it, it’s very uniform. If there’s any green tint, it’s extremely light—nothing compared to some of the photos you see circulating online. At most, I realized that the tempered glass I put on it causes (it’s more noticeable in photos) the classic rainbow effect. It’s not a top-quality glass, sooner or later I’ll have to replace it (I’ve stocked up on hydrogel and TPU films like the ones I had on my old phone anyway), but at least I know that issue comes from the glass. It’s actually the first time I’ve used tempered glass—I’d never used it before, only TPU/plastic or hydrogel films.

 

[AlexStrife]

Exactly, that's YOUR opinion, but not a universal fact. Other people have different opinions and different preferences. That's totally ok too!

What brightness percentage do you use on your phone? To know which ones I use, I created shortcuts with the different percentages written out. In my opinion, Apple should show the exact brightness percentage by default when you change it.

 

[Ishimura]

Why shouldn't people demand excellent screens for the huge amount of money a flagship iPhone costs? If I spend £1100 on a phone I expect it to have an incredible screen. I mean, come on.

Anyway, are there any signs at all of this situation getting better? And what did we settle on the model most likely to have one of the better screens? Was it the Pro?

I am still trying to decide what model to buy. A cheap (new) 16 Plus is still on the table for me. If it wasn't for this display issue i'm sure I would have already bought a 17. I'm upgrading from a 13.

 

[AlexStrife]

Why shouldn't people demand excellent screens for the huge amount of money a flagship iPhone costs? If I spend £1100 on a phone I expect it to have an incredible screen. I mean, come on.

Anyway, are there any signs at all of this situation getting better? And what did we settle on the model most likely to have one of the better screens? Was it the Pro?

I am still trying to decide what model to buy. A cheap (new) 16 Plus is still on the table for me. If it wasn't for this display issue i'm sure I would have already bought a 17. I'm upgrading from a 13.

I don’t understand where the problem is, though. Every year phones can have good screens or terrible ones—it depends on which unit you end up with. If you get a terrible one, you replace it; if you get a good one, you keep it.