iPhone 12 Pro Yellow Screen/Tint? Display seem "Warm"? Check here first!

[socceryo3]

i dont really see why it's such a big deal. i just turn TT off and it's great.

Because it's kind of ridiculous that those of us who have used True Tone since it was introduced and like it have to turn the feature off because of the screen quality on our $1,000+ devices whose displays share a marketing term with a $5,000 professionally calibrated display.

 

[kre62]

i'm coming from an iphone x where i was using TT and it was fine. If i use TT on the iphone 12, it is too yellow. However turning TT off looks fine to me and is a bit more neutral than my iphone x with TT On, so I'm good with it. i forgot to add i use my ipad pro 12" 3rd gen a lot and still not having any issues, just doesn't bother me i guess.

i just did another comparison after i wrote the above, TT On for the iphone x now seems too yellow in comparison to TT being OFF on the iphone 12, so again, i feel good using iphone 12 with TT OFF but certainly not with TT being ON. Perhaps Apple can come up with a software fix to tone down the TT on the new phones, then everyone should be happy with TT On or OFF.

Let me state this again. Not all 12's have the same color temperature. There is panel variation.

Maybe you have a phone that doesnt have this issue to begin with, if it looks good with TT off. The guideline from the OP was to have TT off, so TT is not the issue. Wish people would stop posting this.

There is variation. Some are more yellow than others. If yours is more yellow than a display 12, return it, simple as that.

 

[cRuNcHiE]

I have a feeling this issue may be compounded by the resolution change.
If you can, load a website e.g Wikipedia on both a 12 pro and an 11std.

The 11 shows more of the webpage and looks crisper, no matter what text size you have set.

 

[go3asy]

I have a feeling this issue may be compounded by the resolution change.
If you can, load a website e.g Wikipedia on both a 12 pro and an 11std.

The 11 shows more of the webpage and looks crisper, no matter what text size you have set.

Yeah this is a pretty annoying use of the screen size. Coming from the XR and seeing less on the same size screen with a higher res is a little silly. It's just rendering exactly how the 5.8" pro did last year but blowing it up, so almost a pointless screen size upgrade unless you are watching videos. Stock apps are the same, I remember when I first set it up and the settings page eventing looked huge and cut off the screen showing less content than the XR I thought the text size must not have restored from my backup.

 

[nn88]

If you have a few different apple devices or probably even any laptop/monitor you look at a lot then switch back to picking up your phone it is a big deal. I was getting used to the colour at the weekend I think and updated to the 14.2 beta thinking that had fixed it. After working on my MacBook Pro with monitor (truetone on) and using iPad from yesterday every time I puck up the phone it looks like piss water for the first 10mins of use. Apple are going to exchange it but the new one won't be here until next week so hopefully there is an improvement. If I turn True Tone off it looks great in the right lighting but in lower lit rooms or when I am working on my displays which use True Tone its the same jarring effect going back to the phone being overdue blue with a green tint.

Granted these devices are LCD but I also have an OLED TV (LG) and Apple Watch which can show accurate colours without issue. I come from an XR and the difference when I first switched the 12 on was crazy but not in the good way I had expected going to 'Super Retina XDR' OLED.

How do you know the replacement will fix this?

 

[thadoggfather]

Yeah this is a pretty annoying use of the screen size. Coming from the XR and seeing less on the same size screen with a higher res is a little silly. It's just rendering exactly how the 5.8" pro did last year but blowing it up, so almost a pointless screen size upgrade unless you are watching videos. Stock apps are the same, I remember when I first set it up and the settings page eventing looked huge and cut off the screen showing less content than the XR I thought the text size must not have restored from my backup.

I was really worried about this... I even created a thread sounding the alarm about it, but I legit didnt know you could decrease the size of text on safari until recently (the reader dropdown button next to URL). Seems to 'fix' it.

Same with text size in settings, if you want to see more of your iMessages and settings options on the screen

But I havent adjusted the latter. and the former only for some sites (since its on a per site basis)

 

[Hogster86]

I spent over an hour on the phone to Apple today and they've agreed to give me a refund or an identical replacement. As I want to compare my current 12 Pro to the replacement (and with their replacement policy they have to receive the old unit first before they'll send out the new unit), I've ordered another 12 Pro (delivery is quoted as 12-19 Nov) and once I've compared them I can return the old one for a refund. For online purchases the return window is 30 days not 14.

I share many of the thoughts of those who've posted previously – there are times where the 12 Pro screen with TT off looks fine (in such circumstances the X with TT would have adjusted its colour to suit), but there are other times where it just looks far too yellowy green.

I put an iPhone 6S, iPad 4, iPad Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro on a table earlier, all showing the same website (Google home page), all with TT off, and all the screens were indistinguishably the same colour tone ... except the 12 Pro which was VERY yellow by comparison 😡 ...

I've no idea whether the replacement will be any better but I've got to try – as a photographer I'm acutely aware of variations in colour accuracy between devices. Yes it's a first world problem, but it's taken the pleasure away from using the new phone every time I pick it up and see how yellow it looks ...

My X is currently having a new battery fitted and the camera module replaced (somehow dust got onto the sensor). Once it's back and once the 12 Pro replacement has arrived I'll share a photo of all the screens together so you can see the differences.

Someone cheer me up please – has anyone here seen a 12 Pro with a lovely pure white backlight? 😬

 

[go3asy]

I was really worried about this... I even created a thread sounding the alarm about it, but I legit didnt know you could decrease the size of text on safari until recently (the reader dropdown button next to URL). Seems to 'fix' it.

Same with text size in settings, if you want to see more of your iMessages and settings options on the screen

But I havent adjusted the latter. and the former only for some sites (since its on a per site basis)

Doesn't matter how small I make there text the settings app displays the same content. The horizontal bars the text sit within remain the same size just the text within gets smaller.

 

[thadoggfather]

Doesn't matter how small I make there text the settings app displays the same content. The horizontal bars the text sit within remain the same size just the text within gets smaller.

heh, never noticed that ! has that always been the case?

I swear shrinking it on my se made things more visible.

in any case, I dont find it to be an issue since it displays a lot. But point taken.

 

[javisan]

For online purchases the return window is 30 days not 14.

Not true, be careful with your plan, you might get stuck with your 1st purchase.

 

[go3asy]

Not true, be careful with your plan, you might get stuck with your 1st purchase.

Correct it's 14 days, they put a note on my order though that they will extend it to 30 days if my replacement doest arrive in time for me to return the current within the window.

 

[Hogster86]

Correct it's 14 days, they put a note on my order though that they will extend it to 30 days if my replacement doest arrive in time for me to return the current within the window.

Hmm interesting, I specifically asked them to clarify this whilst I was on the phone and they said for online purchases the window is longer to give more peace of mind ... I love it when all support staff are singing from the same hymn sheet! 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[go3asy]

Hmm interesting, I specifically asked them to clarify this whilst I was on the phone and they said for online purchases the window is longer to give more peace of mind ... I love it when all support staff are singing from the same hymn sheet! 🤦🏻‍♂️

I am UK based not sure if policies differ elsewhere though.

 

[Hogster86]

Returns & Refunds - Shopping Help

Find out how you can return an item, how long the refund process takes, what to do if your invoice is not with your order, and much more.

www.apple.com

"You can indicate your intent to return within 14 days of receiving your product. You have a further 14 days after indicating your intent to return to then return your products or arrange for their collection."

So it sounds like I have 14 days from now to return the old phone ... and the new one is due to come in 12-19 days! 😬

Maybe once I've got my X back early next week (which I was hoping to sell to part-finance the 12) I'll send the old 12 back, having carefully photographed the differences in backlight compared to my other Apple products for record purposes ...

 

[Hogster86]

Correct it's 14 days, they put a note on my order though that they will extend it to 30 days if my replacement doest arrive in time for me to return the current within the window.

Ah ok that's useful to know, they probably omitted to tell me they'd do the same 😉

 

[Shadowbech]

Hmm interesting, I specifically asked them to clarify this whilst I was on the phone and they said for online purchases the window is longer to give more peace of mind ... I love it when all support staff are singing from the same hymn sheet! 🤦🏻‍♂️

Typically you have 14 days. However if you initiate the return on day 14 it does give you the additional 14 days to send it back.

 

[Hogster86]

Typically you have 14 days. However if you initiate the return on day 14 it does give you the additional 14 days to send it back.

Thanks for the reply – do you know if the return will have started by calling Apple today? Or does it start when I click 'Start a return' in my online account? Thanks 🙂

 

[borez]

Let me state this again. Not all 12's have the same color temperature. There is panel variation.

Maybe you have a phone that doesnt have this issue to begin with, if it looks good with TT off. The guideline from the OP was to have TT off, so TT is not the issue. Wish people would stop posting this.

There is variation. Some are more yellow than others. If yours is more yellow than a display 12, return it, simple as that.

To chime in:

1) A yellow screen isn't necessarily an inferior screen. That's just the screen having a different native whitepoint. These variations are normal especially where there is more than 1 panel manufacturer, and with the screens uncalibrated out of box. Most folks are visually accustomed to blue screens but that is definitely an inaccurate whitepoint for media work. A yellow screen is just simply.. yellow. Blue screens are blue. Calling a yellow screen defective is akin to saying a Granny Smith apple is rotten, vs a Gala apple. There's no basis for comparison.

The key test is whether different screens can be visually matched with calibration. X-rite used to have an app allowing calibrations (within the app), but unfortunately that is discontinued. https://www.xrite.com/categories/calibration-profiling/colortrue

2) The real test of a defective screen should be on the following:
- Panel uniformity/banding at various greyscale settings (5%, 10%, etc)
- Differences in native gamut (are certain RGB subpixels weaker than the others? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PenTile_matrix_family)
- Panel durability (how subpixels age across time, if there's nasty pink colour casts like the older generation LCD iPhones)

And more... but definitely not because it's a yellow screen. You can try to play the panel lottery by trying to get a blue panel iPhone, but yellow panel iPhones are not defective.

 

[Shadowbech]

Thanks for the reply – do you know if the return will have started by calling Apple today? Or does it start when I click 'Start a return' in my online account? Thanks 🙂

The 14 day starts when you click start and get the shipping label

 

[cRuNcHiE]

I was really worried about this... I even created a thread sounding the alarm about it, but I legit didnt know you could decrease the size of text on safari until recently (the reader dropdown button next to URL). Seems to 'fix' it.

Same with text size in settings, if you want to see more of your iMessages and settings options on the screen

But I havent adjusted the latter. and the former only for some sites (since its on a per site basis)

Ah yes setting Safari to view at 85% looks a lot better. But that isn’t a global setting

Feels like I’m having to make workarounds on a£1000 phone

this is also really annoying in bookmarks!
It’s one line on the 11

 

[Hogster86]

To chime in:

1) A yellow screen isn't necessarily an inferior screen. That's just the screen having a different native whitepoint. These variations are normal especially where there is more than 1 panel manufacturer, and with the screens uncalibrated out of box. Most folks are visually accustomed to blue screens but that is definitely an inaccurate whitepoint for media work. A yellow screen is just simply.. yellow. Blue screens are blue. Calling a yellow screen defective is akin to saying a Granny Smith apple is rotten, vs a Gala apple. There's no basis for comparison.

The key test is whether different screens can be visually matched with calibration. X-rite used to have an app allowing calibrations (within the app), but unfortunately that is discontinued. https://www.xrite.com/categories/calibration-profiling/colortrue

2) The real test of a defective screen should be on the following:
- Panel uniformity/banding at various greyscale settings (5%, 10%, etc)
- Differences in native gamut (are certain RGB subpixels weaker than the others? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PenTile_matrix_family)
- Panel durability (how subpixels age across time, if there's nasty pink colour casts like the older generation LCD iPhones)

And more... but definitely not because it's a yellow screen. You can try to play the panel lottery by trying to get a blue panel iPhone, but yellow panel iPhones are not defective.

Great points 👍🏼 I does make me wonder where the line can be drawn though on what is unacceptable? 5% more yellow? 10% more yellow? There comes a point where customers can't be expected to put up with a difference, particularly when it seems this yellow tint is not the norm and the vast majority of phones have cooler white points across multiple product generations ...

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

This video uses display testing equipment that seems to confirm the overall warmer display of the iPhone 12/12 Pro though units clearly vary as this thread has proven.

 

[socceryo3]

To chime in:

1) A yellow screen isn't necessarily an inferior screen. That's just the screen having a different native whitepoint. These variations are normal especially where there is more than 1 panel manufacturer, and with the screens uncalibrated out of box. Most folks are visually accustomed to blue screens but that is definitely an inaccurate whitepoint for media work. A yellow screen is just simply.. yellow. Blue screens are blue. Calling a yellow screen defective is akin to saying a Granny Smith apple is rotten, vs a Gala apple. There's no basis for comparison.

Except that the screens are supposed to be professionally calibrated at the factory, so they should be the same.

 

[kre62]

To chime in:

1) A yellow screen isn't necessarily an inferior screen. That's just the screen having a different native whitepoint. These variations are normal especially where there is more than 1 panel manufacturer, and with the screens uncalibrated out of box. Most folks are visually accustomed to blue screens but that is definitely an inaccurate whitepoint for media work. A yellow screen is just simply.. yellow. Blue screens are blue. Calling a yellow screen defective is akin to saying a Granny Smith apple is rotten, vs a Gala apple. There's no basis for comparison.

The key test is whether different screens can be visually matched with calibration. X-rite used to have an app allowing calibrations (within the app), but unfortunately that is discontinued. https://www.xrite.com/categories/calibration-profiling/colortrue

2) The real test of a defective screen should be on the following:
- Panel uniformity/banding at various greyscale settings (5%, 10%, etc)
- Differences in native gamut (are certain RGB subpixels weaker than the others? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PenTile_matrix_family)
- Panel durability (how subpixels age across time, if there's nasty pink colour casts like the older generation LCD iPhones)

And more... but definitely not because it's a yellow screen. You can try to play the panel lottery by trying to get a blue panel iPhone, but yellow panel iPhones are not defective.

you would be correct if the issue were solely yellow tint, however the issue is worse.

the yellow panels also have reduced contrast and brightness compared to good units. This is the case every year.

Its almost like a yellow film is deposited in manufacturing that sits between you and the content.
In addition the yellow panels color shift neon blue off axis.

lots of defective characteristics that make using the screen cringy and displeasing to the eye

 

[borez]

Except that the screens are supposed to be professionally calibrated at the factory, so they should be the same.

I don’t think the screens are calibrated... at least from my understanding.