iPhone 3G S has yellowish tint

its funny that Apple has just made i phone screen replacement an in store procedure. They don't have to ship phones out any more to be fixed. Maybe they are admitting in their own way they know there is a problem. I broke down ordered a phone got it its week 26 and it is slightly yellowed its useable but I may be bringing it into a store next week for a screen replacement

It's kind of difficult to capture what we are all experiencing with a camera. Pretty much, if you go to cnn.com on your phone and read any article (it's especially noticeable when just reading all text with a white background), literally the bottom half of the phone looks like someone smoked a cigarette through it or something - yellow/brownish = nasty. If you put the phone in landscape mode, the yellow tint is still half of the screen and is extremely noticeable when reading articles. Literally, when you read the article, people with the problem notice the white background behind the text change from crispy nice white to yellow.

Lets face it, if folks haven't notice it, they clearly don't have the problem and should not go looking for issues.

I was fortunate in that my phone has been great in terms of the display. I've never detected any visible signs as described above. I still can't help, but think many of these phones are being returned and there is nothing wrong with them, just because of a growing paranoia that OMG my phone is slightly warmer compared to previous versions so let me take it back!

Message was edited by: Sirius Mac

I must concur with thetechnogeek's previous post. My iMac, Macbook, iPhone, iPhone 3Gs, a co-workers 3G, my friends 3Gs, my girlfriends 3Gs, our Sony Bravia, and all my iPods have color variations when displaying a white screen. That's just the nature of most backlit screens. I would say that if your 3Gs has a freakishly yellow tint return it (my girlfriends 3Gs display is more yellow than mine - she just doesn't care. Every iPhone screen I have looked at has a slightly different shade from the top to the bottom of the display. Although, it would be nice if Apple would allow us to change the display hue from warmer to cooler or vice versa on our phones... I prefer cooler.

I think this is very short sighted of you to say. Just because you don't have it doesn't mean others are having a placebo / paranoid reaction. It is true that all LCD's vary in color even within the same model and same build date. I have gone through 5 iPhone 3GS's already and I clearly see a difference.

First phone: battery life terrible, week 21
Second phone: overheats randomly, week 23
Third phone: hairline cracks near headset plug, week 25
Fourth and Fifth: Unevenly yellow screen, Week 25

Now let me say that I have 4 iphone 3GS at any given time in the household to do comparisons. I don't mind so much the yellowing, in fact all of us agree that some of the yellow screens actually display certain colors (especially black) much better than the 3G's. One of our 3GS's is super bright and slightly pinkish. When displaying black, it looks like the background of the home screen is bleeding. Another one has what some would say, the "perfect screen" because it displays a perfect white.

I had to return my 4th and 5th phone because when placed side to side with the other phones in the house (and even when not placed side to side), there was obvious yellowing near the bottom of the screen. My girlfriend and I did blind tests one night before we went to bed by downloading the flashlight app, setting to max brightness and setting to white in the app. In total darkness, all you can see is the screen. You can't see the bezel or the home button or the call headphones. We would randomly turn the phone and both of us could, 100% of the time, pick out which side was the bottom due to the yellowing.

THIS IS NOT PLACEBO. All of my immediate friends are iPhone freaks so we've all returned our phones a few times here and there (not the ones in the household). I have charted and kept track of all the phones so far. This is by no means 100% accurate but is what I strongly believe(and from what I have seen):

Week 21: 4 out of 5 phones had bad battery life (restored as new, cycled, etc)

Week 23: 3 out of 3 had perfect screens. ALL apple store demo phones in santa clara/los gatos apple stores have these and have perfect colors (look for yourself)

Week 25: 1 out of 4 had yellow screen

Week 26: 5 out of 6 had yellow screen UNEVENLY. 2 out of 6 had defective compass.


From all this, I felt week 23/25 had the best chances of getting the best possible phone. I have charted more than 30 iPhone 3GS since release. Right now my girlfriend's Week 26 (which is the 1 that doesn't have uneven yellowing, but actually has a unique pinkish screen) has hairline cracks near the power button and the headset jack. We are waiting to exchange when Week 27 is released here in cupertino.

Again, don't take my word for it. I'm just giving you guys what I had experienced. I don't think comparing 30 phones (usually 4 or 5 at a time) and still finding these errors means we are all paranoid.

Message was edited by: Dabomb665m

Well said Dabomb665m.

I absolutely hate it when people tell me I'm being ridiculous for complaining about the yellow tint. I've had every single iPhone since day 1 (2g, 3g, now 3gs) and I've never had such a worse looking screen. For someone who has used an iPhone for the past two years, everyday, it is an immediate thing to notice that half of the screen has a nasty yellow tint to it. Every single one of my friends I've asked to check out my phone sees it to. We are not making this up and or being paranoid freaks. Apple is one of the best companies for customer service and they know they screwed up...that is why we are all able to get replacement phones as opposed to them telling us that the different hues/yellows is natural.

Do not come in here and tell us we are paranoid, especially if you don't have the problem yourself. I'm on my second replacement phone, I've had a week 24 and a week 27, both with obvious yellow tint to the bottom half. I think I'm going to wait 20-something days (we have 30 days to return) and then call again and ask for a replacement. Hopefully by then they will be shipping out non-defected lcd. I wish I had an Apple store where I live because then I would just take it in the store and ask for a replacement screen like someone else in this forum successfully did...Anyways...enough ranting..Good luck to everyone...I will update here with my situation.

I am sorry, I just don't buy it. I think you are exaggerating to make a point! This isn't to say that some have not had problems. If you were not being so highly defensive, you would have understood what I was saying. No where did I say because my screen was acceptable that this means no one actually has an issue.

I do however think and it has been verified by the post and workers in Apple Stores that many are just bringing these phone back for little to no reason because they are reading what someone else said or because of what has been posted on this forum. There is a difference between actually having a real legit problem and someone that isn't sure, but just goes to swap out a phone because of what they are reading on these forums, that my friends is paranoia. If some of you that have legit problems made the assumption I meant you were paranoid then that is about you!

Personally I don't care what folks do, it doesn't impact me one iota. But the fact remains that there have been a lot of phones returned that was slightly warmer with no other defects whatsoever! Believe it, don't believe it, I could care less.

I am sure there are some displays that are defective with over a million being sold there is little doubt about it. But rather it is extreme as some would have us believe, I can't say. None the less to think that no phone returned has been just simply because they are slightly warmer you are totally naive. Also no where has anyone said folks shouldn't complain!

You guys are really defensive when you don't need to be! All this has created some paranoia in some buyers on the 3GS and it is evident!

dinofx wrote:
15 days for an exchange is not accurate. You can return the phone for a full refund for 30 days. This is required for any cell phone sold with a contract in the US.

I'm sorry, but the Federal Government doesn't control commercial contracts at a local level. State law sets contracts, unless it's a nationwide policy of the phone carrier.

Sirius Mac wrote:
I am sorry, I just don't buy it. I think you are exaggerating to make a point! This isn't to say that some have not had problems. If you were not being so highly defensive, you would have understood what I was saying. No where did I say because my screen was acceptable that this means no one actually has an issue.

I do however think and it has been verified by the post and workers in Apple Stores that many are just bringing these phone back for little to no reason because they are reading what someone else said or because of what has been posted on this forum. There is a difference between actually having a real legit problem and someone that isn't sure, but just goes to swap out a phone because of what they are reading on these forums, that my friends is paranoia. If some of you that have legit problems made the assumption I meant you were paranoid then that is about you!

Personally I don't care what folks do, it doesn't impact me one iota. But the fact remains that there have been a lot of phones returned that was slightly warmer with no other defects whatsoever! Believe it, don't believe it, I could care less.

I am sure there are some displays that are defective with over a million being sold there is little doubt about it. But rather it is extreme as some would have us believe, I can't say. None the less to think that no phone returned has been just simply because they are slightly warmer you are totally naive. Also no where has anyone said folks shouldn't complain!

You guys are really defensive when you don't need to be! All this has created some paranoia in some buyers on the 3GS and it is evident!

Excellent post. I've watched three different launches of the iPhone here, and there are always a bunch of people who exaggerate their claims, whine about their iPhone, or are, frankly, incompetent with setting it up. Yes, after selling 1.5 million phones, if .1% have a defect (which is outstanding quality control), that means, that's a lot of phones that have real hardware problems. But those who are saying "software needs to be updated", "everyone has these problems", "I've compared 247 phones and they're all the same" need to give us all a break. 99.9% of these phones are perfect. The remaining may have any number of issues including user mistakes. Apple Stores have been more than helpful to everyone. This thread is ridiculous.

Hello

Could someone explain the week number thing to me please?

I cant understand it. I would assume it was the week that the phone was made, but what does that tell you? What happens if come friday afternoon, the factory shuts down for the weekend, components that where on the line that would of been, say week 23 phones had they been completed, would now be week 24 phones?

I just dont get the relevence of the week numbers. Surely their must be another way like a factory code? I could understand say iphone with a yellow tint screen coming from one factory and good phones coming from another because you could then say, their must be a problem with the components at one factory while the other is fine.

Then again, every iphone looks 100% the same on the outside, but on the inside, even though each iphone does exactly the same thing as each other, their could be many diffent components made by many different companys ie the screens could be made by say 10 or 15 or 100 different companys, who knows.

Im just not sure how the week number can help tell you whats a good batch and whats not a good batch.

For example, on the bottom of the Xbox, you can see the manufacturing date and the serial number. The manufacturing date is in the following format:

2004-11-20

i.e. YYYY-MM-DD

(Year-Month-Day) which is the date according to ISO 8601.

The serial number looks like this:

3137905 44705

i.e. LNNNNNN YWWFF

L the number of the production line within the factory,

NNNNNN the number of the Xbox within this week,

Y the last digit of the production year,

WW the number of the week of the production year,

FF is the code of the factory (02: Mexico, 03: Hungary, 05: China. 06: Taiwan).

Surely the iphone must have something simular, and if so, I think it would give a better indication of where and who made the iphone. That way, you would be able to better judge if a certain place has production problems, or if it a wide scale issue.

Sam

You are trying to call me out for making assumptions yet you do exactly the same thing. You are assuming that I am defending the ones who bring in their phones because they "think" their phone is slightly yellow. I'm talking about people who have genuine problems. You are also assuming that I think those people don't exist.

No where did I say/defend these people. The other day someone came back 3 minutes after buying their phone to return it because their apple sign in the back had a tiny scratch. That is THEIR prerogative and I am not here to judge. No one is naive enough to think this category of buyers does not exist.

You tickled a bone in me with your statement because you clearly insinuated that some of us are just paranoid, picky, prone to online forum propaganda... what have you. I'm telling you that despite the ones that DO over react, there ARE people who have problems. Coming into a thread and saying "mine doesn't have that issue, you guys are paranoid" brings nothing to the topic at hand and only makes you look like a fanboy that is over defensive about his/her apple product.

I love apple products, that's why I'm here to relate/help. That is why I'm buying them over and over again. However, I REFUSE to blindly defend apple. If people are saying they have a problem and since I've experienced it as well, I have no choice but to give them the benefit of the doubt. You have nothing to prove against them, nor do I have anything to prove for them.

To me, those of you coming in telling us that there is nothing wrong or saying "apple has excellent QA/QC" are the ones being defensive. Forums are used to discuss problems. In case you haven't noticed, this forum is a sub forum of "Support/Discussions". It doesn't matter if only 1% are defective. If 1 million phones were sold and 1% were defective and only 50% of those actually post about it, we'd have WAY MORE PEOPLE POSTING HERE. The truth is, the actual failure/defect rate may be LOWER than 1%, but that is not the argument here. The people are coming here to say they DO have a problem. Those of you defending the phone and calling out phonies seem to think this thread has a million unique posters (implying 1 million defects). Please... what are you trying to defend? the amount of people complaining in here clearly fall under the 1% who, statistically, will have problems. Calling the people out in here is

1.) pointless as this is a support forum

and

2.) defensive and fanboy like.

To those of you who have perfect phones and are calling us (buyers with defects) out... do you realize how ridiculous you look being in the 99% of non defects calling out to the other 1% to be liars?

Once again you are reading way too much into what I've said and being way, way defensive when you don't need to be!

I have not called anyone out, but if that is the way you choose to take it that is about you! What my post looks like to folks defensive like you, I honestly have no control over. I made a simple statement and I stand by it 100% rather you like it not.

You have no evidence to the contrary that all this stuff with the display hasn't made some folks paranoid about their own iPhone's and I'd be willing to say that some have simply not purchased one because they are afraid of getting a bad one.

I've made no assumptions, I've simply read the thread and folks have proven my point over and over, just as you are now.

No where can you show me where I've said that some do not have real legit issues. I think they do, but like I said if you believe that some folks have not become paranoid about their own phones and even been put off buying, then I am not the fanboy here. I own one product by Apple which is my recently purchased iPhone. I'd hardly call that a fanboy! Quit being so defensive now you are just grasping at straws!

In my opinion those with legit issues should have them taken care of as that is Apple's responsibility. Yet there are others that really have no issues, but aren't sure if they do or not because of all this stuff. So they are taking their phones back just for the heck of it. No assumption, I've seen the post and Apple stores have confirmed this. It actually helps if you take the time to read what people post, clearly from your replies you do not.

You seem to have taken this so personally when my post was a general statement, not directed at any single one nor or they meant to call anyone out. Take a chill pill! Go exchange your iPhone again or something! LOL

OrangeMarlin wrote:
I've watched three different launches of the iPhone here, and there are always a bunch of people who exaggerate their claims ... if .1% have a defect (which is outstanding quality control), that means, that's a lot of phones that have real hardware problems ... 99.9% of these phones are perfect. The remaining may have any number of issues including user mistakes.

Yes, I agree with this sentiment. Even though I am one of the people who genuinely has a defectively over yellow and dim screen, I do agree that in many cases very minor problems are being exaggerated.

(Perhaps even to the point that we can suspect people with partisan support for rival companies doing a little muck raking...)

I too have had iPhones since launch day in 2007, recommended them to countless people, and followed their issues in forums.

This model, the 3GS, has been my personal worst purchase, but having seen the perfect screen models of two models bought by relatives alongside mine, I know it is not universal, and that the defective unit is just (un)luck of the draw.

OrangeMarlin wrote:
Apple Stores have been more than helpful to everyone. This thread is ridiculous.

That's where I disagree. Some Apple Store employees are not always helpful when it comes to fixing "cosmetic" problems, whether from an attitude of superiority to the customer, or from misplaced loyalty to their employer, or from policy directives high up to increase profit margin by issuing fewer replacements.

The times when they are not helpful in resolving a customer's concerns (for an expensive purchase with a high markup) deserve to have attention drawn to them. While certain posts may be ridiculous in their exaggerated claims, as a whole this thread is a useful means of comparing experiences.

I have not yet had my defective screen addressed yet, mainly as I bought it from an Apple Store 300 miles away and have to wait until I return in a few days. When I do, I'll report my experiences, and they will be objective.

Dabomb I totally agree. If users don't have the issue why are they even reading the thread!? Absolutely ridiculous responses. We have paid a small fortune for these devices (£550 or $900 for a PAYG 32GB here in the UK) and if we are not happy about something we **** well have a right to get it fixed. I personally upgraded from my old 2G and the screens on these 3GS models are awful in comparison. $900 for a phone I expect absolute perfection. Sorry.

In all I've had three 3GS phones now. The first 16GB was badly yellow, the second 16GB was less yellow but had a faulty compass and the third 32GB is as yellow as urine. It is so annoying as the functions and speed of the phone are great and I just want to start using it properly. It needs to be sorted, and ASAP.

Since when has it become manditory to have a problem in order to post a general opinion on a topic?

One thing you do is admit you expect absolute perfection, good luck with that!

The fact is many have posted in this thread trying to figure out if they have the problem or not. I did the same thing, I was like wow all these folks having these issue. Let me check mine out, so I did side by side comparisons and checked out every aspect of my iPhone. While mine is slightly warmer than I'd like it to be, I like others do not expect perfection because that will never happen. I and I think many just want to make sure that our phones aren't defective, some have carried that to the extreme by bringing them back regardless to make sure, only to end up getting another phone that was worse than the first one they had.

I'll repeat it one last time, no one is saying there aren't legit issues. I am just saying some of have grown paranoid because they are unsure if theirs has an issue or not. That does not mean those of you that KNOW you have an issue are paranoid.