iPhone 3G S has yellowish tint

I respect your opinion about people's paranoia, but once again you keep misreading my posts. Here is my point:

Let's assume that there are no known issues and 100% of the people on here are paranoid. Let's define paranoid: "Paranoia is a thought process characterized by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion". Now let's assume that the YELLOW SCREEN is the problem all of these paranoid people "think" they have.

Now... Do you think 100% of these paranoid folk will walk in to the store and demand a new phone right off the bat? Common sense dictates that if the yellow screen is what they are worried about, they most likely will COMPARE FIRST with the large amount of demo phones in apple stores... or with their friend's devices. OF COURSE THEY WILL. They are just as paranoid to get an even worse phone with other issues because by our previous assumption, they are paranoid. Therefore, they will make absolutely sure they are not just being paranoid about the yellow before they swap it out. I'm not saying that some people won't just go and return it, claiming their device is yellow without confirmation but I imagine that group is slim because like you say, only a paranoid person would do that... and a paranoid person would not risk getting a "worse" phone without first confirming they have an issue.

Sounds to me like you are arguing about people demanding perfection then. That is another debate altogether. Let me just summarize the thread for you as you seem to think I didn't read.

A.) The thread is not about demanding perfection
B.) The thread is not about paranoia
C.) The thread is not about all iPhones having different "range" of screens
D.) The thread is about possible yellowing defects which clearly show different ranges of yellowing from top to bottom... Which is not the norm, especially compared to the apple store demo devices.

Spend an hour or two at the apple store if you live near one. Someone will come in with the yellow screen complaint. Ask them to compare their phones to the demo phones in the store. There is something wrong with a small percentage of phones. I have experienced it personally. Technically, I have more of a right to defend these people than you. You came in here with the defense of "I have a perfect one, and I think some of you are paranoid".

And I'm glad you can separate between the paranoid and those who have issues... but what exactly are you arguing about then? If we agree that 1% of the devices have issues, people will post. When people post issues, others will try to see if they have the same issues. If not, they ignore it. If maybe, they will further investigate. Are you telling people "not to post" because it makes people "paranoid" about if their phones have issues? Do you not think that most people have the IQ and intelligence to make a logical test to see if they have problems or do you think most people will read anything on the internet and freak out? My point is, even if this thread makes people paranoid, so be it. You have not personally seen someone read the thread, get paranoid, and return their phone in the next minute without checking out their phones. Why then, are you characterizing some people as such or even creating such a class of people?

I got your point, but you keep coming at me as if I am attacking you and that is just not true. I made a statement, you decided it was necessary to defend your position and it was not necessary!

I do not think every soul that has a slightly warm display is trying to get Apple to replace them, I never said that. I said there are many that are bringing them back to the stores because they are unsure if they actually have the problem or not. They've become paranoid because they are unsure. Seems like a pretty simple statement. Also if you actually read through this thread there are many that say they have done exactly that because they don't know if theirs is defective or not. I've also read other say "OH I am holding off because I don't want to get one of these defective phones". I didn't make that stuff up it is in this thread.

Anyone expecting perfection will continue to be disappointed because there are no electronic devices that are ever going to be perfect. No one said the thread was about paranoia, I simply made the statement and it is true.

I've spent plenty of time in an Apple store recently when considering buying a new McBookPro and I seen with my own eyes 3 or 4 people coming in and I heard what they said, this is partly what helped me to draw the conclusion that I did that there are many folks out there unsure and paranoid about there phones. So, all I am saying if you don't KNOW you have a problem, you likely don't! My screen is slightly warmer, but certainly not defective, but I guarantee you that there are some with my screen that would likely bring it back and yet I see nothing wrong with it. So call it what you want paranoid, overly sensitive it doesn't matter.

I am not sure what you are arguing here honestly! I got your point and I made mine.. end of the story! LOL I think we actually agree more than we disagree! hehehe Lets go drink a brewsky and compare displays! LOL

I'm sorry if I was abrasive but I didn't take anything personally, just coming from a different perspective thats all. Such is the internet. I guess I just give people more benefit of the doubt since I've experienced some problems myself.

We're talking about a very small fraction of the people who may have problems... and out of that fraction, only a fraction of them care. And another fraction who are asking too much, and another fraction that... etc etc.

Anyway, cheers and happy 4th. The fireworks sucked this year.

Just to had my fact here : my 32GB 2ng gen iPod touch has a yellow tint to the bottom of its screen which is more pronounced than the yellow tint of my iPhone 3GS (week 22). Yes my iPhone 3GS has a slight yellow tint to the bottom. But let's face it I will have not noticed it if I had not read about all of this here. I am not going to exchange it. I have lived with my iPod touch for more than 8 months without even bother with any possible screen issue.

Perfection is not part of our world, sometimes difficult to admit ...

nobody is looking for perfection, but on a screen that is only a few inches, a visible yellow tint on 1/3rd of the screen is unacceptable. If it is barely noticable for you great, but I have seen so much variation of this issue.

I heard they are replacing screens in the store now. So Maybe you can ask them to do that...

This is some crazy mess right here. I ordered my iPhone 3GS 16gb black from O2 in the UK on June 21st and received it on the 23rd. The first thing I noticed (like a LOT of others here) was that the screen compared to my 2G iPhone was significantly "warmer" although I'm not sure i'd call it "yellow". Anyway, the screen itself seemed even and very unusually for me, I got used to it. I did notice however, another VERY common fault which is the high pitched tone thing at the end of unlock sounds and a few others. It was for the sound issue that I returned it to an Apple store (O2 shirked all responsibility) and the "Genius" there was relatively helpful and arranged a replacement from their "Genius" stock (in a brown cardboard box instead of retail - don't know if there is any difference). I was VERY relieved to get a replacement because I know that if on the day the staff member you're dealing with has a chip on their shoulder they can be very awkward with you sometimes - but no so this time and all seemed well...... Until....

I noticed a distinct yellow gradient from the bottom of the screen up about 2cm of the screen. Once i'd noticed it, I simply couldn't ignore it and booked another appointment at the Apple store local to get it replaced. (The sound issue i've pretty much given up with because almost ALL of the 3GS phones i've heard (about 10) have the issue and I think it's a software issue that should be fixed.

The apple store then gave me a second replacement (I was yearning for the first one back at this point) and the screen was just as bad - the exact same yellow tinge at the bottom of the screen - fairly subtle but quite easily noticeable - certainly not good enough quality control for such a premium device.

So today I took the second replacement back and the Genius (very helpful this time) brought one out and showed it to me before I left. This one was the WORST of all the one's i'd seen for being yellow at the bottom third - and as a sanity check I asked both another guy at the Genius bar and the Genius himself to confirm this - which to my vindication - they did. The Genius then went off and got ANOTHER one for me which was great - and to my surprise, this one was much better than the previous worst one - almost good enough but with very slight yellowness to the bottom quarter of the screen - noticeable now mostly because I was looking for it, but because I'd run out of options I thanked the "Genius" and left.

Upon further inspection, and after reading this thread I am now canceling my 18 month contract with O2 and returning the phone. I've read some posts here about it being down to personal preference etc. and wondering if some of us are being too "picky" or asking for perfection. I don't think for most of us it's that at ALL.

Apple technically should know that most of it's customer base will be either more discerning or of a more technical disposition. In other words, they should know that quality control on the **** iPhone should be top notch - especially given the considerable price. This ain't no Samsung - in fact Samsung screens on phones are consistently excellent.

Given all of the complaints regarding the 3G (which I never had) regarding the yellow screen issues, this new batch of "yellow" problems is simply not acceptable to a consumer buying premium quality branded goods from a top of it's game technology supplier. I'm getting the impression that Apple simply don't give a **, and I suppose as long as there is a very vocal majority (is there?) out there who also don't give a ** about quality and will buy anything Apple regardless, why should they? They are a BUSINESS, so if they can save some cash on Quality Control - they will do it. Welcome to the world of Good Enough, and I think that we all need to wake up to the fact that Apple seems to be just like any other company in this regard - despite very strong suggestions to the contrary.

Don't get me wrong - I WISH Apple would take notice of it's users complaints first time - investigate them - and then take action. But instead, we seem to be dealing with a lot of PR politics which is to be expected from a company so heavily invested in their BRAND. So in the end it takes melting iPhones (3GS heating issues) it seems before Apple will even BEGIN to take things seriously.

In the end, as usual in electronic consumer product businesses, ALL of this could be avoided - the bad PR, the bad customer experience, the brand damage, the wasted money dealing with all of this crap if Apple simply employed or insisted on higher quality control procedures.

Don't settle for it. (My vain attempt to change this situation because I truly love Apple and want to see it succeed) The more we Apple customers say "no" to sub-standard products, the better it is for everyone in the long run - Apple included.

I'm sending my iPhone back and waiting it out a couple of months before ordering again. Maybe then they will have woken up to this nonsensical situation - and realised that with increasing market share, maintaining quality is probably THE most important thing for them to do for their long term growth and success. Hopefully by then, i'll get the iPhone 3GS without sound issues, with a well lit and EVEN screen and no overheating issues. I recommend all of us here with the option to do so - do the same.

By the way - let's all feedback how and IF the newer batches improve and if indeed these issues get ironed out in the fullness of time. I certainly will - and thanks to everyone who's posted here - you've been a great help.

I totally respect your feelings on this matter. The bottom third of my screen is tinted yellow and that is not what I paid for. It's not really the tint that bothers me but the fact that the screen is not consitent.

Yesterday I went to a party and I was sitting in a tent out of direct sunlight and the yellow was very evident. I have decided to live with it. Perhaps I will have the screen replaced at some point if Apple will alow it.

I have gotten used to the warmer tones of my 3Gs and prefer it to my 2G which I'm using right now. All in all the 3Gs is a great phone and I would hate to be without it. I can overlook its quirks which I believe will be sorted soon.

Good luck I hope you are pleased with the new iPhone in a few months time.

alsheron great post. I feel exactly the same way. I think you might have an issue returning the Apple brown box (refurbished) replacement back to O2 though. Might be worth giving them a ring as the IMEI number will no longer match their records for your contract. I'm sure I read somewhere that as soon as you have done a swap at Apple you can't return it to O2.

I will be getting a 3rd 3GS from the next batch that come in the O2 retail. Hoping this screen issue will be fixed.

I just got my iPhone 3gs replaced w/ a week 27 and I think I received a "Yellow Tint" defective model because my week 21 model worked perfectly except it overheated too much and it had an uneven screen. Now it's really annoying and it kind of stresses my eye just reading an email or something. I should of just stayed with week 21 despite the overheating and uneven screen.

Thanks for the warning - but I've been very fortunate in getting my return authorized by an O2 manager. In fact, a tip i'd like to give is that it seems you can in fact return to O2 iPhones swapped at an Apple shop as long as you both tell O2 you have done this (and include copies of the paperwork received at the Apple store) AND O2 themselves have told you to take it to an Apple Store in the first place (as they did to me). Because of this it seems that it's much better NOT to take your phone to an Apple store unless you are specifically told to do so by O2 themselves.

Another HUGE tip is MAKE sure that you're 100% happy with your phone as soon as possible after getting it. I literally rang O2 to cancel ON the 14th day on my "cooling-off" period, which was a hair-raising experience. Got the return authorised but they did try to play me by saying that the PHONE itself needed to be returned within 14 days in order to cancel the contract, which is a load of nonsense. I got it sorted in the end, but be careful. If you suspect persistent QC niggles, it's best to cancel the contract and wait it out for newer phone batches. I've learned a very important lesson here - avoid getting new phones when they've just come out.

One last thing. On the phone to O2 dealing with returns or matters like this, ALWAYS be polite (not necessarily sweetness and light), ALWAYS get the FULL NAME of the person you're dealing with and if they put "notes" on the system, ALWAYS call back a few minutes later (hopefully to someone else!) and confirm the notes are on the system properly.

i got my iphone replaced 2 days ago, literally just went into the shop and they straight swapped it, no fuss, no paperwork. All i had to do was text Wifi to 2121 to reset my MAC address to use BT openzone and the cloud wifi.

Did you actually cancel your contract so that you could wait for another phone?

Little update regarding my situation:

The first 3GS that I purchased last week had the "nicotine yellow" colour that many of you are now aware of. Impossible to accept if you have had experience with other other iPhones and iPod Touches, etc.

Returned, refund.

Decided to take a chance and purchase one from the same store (mistake!) yesterday and noticed that upon getting it home that the battery was dead and needed charging (normally you get a fair bit of battery time) .. Then set it up and after a general play of 20 minutes (setup mostly, few minutes of browsing) noticed that it was getting 'warm' to the touch on the back of the unit. Furthermore this unit also had the same "nicotine yellow" colouring issue as the previous one.

I will be returning this phone for a refund and wait a few weeks at the very least before dipping my toe into an iPhone 3GS again.

Both phones were sadly from the same production "week 22" and Model Number MC131B.

I would advise if you are concerned about the nicotine yellow colouring then to seek a replacement as I have had first hand experience with 'acceptable 3GS' phones that do not exhibit this issue to the degree certain batches of phones are.

Yes, I cancelled the contract just to wait for another phone. For a very important reason: Once you're IN the 18 month contract and also beyond the 30 day replacement policy, you're in a HUGELY vulnerable position in terms of bargaining with O2 or Apple in the event of handset problems.

You MIGHT be lucky replacing it a few times either with O2 or the Apple Store but then again in cases like this where there seems to be very widespread issues with the handset, leaving it too long and ending up getting "refurbished" handsets will be the death knell for your chances of getting a quality iPhone 3GS.

It's telling that quite a few here have simply accepted what they KNOW to be sub-standard iPhones - I presume because of the hassle involved in getting a decent quality one. Each to his own, but this attitude will only make things worse for everyone because Apple will "get away" with manufacturing iPhones to an erratic quality standard or, more charitably, will never know the extent of the problem.

First of all you have no real evidence nor could you possibly know if this is truly a widespread issue or not. It is possible that it is limited to 1% of the phones out there (which is still a lot). Also to suggest that some of us just decided to settle for a substandard phone is nonsense. Has it every dawn upon you that 99% of us actually got a good phone where the display is totally acceptable with no other issues? Mine is just slightly warmer, but totally even in color and vivid. I have no complaints. Though you won't see folks like me posting and starting threads at how tickled we are with our iPhones.

It is also possible that not everyone is expecting perfection as some of you (maybe not you particularly but many in this thread has suggested).

I would get the 3GS and not allow this issue to steer your decision one way or the other. This thread is very misleading in that if you read it, you get the feeling everyone is having this issue. That is simply not true! There are many that have purchased these phones that have no such issue.