iPhone 3G S has yellowish tint

It's a fiasco.

SHAME on you Apple.

I've been a LOYAL Mac user and FANBOY for 20years.

I waited three years to get my first iPhone to make sure "all the bugs" were ironed out.

Yeah.... right. Thank's for my "nicotine-stained" two-tone white to yellow screen.

Yesterday I tried to talk my step-dad into NOT buying an iMAC. He was bemused because he'd put up with me raving about the QUALITY STANDARDS of Apple for years and years. He bought it regardless.

He unpacked it and I found three dead-pixels on his brand new $4000.00AUD 24" iMac. Right in the MIDDLE of the screen. Nice.

He believes me now.

I hear ya!

My 1st 4g iphone i had for 2 years was awesome.....beautiful colors and clarity....welcome to the new apple 3gs ....i think its a rotten apple! what i would give to have my old iphone back!

*WHAT A SHAME TO APPLE*

*I FELT REALLY SORRY FOR THE POOR QUALITY CONTROL FOR THE SCREEN*

*I CANNOT ACCEPT WHAT A BRILLIANT COMPANY HAD NOW CHANGED TO THIS*

*ORIGINALLY I WISH TO INTRODUCE ALL MY FAMILY MEMBER CHANGE USING IPHONE 3GS*

*NOW I GIVE UP AND REALLY DON'T WANNA PIXX THEM OFF!!!*

Fascinating idea. In fact, that's EXACTLY what i'm going to do. I'm going to get in touch with as many journalists as possible about iPhone 3GS issues and see it any of it sticks. If it does (likely) then maybe a media frenzy will wake Apple up - especially when it starts hurting their profits because people start realising they are buying and accepting sub-standard products. This whole downhill journey/backlash could happen VERY quickly for Apple. They are not, unfortunately for them, untouchable. Far bigger companies have fallen far further by their arrogant attitude to customers.

I urge everyone here who has had repeated problems with their 3GS to highlight the issue by e-mailing a journalist in the mainstream press (in the UK - the Mirror, the Sun etc) and telling them your story.

My 3GS 32GB white is from Week 23, factory 88 Shenzhen. It has a yellow white and bad contrast. The colors are wahed-out.

It’s really bad. AND here in Germany I have to send it in to Apple to mostlikely get a refurbished replacement. I went through this with my 3G and the replacements all had stuck pixel (the reason why somebody else sent that phone in that I got back as "repaired" from the Apple service center).

Oh Apple, I don’t love you anymore...

I have bought almost every single Apple product that has come out in the last couple of years, I own an iMac, a Macbook, and iPod, and I've owned every single iPhone from the 2g to the 3g now to the 3gs. I just received my 4th replacement iPhone 3G S and WOW! I am officially psychic. I predicted this morning that this replacement phone was going to have the same ****** yellow tint issue as well as the high-pitched noise frequency issue.

Low and behold, I was right!!! Of course Apple is going to send me a 4th hardware defected phone. I am so mad beyond belief, there aren't words to explain what I think of Apple now. Apple used to be the best company for things like this but now I have to deal with support people who claim they have no idea what problem I speak of (although this is the biggest thread in the 3G S forum with over 65,000 views), and they tell me it's a perception problem?! This phone is another week 28 and like my previous week 28, the top right portion of the phone has the correct whites while the rest of the phone is nicotine yellow.

For people like me who have owned every iPhone and has had perfect backlight since day 1, to be given 4 brand new phones with obvious defects is just unacceptable and ridiculous.

GOOB JOB APPLE! You can get away with selling these disgusting phones to people who have never owned an iPhone and are oblivious to the fact that they're phones are defected, but to all the loyal Apple buyers in here that can blatantly tell they're iPhone screen is garbage, Apple, you are screwing us over!!!!

I am disillusioned by the company as a whole....if Steve Jobs knew about this he would probably fire somebody. While Steve was sick, who was running things? Did this person choose a cheaper manufacturer?! WHY?!?!??!?!

Like someone previously said, I encourage everyone to contact the media, keep posting in this thread with your problems and do anything you can to let Apple know this is a HUGE problem. It's outrageous that after this thread has grown so big, when we deal with apple support they still tell us "OH, Sir, I'm sorry, I have never heard of this problem before". BS! I'm sure they all know about the problem and are told to say they haven't. And COMMON APPLE?! All of your display models don't have the problem?! You obviously picked and chose which models you were going to display, so it is obvious that you know where the defected iPhone were coming form.

*People of the forum! Take action, don't give up with this problem, let as many people know of your problem as you can! I still am a firm believer that if we all take enough action, Apple will be forced to hear us! Right now I believe they are trying to do damage control, Not admitting to their mistake, only replacing the phones of those who complain.* Let's make them recall all phones produced from week 24-?!! If I knew more about html...etc. I would start a website... www.iphone3gsyellowtintissue.com and advocate to the fullest extent for people to go on there and sign the petition for a recall. Trust me people, if we make enough of a fuss, they will hear us!!!

Ok, this is a long V for Vendetta post, sorry about that, I type a lot when I am mad.

Good Luck to everyone.

i just called apple support about my yellow screen issue and the tech support lady told me that this is perfectlly normal and that the iPhone 3GS is supposed to have a yellow screen. she said i can't get it replaced because all the other ones will have the same charactaristics.

Did you tell her that your 3GS screen is yellowish compared to another 3GS?
When I called Apple Support Asia (Australia), he mentioned the 3GS is indeed "warmer" when compared to 3G or other iPods.

But when I mentioned I'm comparing a 3GS to another 3GS which have a "cooler" screen, he said all 3GS screens should have the same colour temperature and gave me a case no. to get it repaired at my service centre.

macho_man wrote:
i just called apple support about my yellow screen issue and the tech support lady told me that this is perfectlly normal and that the iPhone 3GS is supposed to have a yellow screen. she said i can't get it replaced because all the other ones will have the same charactaristics.

...I don't have another 3gs to compare to. I just bought this 8 days ago without contract. should I return it?

LOL now Apple has gone from clear insulting denial to blatant lying, despite this thread. Here's the tricky part confusing that clever response from Apple:

Compared to a 3G, a 3G S should have a slightly warmer screen by design and yes this is normal. It's also fair to say that some slight variation between 3G S's can be expected.

The PROBLEM is that there is a HUGE variance between 3G S screens. Some slight variance between 3G S's is expected, but that is not what has happened in the 3G S manufacturing process - there is HUGE blatant obvious variation in color rendition, brightness, contrast, polarization and color temp between them, and Apple very well KNOWS THIS.

As you don't have another 3G S to compare to, I would suggest you go to your local Apple Store, compare your 3G S personally side-by-side with each and every one of the floor display 3G S phones (making sure yours and the displays are each set to max brightness with auto brightness OFF).

If you can see a very big difference in quality based on heavy yellow tinting throughout (or partial screen), or low contrast, or dim brightness, or high polarization or any other such abnormalities on your 3G S compared to the Apple Store 3G S display models, then you've got a non-spec defective screen. Never mind that no one at Apple will admit this to you - apparently they are under orders to deny anything and everything and now are going to the length of blatantly lying as well for heaven's sakes.

_The Apple Store 3G S display models are what they are advertising, so that is what you can rightfully expect to get_.

BTW, as going through the replacement process can be a HUGE headache, if you really don't mind the apparent defect on your phone and can live with it, then consider saving yourself a LOT of trouble and keep it. HOWEVER, if it's honestly going to bother you in _any way_, especially considering the price you paid, then return it for a full refund and get another brand new phone. Keep doing this until you get satisfaction. I'm on my 4th replacement and it's the 4th defective in a row. I'll be re-entering the "3G S Lottery" for the 5th time later this week...

My last post was deleted, and this may be as well. After talking with a product specialist for a week and then someone higher up than him, and getting another bad phone, I told the higher up person that I just wanted my money back. And I got it back. They will try very hard to keep you taking replacements until you can't anymore. I didn't go any further. I got my money back. I don't know that I want to try again. I also convinced my sister not to get one. I don't know what to do now, but I do know that you should not give up or in, until you are happy even if it means getting your money back. They should be aware, and I think they are, they just don't know what to do I think.

Just a word of warning to everyone here. Apple appears to have finally had some sort of internal communication about the yellow screens and the official line at an Apple Store now is "the screens are within limits". If you have not already exchanged your phone, you might be stuck with a defective screen. This phone is likely my last purchase from Apple. I still love OS X but I am starting to hate the company...

I exchanged my phone because of the yellow tint today.... I didn't go to the so called 'genius' bar. Just walked in with the phone (and box, etc) and told them I wanted a new one because the yellow screen was bothersome at night and during the day.

My wife has a 3Gs too, and her phone seems to be 'perfect'. Good battery and no yellow tint.

Anyway, as for today, the yellow tint can be exchanged.

However my exchanged phone seems to be worse in regards to the yellow tint. Wow is all I can say. I'm taking the phone back tomorrow or Wednesday. If they say it's within limits, I'm asking for a refund (I'm still with-in the return time period).

This is my 3rd 3Gs. First one was battery issues. The 2nd one seemed to have no battery issues, but the yellow tint was prevalent. The 3rd one the yellow tint is still there, if not worse.

After reading your post, I've decided to just try to exchange my 3Gs again. I had made an appointment with the Genius Bar, but I'll go the exchange route instead. Though this will now be my 3rd exchange. I'm sure they'll flag me or something, but I need a product that I can use night and day. The yellow tint just ruins being able to read on it during the night...

My wife - whose 3Gs is fine - has said she'll just switch our two phones since she doesn't mind, but I find that unacceptable.

I'm going to try another store though, just in case a bad shipment got sent to the store closest to me. I'll go a tad farther...

We'll see.

Thanks for the input.

kooredaan wrote:
My wife - whose 3Gs is fine - has said she'll just switch our two phones since she doesn't mind, but I find that unacceptable.

Lucky man (although exchanging I agree with is the best route). My wife normally doesn't care about Blu-Ray quality or Home Theater quality surround sound. So with regard to my 3G S screen, I figured she wouldn't be able to tell the difference or care that mine have either been too yellow or washed out with poor contrast.

So guess what she said when I asked her if she wouldn't mind swapping 3G S's? She told me, and I quote, "No way in **** would I take that crap screen - go exchange it." (Gives you an idea how crummy these screens can be).

You bring up a good point, about getting "flagged". I worried about this as well. But I figure, it's our right to return a phone for any reason whatsoever, and no guilt when we're doing it because it's DEFECTIVE. Also, Apple surely wants us to purchase their product and to be happy with it so we'll shut up on these forums. And your idea to try a different store sounds very wise in order to sample a different batch as well as to avoid exchanging too often at one given store. I'll try this as well - thank you for the idea!

Just bought my phone yesterday, week 28. Compared to a friends ipod touch, the screen looks yellow/warm. Compared to a coworkers iphone 3g, mine looks more vivid, better coloration, similar temperature. Without the comparison I thought the display was slightly yellow looking, but after comparing to the iphone 3g I'm pleased with the display.