iPhone 12 Pro - inconsistent color, blue shift off axis

Question

Level 1

12 points

iPhone 12 Pro - inconsistent color, blue shift off axis

Just received my 12 Pro Max and am disappointed with the screen. It looks OK straight on, but tilt the phone in any direction and the screen looks bluish-green off axis. My previous 7+ didn’t do this, nor does my wife’s 11. Is this symptom inherent to OLED screens? Seems like a reduction in quality, not an advancement. Phone needs to be seen from all angles, not just perfectly straight on. Anybody else with similar experience?

iPhone 12 Pro Max, iOS 14

Posted on Nov 15, 2020 6:05 AM

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Answer 1

11Chicago Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 1, 2020 7:02 AM in response to King-555

Turns out that this a “feature” of all OLED screens. I took my 12 Max Pro to the Apple store and Verizon; both they said it’s normal. All new phones are transitioning to OLED and it was consitent when I compared my device to floor models in both stores. It was even worse on Samsung devices, by the way.

So...it’s annoying and feels like a step backward compared to the solid color consistency of LED backlit screens. There is no turning back on the technology, so I’m trying to learn to get used to it. I don’t see how Apple can promote best color fidelity in any screen they’ve ever built, when that only applies of you’re looking dead on. Makes for photo sharing with people gathered around a small screen kind of pointless if the people on the edges are seeing a blue cast.

Annoyed.

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Answer 2

SnickZ.

Community Specialist

Nov 23, 2020 6:02 AM in response to 11Chicago

Hi there, 11Chicago.

Congratulations on your new iPhone 12 Pro Max!

It appears that you're seeing a bluish-green tint when you tilt your iPhone. Your previous iPhone 7 Plus and your wife's iPhone 11 aren't demonstrating this issue, and we're glad to help with this.

Adjust the brightness on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support -- Go to Settings > Display & Brightness. See if adjusting the brightness improves the display.

Use Night Shift on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support -- If you're using Night Shift, see if turning it off removes the tint.

Use display and text size preferences on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support -- Also, go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Sizes > Color Filters. If it's on, turn it off and test.

Get Support -- If the tint remains, please contact Apple Support. Type "display" in the Search topics field, and select "Screen or display quality" from the Results.

Take care.

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Answer 3

11Chicago Author

Level 1

12 points

Dec 1, 2020 7:07 AM in response to SnickZ.

None of this addresses the issue. Apple published a bulletin (a year or two ago) when they started shipping OLED screens. It said a bluish color shift is “normal.” That was meant to allay any and all customer complaints. There was nothing wrong with the older LED backlit displays, which had rock solid color fidelity (other than true black). So we have effectively “traded up” to an inferior looking screen.

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Answer 4

Erald21

Level 1

29 points

Jan 6, 2021 8:56 PM in response to 11Chicago

OLED has issues with blueshift. You just have to have good luck. I received my 12 Pro Max a month ago. I had a terrible green tint to the screen, along with vertical line artifacts visible on low brightness and black pixels weren't turning off. However no blue shift off access. The replacement iPhone doesn't have any issues, but terrible blue shift from the sides. I upgraded from an iPhone 11 Pro Max, which doesn't have any issues at all. It looks the same on all angles. Very disappointed in this. Truly the first time in 10 years that I am un happy with the purchase of an iPhone.

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Answer 5

w1432

Level 1

20 points

Dec 13, 2020 3:56 PM in response to 11Chicago

My iPhone 12 Pro has the same color shift to blue while viewing off-axis. I thought the iPhone OLED screens would be similar to my 2018 55" LG OLED TV which has excellent off-axis color accuracy, consistency and intensity. Even at about 70 degree off-axis viewing my LG OLED TV picture retains near perfect color and intensity whereas my iPhone 12 screen losses color fidelity at about 20 degree off-axis which is rather disappointing.

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Answer 6

Aelight

Level 1

19 points

Jan 27, 2021 6:07 PM in response to 11Chicago

This is just not true. I just bought an iPhone 12 Pro and my roommate got an iPhone 12 around Christmas time. The specs say they have the exact same display. Mine, which is much newer, has a gross display with yellow whites and green blacks. True blacks are still black with the OLED, but dark colors tint green. When I look at it from any angle it tints blue. His is perfectly fine. No yellowness, no green in the dark colors. And no blue shift when looking at an angle. I have taken this to apple support over and over and they insist it's not a hardware problem.

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Answer 7

King-555

Level 1

4 points

Dec 1, 2020 5:30 AM in response to SnickZ.

I bought iphone 12. I am too facing similar issues. When i slightly tilt the phone for even typing , display tint is shifting from yellow to blue. True tone dark mode and colour filters are turned off. The display is like this in all environment.

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Answer 8

Dec 14, 2020 7:14 AM in response to 11Chicago

Hi,

I too have this problem on my iPhone 12 pro. Disappointed my iPhone X didn't have this issue, not to this degree anyway. The brighter the screen the less noticeable it is for me. But still, I use my phone at a low screen brightness most of the time so the issue is noticeable.

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