Edge glow on iPhone 12 (for the third time)

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Level 1

14 points

Edge glow on iPhone 12 (for the third time)

So, I'm currently on my second iPhone 12, as the first had screen-related problems (at low brightness it aggressively shifted to green colors).

My second (and current) iPhone 12 hasn't been too reliable either. It has had its screen replaced twice by an authorized Apple repair shop, and both replacements happened because of the same issue: a very noticeable light bleed around the edges, especially when showing dark gray images or apps with a dark gray background, such as Coinbase or Spotify. Doesn't appear on black images, as it is an OLED screen and the pixels are just pitch black.

As someone who uses his iPhone mainly at night, the issue really is annoying and hard to ignore. Obviously, it is also inconvenient to take it to the repair shop every month. Worth mentioning both units were bought brand new, and my current one was even ordered on the Apple website.

I took some pictures in which a plain dark gray picture is being displayed. This is a picture of how it looked before the last time it was replaced:

And this is how bad it looks now. Considerably worse than last time.

For reference, this is the dark gray picture I'm using.

I wonder if I'm just terribly unlucky to come across this issue this many times, of if there's a serious, common problem with iPhone 12 displays. I've been a loyal Apple customer for some years and this is really ruining the experience.

iPhone 12

Posted on Nov 13, 2021 4:36 AM

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Answer 1

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Nov 14, 2021 8:58 AM in response to guiez32

Note it’s not a common “problem” but rather is just the nature of OLED displays.

They look incredible in wonderful use as well as when off, but it’s hard for them to do a grey just above off (3% - 5% grey.)

This doesn’t mean your display isn’t working properly, it’s just a bit of what among TV aficionados has been termed the “display lottery.”

Some have been through five or six TVs before finding one they like, others just accept it as normal.

You can certainly ask Apple to exchange yours, but there is no guarantee the next will appear better to you.

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Answer 2

guiez32 Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 14, 2021 8:48 AM in response to tommaso193

Hello!

Your display looks exactly like my first one. If it's under warranty I'd give Apple a call and try to get it replaced. However, keep in mind that as Dogcow-Moof said, it seems to be a common problem on OLED displays. I'm having issues on my third screen so getting it replaced might not really solve the problem long-term. Still, having paid 929€ for my device I'll do whatever I can to have a working one.

Good luck!

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Answer 3

guiez32 Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 13, 2021 5:36 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

I considered the possibility of it being "normal", until I asked friends with other OLED iPhones to check if that happened to them. I tested a X, XS and a 13 Pro on the same circumstances - none of them had the issue.

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Answer 4

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Nov 13, 2021 5:24 AM in response to guiez32

Quite frankly, that's somewhat normal for OLED displays; they don't handle very dark greys well.

The same occurs on OLED televisions.

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Answer 5

guiez32 Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 14, 2021 7:55 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

Well, that does look bad indeed. I've now done some more research on OLED displays and it definitely is more common than I was expecting. I don't care much about the banding, but the green light bleeds really are irritating. Now I'd probably consider using the first screen I had, as it was more bearable compared to what I have now. It only becomes noticeable when the brightness is below 40%, and becomes even worse when Night Shift is activated on top of that.

I'll probably get in contact with Apple, send the pictures and ask for a last replacement, as I've seen some examples on other forums of green light bleeding as bad as mine being regarded as defective displays. At this point I just want one that doesn't interfere this much on watching movies. But if it happens again, I'll might as well just accept it.

Thank you for educating me on the subject!

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