Slight Yellow Tint (iPhone 4S)

Because I don't have 4S, I can’t understand the exact phenomenon, the glue between cover glass and lcd panel could be main reason of this problem. Glue itself is not changed so much its optical property by passing time, the problem is adhesion between cover glass and lcd panel. When you push the cover glass a little strong(not too much, not to affect lcd panel), does this yellow tint disappear? If so, adhesion will be the reason of yellow tint. Actually glue is needed to raise optical transmission by removing air gap between cover glass and lcd panel. However, before glue is perfectly stick to cover glass and lcd panel, there will be small air gap (less than wavelength of light), it causes interference of light and affect the transmission and reflection of light. Interference is very dependant to wavelength of light, it specially affect to color. (you may have seen the rainbow puddles in the road after raining, it’s also interference of light). If this adhesion is the real reason of problem, the time will be solution. Glue will be hardened by passing time, it will stick more firmly cover glass and lcd panel, finally the air gap will be disappeared. If this hypothesis(^^;) is not true, we have to doubt about lcd panel problem. In my experience panel maker is not so stupid to cause this problem.(because they always care about color coordinates of their panel…). If this hypothesis is true, Apple is ok by using more rapidly hardening glue from now.

When I push my 4s' screen it makes no difference, the screen is just cast yellow all over. To be honest, my eyes did get accustomed to it after a few days, but to make sure I wasn't imagining things originally I took my phone to my university electronics store and compared it to a display model iPad 2. In comparison, the screen color which I was used to on my original iPhone 4 was also Present here, a much cooler color temperature with a blue cast. In my opinion, this is definitely not a glue problem as it is uniform across the screen. When comparing the two devices, it's pretty obvious they are just different screens, and nothing else. I would venture to say this will not go away with time. I've owned numerous computer monitors in the past year and it is the same way, you usually, even with calibration will get a warmer or cooler picture from screen to screen. I for one would like mine replaced but am not near an apple store so have to wait. When I bought my phone had there been disclosure of this discrepancy it might be acceptable but I paid for it expecting apple to uphold its past standards. I suspect many many phones are yellow or blue depending on which plant they came from, but many people are not aware of the difference being first time users or simply don't look closely/care. My advice, if you have a yellow screen and want a blue one, go get your phone replaced, there is very likely no other solution.

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I had the same issue with my 3GS iPhone. I replaced it, got a slightly better one but the phone kept dropping calls.I then had to go and replace it again although for another reason Grrr. Of course the replacement had a slight tint of yellow on it compared to my wifes lovely sharp blueish 3GS screen. In the end, I lived with it. At the time the Apple Store had 3GS units on display, none of them had this yellow tint on them, even with the brightness turned down.

I am not a technician but I would think that a screen calibration would remedy this. Maybe each mass run of screen gets calibrated by someone who prefers darker yellow, thus allowing some to come out more yellower than others. Taking the phone back and swapping it is in my opinion pot luck. You may end up with another defect, more so when Apple start to churn out returns back into the system.

Either way, I wish the current color temp inconsistency would be addressed, the very same inconsistency that also effected the iPhone of 2 generations ago - the 3GS.

Im very interested in your updates....I purchased the Apple Care warranty....trying to figure out what my options are......

Do you think Apple will make some sort of formal statement ?

Jamie

I guess this supports the idea that the screen coloring is batch dependent. Hopefully you will be able to find one that isn't altered in this way.

Spoke with an apple store staff member. He told me they would switch the phone out.

So I just realized that when holding the phone in my right hand and viewing the phone from a left angle the screen appears yellow! When I turn the phone and view from the right angle the screen is super white! Something is def wrong here!!!!

Thanks so much for posting all of the pictures. I was really wondering about this issue. I have an iphone 4 and have just ordered the 4s. To tell you the truth, I like the display on your replacement phone the best because you can so so many more different shades of gray. The 4 screen is a little too blue for my taste. I got used to it on my present phone, but I would really like the warmer version...how much you want to bet that I'll be the one getting a phone with a bluish screen...

pardthemonster wrote:

My replacement came today, but based on an email I got yesterday with serial numbers, I was not too hopeful about the replacement. Starred numbers were all that was different.

Identification Numbers of the Original Product

Serial Number: C39GJ***DTDR

Identification Numbers of the Replacement Product

Serial Number: C39GJ***DTDR

Below are some pictures of my iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and the replacement iPhone 4S (not being kept).

iPhone 4 left, replacement iPhone 4S right

iPhone 4 left, replacement iPhone 4S right

replacement iPhone 4S left, iPhone 4S right

iPhone 4 left, replacement iPhone 4S center, iPhone 4S right

iPhone 4 left, iPhone 4S center, replacement iPhone 4S right

I have an appointment this Saturday with the Genius Bar and hope I can finally find a non-yellow tinted screen.

When the 4 was released the yellow was seen on the glass when the display was off. That is the glue and will fade.

A yellow tint when the display is on is probably the caused by that. I never heard of any reports of this yellow on a 3G or 3GS and owned both. Not saying it did not happen, but I dont think those displays are glued to the glass like they are on a 4/4S.

I would wait a week to see if the yellow clears. If not, I would go to an Apple store and inspect the replacement before you leave.

Mine is pretty good, whiter than my wife's Sensation but not as blue ish as my old iPhone 4. What I have noticed in some of the iPhone 4 pics is that the blue actually has a pink tinge, my old iPhone 4 was bluish, but white clouds in the sky etc had a vague pink tint, the new screen shows colours with more accuracy, some may prefer the the blue tinge but mine has gotten less warm and more white (week old) and I am more than happy with the screen on it now. 🙂 To me in in the pictures above the bluish coulour has a pinkish tinge to it, not great as I see it.

I really should add a comment or two as I myself am pretty careful about commiting myself to a product for a year that I must be happy with for the entire duration.

Firstly, like others - we have every iPhone from the first generation in the family along with an iPod touch or two. I have also had about 4 or so iPhones returned for replacements within the first 14 days from various generations because of the 'yellow/smokey' screen issues as shown in a few of the images earlier.

Having said all that - and comparing my own iPhone 4 along with my new iPhone 4s .. I am also have the 'yellow' (tinted) screen; but strangely, its no longer an issue for me as I feel that it is perfectly fine this time around! What differs is the fact that previous 'issues' with other generations resulted in the RGB colouring to be noticeably different when comparision charts were used on the phones.. This resulted in colours that should be Red possibly looking slightly pink.. and Greens looking, well .. not so-Green! And don't mention the Blues ..! Now, with the iPhone 4s .. the colours are nigh on perfect.. *save* for the fact that 'whites' are tinted 'cream' (i'd say) .. just as my Macbook colour profile is set to .. just as my PC monitor is set-to .. my iPhone 4 looks 'cold' and un-friendly in comparision now!

I would really suggest that as long as your colours are fine - and that your only 'issue' is the white being 'warm' (.. lets not call it yellow, because it really isn't!) ... then its a none-issue! And having spent a week comparing two or three phones together.. I feel that the 'warmer' whites allow for a better overall experience. Reading long pages, text.. is easy on the eye.. and I'm not feeling a blizzard coming along from those oh-so-cold whites any longer!

I also feel that those that have suggested at least a week for it to settle in are also correct - and possibly having auto-screen set to off and brightness to full for an hour or so on a 'white' picture might bed it in more quickly..

Snowy-Whites are not all they are cracked up to be .. If you have 'warm' whites - I think you have a perfect phone! Cold-whites are sooo last year!

I had the same problem. I have used my phone extremely heavily since I got it and the tint has gone away now. Only issue I'm having is battery life problems

Well I got my iPhone 4S at the Apple store today. When I went home, I compared my screen with my iphone 4. Sure enough my iPhone 4S does not have the yellowgate or the yellow tint (whatever people call it). It has actually a blue hue to mine (which is what I really expect). Btw I do have a white iphone 4S.

When I had the iphone 4, I did not notice if I had the yellow tinting or not but sure enough after comparing with my iPhone 4S, it was very noticeable on my iPhone 4. But I do not have any yellow tints on my iPhone 4S and I am very happy with my purchase today.

Yep, I have the yellow tint and when I went to the apple store the guy was very rude, first he said he couldnt notice a tint, when another employee and a friend could clearly see the difference. He then told me that it was within range....I mentioned I could just return the phone, since I just got it 4 days ago. He said fine and walked away...... I am going to a different apple store over the weekend and bringing my iPhone 4 with me for proof of the color problem.

It is sad that the apple store employee handled the situation so poorly, since I have purchased every iPhone since they came out, plus 3 macbook pro's and 3 iMacs. You'd have though they would treat me with some courtesy!