I'm sorry that others are experiencing this issue but at least now I know I'm not crazy. When comparing my new 3GS to both my 1st gen iphone and my girlfriend's 3G, I DEFINITELY notice a difference, both in terms of less color saturation/vibrance and less deep blacks. The way I was actually describing it to the guy at the AT&T store was that the screen seemed "hazy." In fact, the first time I noticed this issue was when I was syncing for the first time, I placed the iphone flat on the desk and sat back in my chair. At that angle, the screen was almost gray/white. I set my 1st gen iPhone next to it and it was much less washed out. I then noticed that when closing an app and briefly seeing a black screen before it is populated with icons, the black seemed hazy. I was SO frustrated (see below to understand) and was convinced that my screen sucked and my handset needed to be exchanged or returned.
Now here's the kicker: This is my SECOND 3GS. The first 3GS I got had another widespread issue (there may be threads about this but, in a nutshell, the glass was flush with the chrome bezel on the left side but lower than the bezel on the right, giving the right side a sharp edge and scraping feel when swiping to the right). What's weird is, I didn't notice the color/hazy black issue on that handset. Maybe I just missed it, but I'm wracked with OCD, so, until I found this thread, I was convinced that my first unit had a perfect screen similar to the other two phones I mentioned and that the one I currently have has a crummy screen. My experience with Palm devices over the years was that the screens are made in multiple factories by multiple vendors, and you never knew if you were going to get one with a yellow or blue hue. Now I'm wondering if the same is true with the iPhone. Is it possible that my first 3GS had a screen from a different manufacturer/vendor and actually was more vibrant and that my new unit has a screen from a different vendor? Or is it true that ALL 3GS handsets have this hazy, less vibrant screen and I just missed it on my first unit? I'd really like to know, as I had the AT&T store order me another unit which will be arriving in a few days!
Many thanks in advance for your input and feedback.
John