Is it impossible to get a perfect display in an iPhone?

[GusHerb94]

I've tried the 6S Plus three times, the first one had uneven backlighting where the top was darker than the bottom in a gradient, and a dead pixel too. The second was pretty much the same but add some dust in with that, the third one was as uniform as I could ever hope for but had a big glaring speck of dust smack center in the display and then a dead pixel under the battery indicator.

The first one was a mid November built one, and the last two were 43rd week/October.

My cousins 6S Plus had poor backlighting uniformity and two giant slivers of dust that looked like a hair from a razor blade when I looked at hers, and a friends 6S has lots of dust in the corner by the mute switch. (Which looks to be behind the LCD and not between the LCD and glass).

I don't understand how I could constantly be getting so many iPhones with faulty displays unless this is what they pump out there and expect nobody to notice. I'm not one of those nitpicking OCD nuts either, everything I've seen is just from normal viewing, and I do have a certain tolerance level that falls well below "absolute perfect" but some things just aren't acceptable at all like speckles of dust, dead pixels and especially backlighting that's uneven to the point of the screen looking like two totally different shades from top to bottom (or side to side). I can live with a corner being darker or along the very top or bottom though (my 6 is like that, even has two tiny specks of dust near the battery indicator that I can only see when closely examining and am ok with that).

 

[Ariel Babalao]

Re: Is it impossible to get a "perfect" display in an iPhone?

I think if we examine really closely any given device at all, we will always find issues within them. These devices manufactures are trying to build perfect devices. They do not build prefect devices cause there is nothing perfect even though sometimes, some imperfections can seem to be perfect, still remain imperfect.
If it's really disturbing though, I would take it to Apple Store for a replacement until I'm satisfy or I would ask for a refund and look at some other horizon.

 

[Just_Me_D]

To answer the thread question, yes, it is possible to get a perfect iPhone display.

 

[Highrisedrifter]

To answer the thread question, yes, it is possible to get a perfect iPhone display.

The display on my iPhone is perfect, for instance.

In fact I can and will go as far as to say that all my iPhones have had perfect displays... Or, I was just not over-critical enough to pore over them in minute detail.

 

[GusHerb]

I'm glad some of you are getting perfect iPhones more recently. I had a perfect 3G, 4, 5 (though I had a dead pixel twice but the eventual total phone replacement lasted fine), and 5S (had that spotlighting along the top that people complain about but it didn't bother me). For me it started with the 6. What makes me crazy is that the Apple Store is a 42 minute drive from here so going back and forth would be absolutely ridiculous. Ordering online takes time.

I noticed all the people I know with 6 and 6 Pluses that got them at least 6 months after launch all got perfect phones on the first try.

It's really impossible not to examine a phone closely because of its nature, I could stare at the one I'm using now very closely and spot lots of things but from 6-8" away I can't spot anything. Well all the ones I've sent back I can spot the artifacts from 6-8" away.

 

[Just_Me_D]

I'm glad some of you are getting perfect iPhones more recently. I had a perfect 3G, 4, 5 (though I had a dead pixel twice but the eventual total phone replacement lasted fine), and 5S (had that spotlighting along the top that people complain about but it didn't bother me). For me it started with the 6. What makes me crazy is that the Apple Store is a 42 minute drive from here so going back and forth would be absolutely ridiculous. Ordering online takes time.

I noticed all the people I know with 6 and 6 Pluses that got them at least 6 months after launch all got perfect phones on the first try.

It's really impossible not to examine a phone closely because of its nature, I could stare at the one I'm using now very closely and spot lots of things but from 6-8" away I can't spot anything. Well all the ones I've sent back I can spot the artifacts from 6-8" away.

I've just finished setting up my iPhone 6S Plus. I returned the iPhone 6S because of two things: 1) I missed the size of the Plus model and, 2) the Retina display had a warm (yellowish) tint. This new 6S Plus I have in my hands is as perfect as I can expect it to be. Its display is as bright as my 6 Plus and, well, perfect.......Having said that, my perfect may not be the same as yours. You may look at my perfect iPhone and see all sorts of stuff that I would probably find grossly insignificant, but that's okay. We are all different. Anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend...

 

[Ledsteplin]

I haven't noticed any screen issues with my 6s Plus. None. It looks great.

 

[anon(5719825)]

The only time I ever had a problem with an iPhones screen was on the original. I did an exchange at the genius bar and got a screen that had what looked like a book spine going down the middle. The display was brighter down that little line down the middle. It was only noticeable in white backgrounds such as when using the settings app. I kept it but eventually sold it on eBay.

 

[anon(7901790)]

It sounds like a bad batch. I just recently got my 6s Plus a week ago and my display is fine.

 

[GusHerb]

It sounds like a bad batch. I just recently got my 6s Plus a week ago and my display is fine.

That's what I hear every time someone goes through several defective devices. I don't believe that is quite true I think quality control is sacrificed for quantity instead.

At over $900 I expect to get what I pay for, not pay $900 and then get the quality of a $400 device.

 

[Adawg1203]

That's what I hear every time someone goes through several defective devices. I don't believe that is quite true I think quality control is sacrificed for quantity instead.

At over $900 I expect to get what I pay for, not pay $900 and then get the quality of a $400 device.

Apple is not known for sacrificing quality control for the sake of quantity. When you pump out tens of millions of handsets there is bound to be a small percent with issue. That being said, I don't think there are many folks experiencing display defects like yourself. I'd say your situation is more the exception and not the norm.

 

[Peligro911]

Got mine on launch no issues just picked up another a week ago no issue .. Dust or dead pixel would bother me but I would address that at Apple

 

[Wildo6882]

I'm one of those psychotic nitpicky OCD types, and I see nothing wrong at all with my 6s Plus screen. I got it about two weeks ago. Ordered online. I'm not saying you didn't have those issues, but it is definitely possible to get one that is perfect. One thing great about Apple is how they back their products. I'd just keep on trying.

 

[jpgti]

I'm one of those psychotic nitpicky OCD types, and I see nothing wrong at all with my 6s Plus screen. I got it about two weeks ago. Ordered online. I'm not saying you didn't have those issues, but it is definitely possible to get one that is perfect. One thing great about Apple is how they back their products. I'd just keep on trying.

+1. I got my 6s+ at launch and have noticed no screen issues whatsoever. My first iPad Pro had a screen issue that it was replaced for, and my 2015 Macbook Pro has what appears to be a dead pixel that you can only see on white backgrounds but its driving me crazy. So if there were any issues, I would absolutely notice them.

 

[jlgraham]

These are my first iPhones, was a longtime Android user. I bought the 6s and it didn't have any issues at all that I could see, but I returned it and got the 6s Plus, and I've had zero issues with this device too. The screen backlight is uniform, colors look great, and there are no dead pixels that I can see (I'm a photographer, so I'm fairly picky about screens).

However, my partner bought the 6s Plus a few weeks after me, and his first handset had atrocious battery life. He'd pull it off the charger at 8am and it would be dead by 1pm with very little use. We took it back to the Apple store and they replaced it, and now his replacement phone thinks it always has headphones plugged in, so he can only talk on speaker phone or using headphones. So we'll be taking that one back too.

I think it's just a coincidence/bad luck. I got two different phones and they were both great, my partner got two different phones (from the same store, a few weeks after me) and both have had major issues. At least Apple has physical stores, so even though we have to drive 30 mins each way, it's just a matter of walking in and swapping handsets, rather than having to mail something back and wait for a new phone.

Sidenote, I don't have any issues with my 6s Plus, but my friend noticed that the plastic antenna bars on the back of my phone kind of "bow up" and stick up above the metal just slightly (it's barely noticeable, almost nonexistent, you have to be running your fingernail across them to be able to tell). On his regular 6 Plus from last year, the antenna lines are completely flat and flush with the metal, so they feel like one cohesive piece. So even on my phone which works perfectly, there are what I suppose you could call "build quality issues".

 

[nthknd]

I guess my question is when you get your phone at the Apple Store they don't open it in front of you and make sure everything was up to par before you leave the store? My Apple Store sets everything up in front of you and makes sure your happy before leaving. Maybe go to the Apple Store and do your exam there till your satisfied. Also my screens are fine ( 6, 6s plus, iPad Air 2, iPad mini4 and Apple Watch ).

 

[anon(7901790)]

That's what I hear every time someone goes through several defective devices. I don't believe that is quite true I think quality control is sacrificed for quantity instead.

At over $900 I expect to get what I pay for, not pay $900 and then get the quality of a $400 device.

I agree. Because of the expense of some of our devices, I think that we need to implement lemon laws, like most states do for cars.

As far as it being a bad batch, Apple (like every other OEM), contracts to multiple companies to manufacture their products. In the case of stuff like this, I would wager that all of those phones came from the same plant. That is what people mean by a "bad batch." The other thing is, when you are manufacturing things in batches of 10s of thousands or more, you're bound to get defective units. They can't test every unit, it isn't feasible on the scale they are being produced.

 

[anon(7901790)]

I guess my question is when you get your phone at the Apple Store they don't open it in front of you and make sure everything was up to par before you leave the store? My Apple Store sets everything up in front of you and makes sure your happy before leaving. Maybe go to the Apple Store and do your exam there till your satisfied. Also my screens are fine ( 6, 6s plus, iPad Air 2, iPad mini4 and Apple Watch ).

They normally do. Even places like AT&T and Verizon do that. In some cases though, defects don't manifest themselves until after a few days or weeks of use.

 

[GusHerb]

Thanks for giving me some hope that proper devices do exist. I have another replacement 6 coming tomorrow (a dead pixel appeared out of nowhere, plus the screen got real loose around the buttons making a loud popping noise), and I ordered the 6S Plus again to give another shot. Given my history with these things I'm probably about as cynical about these next phones coming as one can be.

Out of 10 iPhone 6's since last year I've only had 1 that I could live with, and did for over a year until the home button got wonky. Other people I know got perfect ones on the first try... Perhaps I should start having someone else buy my phones for me!

Aside from the crappy displays, I really haven't had much trouble with the rest of any of the phones (not even the "crescentgate" issue!) except for the dreaded home button crunching, and uneven buttons on a few of the refurbs I've gotten. So I think they've managed to maintain the good quality on everything but the display. I hope to god the iPhone 7 brings vast improvement to the QC of the display manufacturing process.

 

[Snoweagle]

Since my first iPhone (3GS) until now (6s Plus), all their displays are perfectly fine. You might have gotten a bad batch or just a bad phone.