Anyone else affected by screen bleed/uneven tint on Series 4? [MERGED]

[mrex]

I couldn’t see it on my S4 until I downloaded the reddit image and tried it. Then it was pretty obvious. Bummed me out for a while then I deleted the image. Seems like it happens most with a specific shade of grey. Looks just fine on every other colour I try. I suspect most folk who don’t think they have the issue haven’t tried the reddit image. Think I can ignore it. For this year.

What was the brightness level 1-3? If it wasnt 1 then you propably cant see it well when using other colours. Settings 2 and especially 3 are too bright settings to see the difference in most cases, if not all with level 3.

Check my post #89. Not only ”grays” but other colours too, some are worse than others. I would be happy if some really dark gray test image only shows the issue, but it is affecting more or less every colours. So, using the watch face is pretty much locked to use only the colour black.

 

[stevenbeerbaum]

Before i even begin a new thread, i am gonna post my story as it may be related.

I was supper happy to get the series 4 44mm space gray model on 28 of September. I was "lucky" to get one on the first day of release.. After half day of usage, i saw that the grey regions and boxes where somehow trembling. I started to be nervous about the quality and started checking on solid background colors. To my suprise when i imported a white, a light gray and dark grey photo i found the following issue: There was a vertical pale-red line on the middle of the display.
After a technical review procedure that took really long time(you would be suprised by the dead on arrival policies on Greece), i got a full refund and i placed a new order from another shop on Wednesday. This morning i was glad but also terrified to receive the second unit. Unfortunately i got the exact same issue. On full brightness the issue is not fully visible but at medium or low brightness it's visible even from a small distance.

Has anyone else noticed something like that? (The image i attached describes the position of the red line). I am having trouble capturing it with my iphone because the red line is pale. In the second photo there is an oval that surrounds the area. It also seems that the colours of each side don't match. Again i am not able to capture the full effect with my camera. But importing some coloured background photos can highlight the problem.

Having the same line ... still waiting for my replacement (3 weeks now)

 

[mackie8]

Got my replacement today..
Looks better than my week 46 ss gold last week....


This is sbss week 45..

 

[thanosbel]

Having the same line ... still waiting for my replacement (3 weeks now)

The first technical review, before i was approved to a full refund, took about a month due to misunderstanding of issue... Then due to lack of supply i found a new one last week... But it has the exact same problem.. Even though it's a great device i can no longer be sure about it's screen. Two issues and no one seems to care. At least they replace or refund..

Too be honest i am really tired and dissapointed to even bother asking for a replacement... Due to high demand it seems that space grey is out of stock.. Even if i get one it does not seem that i will be lucky enough to get an issue free watch..

Today they suggested me that they send it for service so that i will be sent a 'new' one that is guaranteed to be without any issue. But of course in that case no one can guarantee that it is not refubrished. They speculate that it will be a brand new unit because it has not passed much time since the release date...

 

[Jordan921]

Glad I’m not OCD like most of the people here and just enjoying my new sbss series 4.

 

[mrex]

Glad I’m not OCD like most of the people here and just enjoying my new sbss series 4.

ocd has as much as the same as being blind enough to be happy with faulty screen.

 

[Significant1]

Glad I’m not OCD like most of the people here and just enjoying my new sbss series 4.

It is not OCD. I had a 44mm perfect all around but too big. Got a 40mm and it had clearly problems with grey on the crown size (the faded colors didn't rotate with UI, if I changed direction in settings, so not by design). Now on my second 40mm and just like the 44mm this one is perfect all around.

Had the price been 1/10 like my Amazfit bip or maybe even twice that, I wouldn't bother with the hassle and call it OCD

 

[Jordan921]

ocd has as much as the same as being blind enough to be happy with faulty screen.

Glad I’m able to just enjoy my watch without looking for problems.

 

[thanosbel]

Glad I’m able to just enjoy my watch without looking for problems.

The companies are grateful for your attitude!!! But if at some point apple recalls a device for a problem that you have never noticed before, i hope that you will keep your stance and not exchange it for a new one

 

[Jordan921]

The companies are grateful for your attitude!!! But if at some point apple recalls a device for a problem that you have never noticed before, i hope that you will keep your stance and not exchange it for a new one

Yup.

 

[dcpmark]

Got my replacement today..
Looks better than my week 46 ss gold last week....


This is sbss week 45..

You know what I see? I’ll tell you what I see.....I see a guy with wildly-swinging heartrates and whose heart didn’t get to rest at all the day before this photo was taken.

Now, perhaps if you spent less time in dark rooms anxiously taking photos of gray screens on your Apple Watch, and more time outside in the sunlight exercising, you’d be much happier.

 

[iamasmith]

I really don't know why but this feels like a thread of persecution for folks not happy with this genuine issue.

The S3 and previous generations never had this, excepting occasional units, and this is widespread and indicative of a manufacturing issue with the S4 and potentially too demanding a design for the manufacturing standards being paid for.

Some will be happy with their S4 and I'll be waiting (with my S3), as I was anyway, for the S5 and hopefully they will have settled the quality issues.

 

[Tapiture]

ok so I just picked up a 44mm Silver Stainless Steel model from the Apple Store and when I pull up the picture from that reddit post (linked HERE for those who want to try it) there is a little bit of a lighter tint running up one side of the watch. Now I've never noticed it before using the photo and it doesn't really bother me that much. I think that all of the watches have this issue in some variety but people just don't realize because it's so subtle and they haven't checked with the picture. I'm not going to complain to Apple and get a replacement yet because I am sure it will have the same issue. But maybe in 3-4 months when or if this issue is resolved, I'll get it replaced.

 

[44267547]

I really don't know why but this feels like a thread of persecution for folks not happy with this genuine issue.

The S3 and previous generations never had this, excepting occasional units, and this is widespread and indicative of a manufacturing issue with the S4 and potentially too demanding a design for the manufacturing standards being paid for.

Some will be happy with their S4 and I'll be waiting (with my S3), as I was anyway, for the S5 and hopefully they will have settled the quality issues.

What’s ironic, is I have never met anyone outside Macrumors that actually takes their watch in a dark room and looks for defects, it’s just those who are way more tech oriented that pay attention to these finite details with the uneven display. Now, if someone wants to address this with Apple and receive a replacement watch, I respect that. Because they paid for a watch and they want it to be a certain way.

Also, you mentioned the Series 3 never had this concern with the uneven display, and I actually I have read in previous threads where other members have commented with the display being uneven with the Series 3, it just is more commonly found with the Series 4.

 

[viperGTS]

Got a new series 4 recently and this one has a MUCH more uniform screen, with pretty much no bleed compared to what I've been seeing on here. The screen still is a smidge dimmer near the middle than the rest of the display though, which is disappointing.

 

[mrex]

You know what I see? I’ll tell you what I see.....I see a guy with wildly-swinging heartrates and whose heart didn’t get to rest at all the day before this photo was taken.

Now, perhaps if you spent less time in dark rooms anxiously taking photos of gray screens on your Apple Watch, and more time outside in the sunlight exercising, you’d be much happier.

please tell that to the sun... it is already gone today, and it is dark outside.

Sunrise: 08.56
Sunset: 15.21

so most of the time im not watching it in the direct sunlight so the uneven screen is very visible all the time and hence annoying. i would be happy if it wasnt a real time issue, and only visible in a certain scenario, but unfortunately this part of the world we are watching our apple watches in a dark too. anyway, apple CS told that if is uneven, the screen is faulty and need to be replaced - sunlight or not.

 

[mrex]

can't wait to see the replacement watch... my watch just notified me that the package comes later today...

 

[stevenbeerbaum]

I finally received my replacement after 3 weeks ... totally uneven and 4 stuck pixels ... what the hell ...

 

[44267547]

I finally received my replacement after 3 weeks ... totally uneven and 4 stuck pixels ... what the hell ...

The uneven display seems to be highly Likely amongst all the Series 4 watch models, it just varies how noticeable it really is pending it’s severity. The static pixels however, that is problematic and would warrant an exchange without question.

 

[thanosbel]

I finally received my replacement after 3 weeks ... totally uneven and 4 stuck pixels ... what the hell ...

Can you please tell us its production week?

(you can find out from the device's serial number and online tools)

 

[mrex]

No luck here.. the replacement unit was a slightly more even, the left side was brighter now (my current watch has right side). It was also darker with all brightness settings than my current watch. BUT the real problem was that it had a dark line on the middle of the screen from the top to the bottom and it was visible with every colour. I send it back and keep my current one for now.

In the first attached picture the brownish colour comes from the camera in iPhone - the green colour is more even in a real life - some fluctuations with "shadows" and those shadows looks brownish. The line is visible more easily than capturing it with a camera.

[doublepost=1544211294][/doublepost]
In the second attached picture: On the left side is the replacement unit and on the right side is my current watch. The replacement unit is much darker and line is always visible.

 

[richard371]

My understanding is that this is more common with non PWM OLED screens. Current iPhone and pre AW4 screens are PWM. My LG65 $3k tv along with others that have this TV say its can be somewhat uneven when viewing a grey screen in the right conditions. If you notice these issues in normal day to day use its a problem but if you have to look at a certain dim image in a dark room yours is probably about as good as it gets and you might get something worse swapping it out.

 

[mrex]

My understanding is that this is more common with non PWM OLED screens. Current iPhone and pre AW4 screens are PWM. My LG65 $3k tv along with others that have this TV say its can be somewhat uneven when viewing a grey screen in the right conditions. If you notice these issues in normal day to day use its a problem but if you have to look at a certain dim image in a dark room yours is probably about as good as it gets and you might get something worse swapping it out.

lt is just more easy to capture the difference with a phone in a dark than in a light. This is under the room lighting (my current watch). As you can see, the right side is much brighter than the left side under the room lighting, no need for the pitch black environment.

 

[user1234]

For me it's clearly visible in all lighting conditions. It's like there is a gray gradient across menu lists and anything gray

 

[techno-Zen]

lt is just more easy to capture the difference with a phone in a dark than in a light. This is under the room lighting (my current watch). As you can see, the right side is much brighter than the left side under the room lighting, no need for the pitch black environment.

This pic is the perfect example of it affecting general use