Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone SE (2022) iPhone poor screen quality - anyone else notice?

Cellophaneskies

Cellophaneskies

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 16, 2016
12
6
East Anglia, England
Firstly. I’m really fussy about screens. So I accept I’m being ott. But surely I can’t be the only one.
I’ve bought and returned like 8 iPhones of various models as there’s always some defect on the lcd screen.

Usually the colour consistency across the screen is poor - maybe one edge is more blue, or it’s red towards the middle. It drives me insane. Or even worse, backlight bleed so there are bright splotches on a dark background.

However I’ve made peace with this generally. I’m on a 7 and desperate to upgrade, so I got an SE 2022. Really quickly I noticed that at angle there is like a Moire pattern, like a screen door effect almost.

I’ve compared to me 7 and the 7 has it a tiny amount, but I literally haven’t noticed it in the years I’ve had it! The SE is really noticeable, like if it’s resting on a surface etc. I’ve looked at more in the apple store and they’re all the same. I find it so distracting, and annoying that it’s an expensive product with poor quality. Every time I look at it, it will bug me..

Anyone else struggle with this or am I just truly insane?
 
  • Haha
Reactions: flashflood101
BugeyeSTI said:
i guess I've been lucky, every Apple device I've purchased since 2010 has not been defective or given me any reason to be returned. I sold an iPhone 6 a month after it was released because I felt it offered no better performance than my 5S but it had no defects...
Click to expand...
Same.

Either that or I just can't tell any difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BugeyeSTI
All I look for are dead pixels. But I guess I am just a normal person.
 
Cellophaneskies said:
Firstly. I’m really fussy about screens. So I accept I’m being ott. But surely I can’t be the only one.
I’ve bought and returned like 8 iPhones of various models as there’s always some defect on the lcd screen.

Usually the colour consistency across the screen is poor - maybe one edge is more blue, or it’s red towards the middle. It drives me insane. Or even worse, backlight bleed so there are bright splotches on a dark background.

However I’ve made peace with this generally. I’m on a 7 and desperate to upgrade, so I got an SE 2022. Really quickly I noticed that at angle there is like a Moire pattern, like a screen door effect almost.

I’ve compared to me 7 and the 7 has it a tiny amount, but I literally haven’t noticed it in the years I’ve had it! The SE is really noticeable, like if it’s resting on a surface etc. I’ve looked at more in the apple store and they’re all the same. I find it so distracting, and annoying that it’s an expensive product with poor quality. Every time I look at it, it will bug me..

Anyone else struggle with this or am I just truly insane?
Click to expand...

You buy SE and expect Pro Max quality and service.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andeddu
Cellophaneskies said:
Firstly. I’m really fussy about screens. So I accept I’m being ott. But surely I can’t be the only one.
I’ve bought and returned like 8 iPhones of various models as there’s always some defect on the lcd screen.

Usually the colour consistency across the screen is poor - maybe one edge is more blue, or it’s red towards the middle. It drives me insane. Or even worse, backlight bleed so there are bright splotches on a dark background.

However I’ve made peace with this generally. I’m on a 7 and desperate to upgrade, so I got an SE 2022. Really quickly I noticed that at angle there is like a Moire pattern, like a screen door effect almost.

I’ve compared to me 7 and the 7 has it a tiny amount, but I literally haven’t noticed it in the years I’ve had it! The SE is really noticeable, like if it’s resting on a surface etc. I’ve looked at more in the apple store and they’re all the same. I find it so distracting, and annoying that it’s an expensive product with poor quality. Every time I look at it, it will bug me..

Anyone else struggle with this or am I just truly insane?
Click to expand...
I've noticed the (quoting you) "Moire pattern, like a screen door effect almost" on all three of the iPhones I've owned (see sig). However it's visible in only very bright light, like sunlight, and has never bothered me. I've never seen it during normal use.
 
Cellophaneskies said:
Firstly. I’m really fussy about screens. So I accept I’m being ott. But surely I can’t be the only one.
I’ve bought and returned like 8 iPhones of various models as there’s always some defect on the lcd screen.

Usually the colour consistency across the screen is poor - maybe one edge is more blue, or it’s red towards the middle. It drives me insane. Or even worse, backlight bleed so there are bright splotches on a dark background.

However I’ve made peace with this generally. I’m on a 7 and desperate to upgrade, so I got an SE 2022. Really quickly I noticed that at angle there is like a Moire pattern, like a screen door effect almost.

I’ve compared to me 7 and the 7 has it a tiny amount, but I literally haven’t noticed it in the years I’ve had it! The SE is really noticeable, like if it’s resting on a surface etc. I’ve looked at more in the apple store and they’re all the same. I find it so distracting, and annoying that it’s an expensive product with poor quality. Every time I look at it, it will bug me..

Anyone else struggle with this or am I just truly insane?
Click to expand...
I think if you are truly into screen quality get the 13 models. The oled even the xs max to the 13 is gorgeous.
 
Same here. I think it has to do with one´s sensitivity to colors (eyes/brain) as well as how detail oriented in general you are.
I notice colour uniformity imperfections on a white/grey background by LCD as well as OLED.
Couple of examples:
- iPhone SE 1st gen - yellow band on top of lcd
- iPhone XS Max - yellow hue bottom half, cool/greenish top half
- iPhone 11 Pro Max - red hue bottom half, cool/ blue top half
- iPhone 6s Plus - light spotlight effect on the top edge of lcd
- iPad 2 - yellowish "patch" in one corner
- iPad 8th - slightly cooler right side of LCD

In my experience, OLED isn´t any better than LCD in terms of colour uniformity.

Then there are dead pixels, stuck pixels, white "pressure" spots, backlight bleed on black screen, IPS glow on black screen, book spine effect, bright band etc..

I´ve seen them all ? and it is very rare to find a perfect screen, there are so many things that can go wrong. I´m slowly learning to live with some amount of screen imperfection when I buy a new expensive device. Sometimes I returned a device 10 times and still didn´t get a perfect one...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Populus
fromsixtozero said:
Same here. I think it has to do with one´s sensitivity to colors (eyes/brain) as well as how detail oriented in general you are.
I notice colour uniformity imperfections on a white/grey background by LCD as well as OLED.
Couple of examples:
- iPhone SE 1st gen - yellow band on top of lcd
- iPhone XS Max - yellow hue bottom half, cool/greenish top half
- iPhone 11 Pro Max - red hue bottom half, cool/ blue top half
- iPhone 6s Plus - light spotlight effect on the top edge of lcd
- iPad 2 - yellowish "patch" in one corner
- iPad 8th - slightly cooler right side of LCD

In my experience, OLED isn´t any better than LCD in terms of colour uniformity.

Then there are dead pixels, stuck pixels, white "pressure" spots, backlight bleed on black screen, IPS glow on black screen, book spine effect, bright band etc..

I´ve seen them all ? and it is very rare to find a perfect screen, there are so many things that can go wrong. I´m slowly learning to live with some amount of screen imperfection when I buy a new expensive device. Sometimes I returned a device 10 times and still didn´t get a perfect one...
Click to expand...
Wow, you sound just like me. So I’m glad I’m not alone. I used to give out loads of 1st Gen SEs ar work and I would often notice that the top or bottom of the screen had like a yellow arc of discolouration.

I had a couple of third gen iPads with a really pronounced redder corner.


This is exactly the sort of thing I’m referring to though. I don’t think it’s ‘fussy’ or ‘trying to be unhappy’ to reject these sort of screens. It’s your primary interaction with the device..

I’m also not expecting something perfect. I won’t accept dead pixels or backlight bleed but my two iPads have a level of colour inconsistency that I do accept as in the realms of normal, but it doesn’t jump out as much as the iPhones I’m trying.
 
I haven’t returned/exchanged an iPhone since the 3GS for defects or otherwise
 
My both OLED iPhones have fantastic screens. Older XS Max (heavily used) has no burn in or any visible degradation.

Older LCDs tend to turn yellow. I have two identical 5s in perfect condition, except their screens look like piss:

IMG_2121.jpg


One of them showed very slight symptoms when brand new.
Needless to say, I very much prefer OLEDs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andeddu and JahBoolean
I had this on my iPhone 5 back in 2014 or so. Not on any other model though. Interestingly, there were people who didn´t see it, when I showed it to them. And this was super visible, so that leads me to believe that people have very different perception of these issues..
 
1rottenapple said:
A se 2016 that I got has this. Any explanation why this is the case?
Click to expand...
It probably has to do with the fact that "white" LEDs used for backlight are really blue LEDs with yellow phosphor. Maybe the screen gets more yellow as the blue light degrades.
Of course that doesn't explain why only some screens suffer from this. I have LED backlit LCD screens as old as 2008 that still look normal. Maybe phone screens are just not expected to last long so they use crappy LEDs?
 
My last theee iPhone screens have had no problems I can see. However:

My iPhone 4 had a yellow splotch issue- Apple thought it was glue. I had a few before getting one I was happy with.
My iPhone 6 had backlighting issues, where part of the screen would be greyer than other parts. I don't know how many of those I rejected, between that issue and how many screens didn't sit flush and would have a loose corner that you could click. The one I ended up with started ok and then developed a backlight issue on the left hand side, in the middle vertically. That drove me mad. Luckily I broke the screen and the 140rmb replacement was perfect. So many iPhones had this issue from iPhone 6-8, and all you had to do to see it was view an image that is 100% white and fills the screen. Very poor quality.

My current iPhone screen has no obvious defects, but the colour balance is clearly off and too blue compared to my parents supposedly identical iPhones, with identical settings.

Edit: Having said all that, I still prefer LED's to OLED's, which I find quite unpleasant to look at for long periods.

Edit 2: I nearly just downloaded an all white image to test my current iPhone, but decided I better not, as I can't unsee defects once I find one!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Populus
I’m with OP, for the price they charge, screens should be a bit more uniform and higher quality. The OLED ones have that yellow or greenish tint, and if you move the device, the color shift turns the screen blue in some cases, pink in others. And don’t even get me started with PMW.

As for LCD, yeah, I had a 2016 iPhone SE with that Moire effect on the grey colors, I think it’s the same as window effect. Fortunately, I bought an iPhone 8 years ago that has a perfect screen. But I guess that 3rd Gen SE being cheaper, will probably have a lower cost screen. Sad to read that, makes me want to stay with my iPhone 8 forever. Sadly, it will probably lose support in about 2 years, give or take.
 
My se2020 does not have moire effect I know what OP means. I’ve seen it on the 4.7” panel

You probably just lost panel lottery I doubt they all have that but I have no experience or hands on with se2022
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back