iPhone X iPhone X - 4 with defects and counting...

[umusachi]

Hi guys. I was so exited to get an iPhone X on launch day. However I’ve now had four iPhone Xs with different problems... I can’t believe it, it’s so disappointing! I feel like I am alone in this-I haven’t heard of the iPhone X being unreliable...

Here’s my experience so far:

I pre-ordered a silver iPhone X 64GB and got it on launch day. Woo hoo! I originally opted for the 64 GB model and very quickly realised that this wasn’t enough space. I called my local Apple store and they agreed that I could swap it over for a 256 GB model. Woo hoo! The 64 GB one I had for about a week almost worked perfectly – however this one still had a minor issue - the earpiece speaker when acting as the stereo speaker or speaker phone - would crackle loudly at higher volumes - this is not something I have not experienced with the 3 other iPhone X’s I’ve since had... Sure they distort a bit but they don’t crackle. The speaker wasn’t my reason for swapping it over, I assumed it was a fault of design rather than a defect. (Although now I know it was!). I swapped it to get a 256GB model.

iPhone X 256GB (iPhone X no 2) - My first 256GB iPhone X worked fine for one evening after setting it up. However when I picked it up the next morning I awoke to an error message - that said Face ID has been disabled - a problem has been detected with the true depth camera system. I later noticed that the rear camera and flash were not working as well...

I contacted Apple and they got me an appointment at the Apple store the next weekend (a week later ). I went to the appointment and they replaced the phone. Yay!

My next iPhone X worked fine for maybe 5 days (iPhone X no 3). Then I noticed it would occasionally ask for my passcode when I went to unlock it ☹️ – as if I had restarted the iPhone. It started happening more often. Then it started randomly shutting down and would be very difficult to get to boot again. Maybe after 20 attempts it would start up and work fine for a few hours then shut off again. After shutting off on its own the Apple logo would appear for a few seconds then disappear then reappear then disappear. This might happen once or twice then stay off - other times it would get stuck on a loop. After speaking with Apple support I restored my iPhone from iTunes from my iCloud backup. It happened again. Then I restored from iTunes as a new iPhone meaning I wouldn’t get my iCloud backup. It kept happening. I tried several more restores - as at this point the phone would only work a few hours after a restore. I then had a go at a walk in appointment at the Apple store - they didn’t have any available appointments. They couldn’t fit me in - said I should book an appointment - they then realised they had no appointments available so they suggested I come in as soon as the store opened the next day. I did this and I still had to wait about 45 minutes to get an appointment. They swapped my phone over for a new one (although it was almost going to be a 2 week repair) luckily the girl managed to get it swapped on the spot. Yay!

Now on iPhone X 256GB number 4… Everything seems to be going fine other than it getting a bit warm to the touch when setting it up (not something I noticed on the other 3). Last night I installed a CPU / GPU intensive game ‘GRID Autosport’. After about 30 seconds I noticed the frame rate was dropping drastically. I thought maybe the game wasn’t very well optimised so I reduced the graphics settings to the battery saver mode. The next day I went to play it again. It started off running fine on normal settings then quickly slowed down and the screen began to automatically dim ☹️ (after a couple of minutes of gameplay). I then watched videos of the game on YouTube playing on other people’s iPhone Xs and noticed that other people were getting far better performance than me. I decided to buy Geekbench 4 to see if my iPhone X was thermal throttling. Sure enough it is... Not something I noticed with the other 3 iPhone Xs I’ve used. Everything else works fine on this one (I’ve only had this one for a few days) but the throttling is really dissapointing... Based on other people’s benchmarks and game performance I feel that mine is the throttling far more than others... Here’s a benchmark... I can get the score up a bit if I let it cool down but it quickly warms up and scores low after running intensive apps, games or the benchmark more than once.

So is anyone else experiencing manufacturing defects with their iPhone X? Or am I just super unlucky???

I have to say Apple service has been fantastic. I LOVE the iPhone X, but this is really putting a terrible spin on what would otherwise have been my best tech device yet.... I just want one that works! I fear this is a sign of problems to come with iPhone Xs that are already out there. I’ve never had such bad luck with any other electronic device I’ve owned.

I am embarrassed when people find out that I’ve had all these defective ones when they know I’ve spend an insane ablount of money on one.

 

[sumsingwong]

Hi guys. I was so exited to get an iPhone X on launch day. However I’ve now had four iPhone Xs with different problems... I can’t believe it, it’s so disappointing! I feel like I am alone in this-I haven’t heard of the iPhone X being unreliable...

Here’s my experience so far:

I pre-ordered a silver iPhone X 64GB and got it on launch day. Woo hoo! I originally opted for the 64 GB model and very quickly realised that this wasn’t enough space. I called my local Apple store and they agreed that I could swap it over for a 256 GB model. Woo hoo! The 64 GB one I had for about a week almost worked perfectly – however this one still had a minor issue - the earpiece speaker when acting as the stereo speaker or speaker phone - would crackle loudly at higher volumes - this is not something I have not experienced with the 3 other iPhone X’s I’ve since had... Sure they distort a bit but they don’t crackle. The speaker wasn’t my reason for swapping it over, I assumed it was a fault of design rather than a defect. (Although now I know it was!). I swapped it to get a 256GB model.

iPhone X 256GB (iPhone X no 2) - My first 256GB iPhone X worked fine for one evening after setting it up. However when I picked it up the next morning I awoke to an error message - that said Face ID has been disabled - a problem has been detected with the true depth camera system. I later noticed that the rear camera and flash were not working as well...
View attachment 738977
View attachment 738980
I contacted Apple and they got me an appointment at the Apple store the next weekend (a week later ). I went to the appointment and they replaced the phone. Yay!

My next iPhone X worked fine for maybe 5 days (iPhone X no 3). Then I noticed it would occasionally ask for my passcode when I went to unlock it ️ – as if I had restarted the iPhone. It started happening more often. Then it started randomly shutting down and would be very difficult to get to boot again. Maybe after 20 attempts it would start up and work fine for a few hours then shut off again. After shutting off on its own the Apple logo would appear for a few seconds then disappear then reappear then disappear. This might happen once or twice then stay off - other times it would get stuck on a loop. After speaking with Apple support I restored my iPhone from iTunes from my iCloud backup. It happened again. Then I restored from iTunes as a new iPhone meaning I wouldn’t get my iCloud backup. It kept happening. I tried several more restores - as at this point the phone would only work a few hours after a restore. I then had a go at a walk in appointment at the Apple store - they didn’t have any available appointments. They couldn’t fit me in - said I should book an appointment - they then realised they had no appointments available so they suggested I come in as soon as the store opened the next day. I did this and I still had to wait about 45 minutes to get an appointment. They swapped my phone over for a new one (although it was almost going to be a 2 week repair) luckily the girl managed to get it swapped on the spot. Yay!

Now on iPhone X 256GB number 4… Everything seems to be going fine other than it getting a bit warm to the touch when setting it up (not something I noticed on the other 3). Last night I installed a CPU / GPU intensive game ‘GRID Autosport’. After about 30 seconds I noticed the frame rate was dropping drastically. I thought maybe the game wasn’t very well optimised so I reduced the graphics settings to the battery saver mode. The next day I went to play it again. It started off running fine on normal settings then quickly slowed down and the screen began to automatically dim ️ (after a couple of minutes of gameplay). I then watched videos of the game on YouTube playing on other people’s iPhone Xs and noticed that other people were getting far better performance than me. I decided to buy Geekbench 4 to see if my iPhone X was thermal throttling. Sure enough it is... Not something I noticed with the other 3 iPhone Xs I’ve used. Everything else works fine on this one (I’ve only had this one for a few days) but the throttling is really dissapointing... Based on other people’s benchmarks and game performance I feel that mine is the throttling far more than others... Here’s a benchmark... I can get the score up a bit if I let it cool down but it quickly warms up and scores low after running intensive apps, games or the benchmark more than once.
View attachment 738976

So is anyone else experiencing manufacturing defects with their iPhone X? Or am I just super unlucky???

I have to say Apple service has been fantastic. I LOVE the iPhone X, but this is really putting a terrible spin on what would otherwise have been my best tech device yet.... I just want one that works! I fear this is a sign of problems to come with iPhone Xs that are already out there. I’ve never had such bad luck with any other electronic device I’ve owned.

I am embarrassed when people find out that I’ve had all these defective ones when they know I’ve spend an insane ablount of money on one.

Prepare for a wave of replies that say there's is working perfectly.

 

[umusachi]

Prepare for a wave of replies that say there's is working perfectly.

If that is what happens that would confirm that the throttling is not normal. I am about to test with another game that I played a lot with the first few phones (and never noticed dropped frames or the screen dimming). I'll post on here as to how it goes!

EDIT: The game is 'The Witness'

 

[markp-a]

Bummer that seems like a lot of bad luck.

 

[flat five]

Prepare for a wave of replies that say there's is working perfectly.

there is is working perfectly

 

[GBlansten]

Mine is is working perfectly like a wave.

 

[amorcito]

I get constant circle screen, and lagginess. Many times, just to unlock phone with passcode, phone would freeze and completely lock up.. then after about 20 seconds, the screen will be responsive. I have no clue on wtf is going on. I'm still within my return window, so I'll be going to return or exchange. I'm coming from a 6s, and I don't use my phone very much.

Hi guys. I was so exited to get an iPhone X on launch day. However I’ve now had four iPhone Xs with different problems... I can’t believe it, it’s so disappointing! I feel like I am alone in this-I haven’t heard of the iPhone X being unreliable...

Here’s my experience so far:

I pre-ordered a silver iPhone X 64GB and got it on launch day. Woo hoo! I originally opted for the 64 GB model and very quickly realised that this wasn’t enough space. I called my local Apple store and they agreed that I could swap it over for a 256 GB model. Woo hoo! The 64 GB one I had for about a week almost worked perfectly – however this one still had a minor issue - the earpiece speaker when acting as the stereo speaker or speaker phone - would crackle loudly at higher volumes - this is not something I have not experienced with the 3 other iPhone X’s I’ve since had... Sure they distort a bit but they don’t crackle. The speaker wasn’t my reason for swapping it over, I assumed it was a fault of design rather than a defect. (Although now I know it was!). I swapped it to get a 256GB model.

iPhone X 256GB (iPhone X no 2) - My first 256GB iPhone X worked fine for one evening after setting it up. However when I picked it up the next morning I awoke to an error message - that said Face ID has been disabled - a problem has been detected with the true depth camera system. I later noticed that the rear camera and flash were not working as well...
View attachment 738977
View attachment 738980
I contacted Apple and they got me an appointment at the Apple store the next weekend (a week later ). I went to the appointment and they replaced the phone. Yay!

My next iPhone X worked fine for maybe 5 days (iPhone X no 3). Then I noticed it would occasionally ask for my passcode when I went to unlock it ☹️ – as if I had restarted the iPhone. It started happening more often. Then it started randomly shutting down and would be very difficult to get to boot again. Maybe after 20 attempts it would start up and work fine for a few hours then shut off again. After shutting off on its own the Apple logo would appear for a few seconds then disappear then reappear then disappear. This might happen once or twice then stay off - other times it would get stuck on a loop. After speaking with Apple support I restored my iPhone from iTunes from my iCloud backup. It happened again. Then I restored from iTunes as a new iPhone meaning I wouldn’t get my iCloud backup. It kept happening. I tried several more restores - as at this point the phone would only work a few hours after a restore. I then had a go at a walk in appointment at the Apple store - they didn’t have any available appointments. They couldn’t fit me in - said I should book an appointment - they then realised they had no appointments available so they suggested I come in as soon as the store opened the next day. I did this and I still had to wait about 45 minutes to get an appointment. They swapped my phone over for a new one (although it was almost going to be a 2 week repair) luckily the girl managed to get it swapped on the spot. Yay!

Now on iPhone X 256GB number 4… Everything seems to be going fine other than it getting a bit warm to the touch when setting it up (not something I noticed on the other 3). Last night I installed a CPU / GPU intensive game ‘GRID Autosport’. After about 30 seconds I noticed the frame rate was dropping drastically. I thought maybe the game wasn’t very well optimised so I reduced the graphics settings to the battery saver mode. The next day I went to play it again. It started off running fine on normal settings then quickly slowed down and the screen began to automatically dim ☹️ (after a couple of minutes of gameplay). I then watched videos of the game on YouTube playing on other people’s iPhone Xs and noticed that other people were getting far better performance than me. I decided to buy Geekbench 4 to see if my iPhone X was thermal throttling. Sure enough it is... Not something I noticed with the other 3 iPhone Xs I’ve used. Everything else works fine on this one (I’ve only had this one for a few days) but the throttling is really dissapointing... Based on other people’s benchmarks and game performance I feel that mine is the throttling far more than others... Here’s a benchmark... I can get the score up a bit if I let it cool down but it quickly warms up and scores low after running intensive apps, games or the benchmark more than once.
View attachment 738976

So is anyone else experiencing manufacturing defects with their iPhone X? Or am I just super unlucky???

I have to say Apple service has been fantastic. I LOVE the iPhone X, but this is really putting a terrible spin on what would otherwise have been my best tech device yet.... I just want one that works! I fear this is a sign of problems to come with iPhone Xs that are already out there. I’ve never had such bad luck with any other electronic device I’ve owned.

I am embarrassed when people find out that I’ve had all these defective ones when they know I’ve spend an insane ablount of money on one.

 

[haruhiko]

What a terrible experience.

 

[thadoggfather]

I’m going to hold onto my X unit for dear life.

I have been through swap hell in the past with previous generations for new issues not with previous devices, coupled w being a screen stickler

I got heart palpitations just reading this, and I believe you

For screen lottery alone I may not get XS or X2 or whatever they call it period even if it has tempting upgrades

I’ve also seen 4 screens total including mine and mine was by far the best (bought 2 to resell and returned
But cracked open to compare screens and pick the best) and tried a 4th to compare Qualcomm radio to Intel but the screen was so bad I never even cared to put the sim In it. Lol

 

[Tdosthp]

I had the FaceID issue within days of receiving my phone on the 3rd. Did a hard reset and no issues since.

 

[D.T.]

Obviously there's going to be more people without issues than with, otherwise you'd be hearing about the iPhone X apocolypse through every media channel. That of course doesn't refute the OPs original issues, which are well documented and include nicely written details about the issue, use case and replacement - fact it would help to identify what seems to be problems unique to his device

OP, you've definitely had some hardware issues, specifically 2 and 3, though quite a few folks have mentioned the audio issue you had with 1. I had the slight audio distortion but mine seems to have cleared up! I did run it full blast for several hours with a wide range of music (but quite a bit with heavy/punchy bass). Can't help with phone 4's potential issue, I don't do any gaming. Out of curiosity, are you using a case and/or any kind of screen protector?

 

[umusachi]

Obviously there's going to be more people without issues than with, otherwise you'd be hearing about the iPhone X apocolypse through every media channel. That of course doesn't refute the OPs original issues, which are well documented and include nicely written details about the issue, use case and replacement - fact it would help to identify what seems to be problems unique to his device

OP, you've definitely had some hardware issues, specifically 2 and 3, though quite a few folks have mentioned the audio issue you had with 1. I had the slight audio distortion but mine seems to have cleared up! I did run it full blast for several hours with a wide range of music (but quite a bit with heavy/punchy bass). Can't help with phone 4's potential issue, I don't do any gaming. Out of curiosity, are you using a case and/or any kind of screen protector?

I get throttling with or without the case. First time it happened it was at night (cooler weather) with the case on. Tried without the case and it was almost as bad. Next day it was quite warm (about 26 degrees C in the house) and it throttled even more. Today I tried playing ‘The Witness’ for about 10 mins and didn’t see any throttling (in terms of severe frame drops) but the screen did reduce it brightness. I then cranked the brightness to full and it continued fine for 5 mins. So it only seems to be an issue with very intensive tasks. So it could have been that all four iPhone Xs I’ve had would have behaved the same, but as I mentioned this was the only one I noticed get quite warm during initial setup (out of the box) - and I was not restoring from an iCloud setup, but setting up as new. (I am talking about the white screen setup process, before I installed apps or anything else).


I thought I would put all this information out there to help other users in case they see any of the same issues!

 

[D.T.]

Mine definitely warms up during some tasks (especially if there's a lot of concurrent radio/receiver activity), but my 6S+ did that, so does the wife's 7 - the thermal spikes are pretty consistently inconsistent

Bummer about those first few phones, they were clearly broken in some capacity.

Good info - and holy sheetz, The Witness looks really good.

 

[amorcito]

I’m going to hold onto my X unit for dear life.

I have been through swap hell in the past with previous generations for new issues not with previous devices, coupled w being a screen stickler

I got heart palpitations just reading this, and I believe you

For screen lottery alone I may not get XS or X2 or whatever they call it period even if it has tempting upgrades

I’ve also seen 4 screens total including mine and mine was by far the best (bought 2 to resell and returned
But cracked open to compare screens and pick the best) and tried a 4th to compare Qualcomm radio to Intel but the screen was so bad I never even cared to put the sim In it. Lol

I'd like to know any differences in the qualcom vs. intel for this iPhone x as well.

 

[pika2000]

Sounds like there's an issue in the batch, and you just happen to receive those problematic units in the same batch.
This happened to me once when I bought the 2nd gen nano, it had a buzzing sound. I replaced them multiple times, same problem. Finally decided to just return them, and waited months later to buy from a different batch.

If problem persists, I assume you're still within your return period? Maybe can try returning and buy it from a different store? It's a gamble of course, hoping to get one from a good batch.

I understand the sheer amount of iPhone production, but the impression of lacking in QA like this can be annoying.

 

[JPack]

1. Thermal throttling is probably a design defect. Heat has nowhere to go due to the sandwich design logic board, especially in a glass chassis.

2. Face ID hardware problem is more concerning. Apple has a support article that tells consumers to go straight for servicing. No rebooting or resetting anything. Basically tells you they know it's a hardware defect. I do wonder about the longevity of the sensor system after 12 months.

 

[Agent OrangeZ]

I am so glad that every iPhone I have owned since the original, I have been able to open up the package, set it up and enjoy it with no issues.

 

[umusachi]

I am so glad that every iPhone I have owned since the original, I have been able to open up the package, set it up and enjoy it with no issues.

This was my experience on the past also.
[doublepost=1512023342][/doublepost]

Mine definitely warms up during some tasks (especially if there's a lot of concurrent radio/receiver activity), but my 6S+ did that, so does the wife's 7 - the thermal spikes are pretty consistently inconsistent

Bummer about those first few phones, they were clearly broken in some capacity.

Good info - and holy sheetz, The Witness looks really good.

The Witness is really good! So beautiful. Like a modern 3D take on the old Myst games.
[doublepost=1512025446][/doublepost]

I'd like to know any differences in the qualcom vs. intel for this iPhone x as well.

How do you know which one you got?
[doublepost=1512025791][/doublepost]Some more testing. Ambient temperature is about 22 degrees C (72 degrees Fahrenheit). I ran GRID Autosport at half brightness. First 3 mins it runs buttery smooth. At 3 mins the frame rate drops significantly and slowly stabilises to a much lower than smooth, but usable frame rate. After 10 minutes the game suddenly becomes unplayable. I then ran a Geekbench test which scored very poorly, noticeably on the single core test this time

I am wondering. Do I try and get it swapped AGAIN?! I doubt they will swap it over this to be honest... I’d love to know if anyone else has similar issues? I am playing the initial career mode on GRID Autosport witht the free HD textures pack DLC. It makes it unplayable!!!

 

[lordofthereef]

Maybe not helpful information but in your shoes I’d have given up after this many exchanges. I give most products a single exchange. Maybe two. After that my money goes elsewhere.

Amazing the problems you’ve had though to be honest. You’ve single handedly found every issue ive honestly read about existing since launch.

 

[mcdj]

Some people just have a tech black cloud that hangs over them.

I worked with a guy who had more computer problems than anyone I’ve ever met. Changing computers didn’t help. Everyone else in the room with him had no issues.

I don’t know if it’s magentic fields, or ghosts, or aliens, or just good old fashioned bad luck, but it seems like an iphone just isn’t your thing.

 

[44267547]

Having four defective devices is never convenient for anyone. And then once you start receiving multiple defective devices as the OP has, then it starts making you paranoid to look for other things wrong with the iPhone.

 

[amorcito]

This was my experience on the past also.
[doublepost=1512023342][/doublepost]

The Witness is really good! So beautiful. Like a modern 3D take on the old Myst games.
[doublepost=1512025446][/doublepost]

How do you know which one you got?
[doublepost=1512025791][/doublepost]Some more testing. Ambient temperature is about 22 degrees C (72 degrees Fahrenheit). I ran GRID Autosport at half brightness. First 3 mins it runs buttery smooth. At 3 mins the frame rate drops significantly and slowly stabilises to a much lower than smooth, but usable frame rate. After 10 minutes the game suddenly becomes unplayable. I then ran a Geekbench test which scored very poorly, noticeably on the single core test this time

I am wondering. Do I try and get it swapped AGAIN?! I doubt they will swap it over this to be honest... I’d love to know if anyone else has similar issues? I am playing the initial career mode on GRID Autosport witht the free HD textures pack DLC. It makes it unplayable!!!

View attachment 739243

If you're in Australia, you folks would have the intel model. Verizon model is what has the qualcom modem inside, so you're side of the world, wouldn't get it, unless you have a cdma network provider there.. Im not certain if you do? For those of us with AT&T and Tmobile, we will have the intel version, unless we decide to buy the sim free version, which would be full price up front, or if you're on Verizons network.

 

[highdefjunkie]

Some people just have a tech black cloud that hangs over them.

I worked with a guy who had more computer problems than anyone I’ve ever met. Changing computers didn’t help. Everyone else in the room with him had no issues.

I don’t know if it’s magentic fields, or ghosts, or aliens, or just good old fashioned bad luck, but it seems like an iphone just isn’t your thing.

Man, ain’t that truth. And as strange as it may sound, what you say has some merit. I’ve been in the IT field for over 20 years. Certain users just have a bad vibe when it comes to their computers/equipment. It’s always the same type of person. They constantly have computer issues, and yet once you get in front of their computer To troubleshoot, I hear the same thing over and over. “what did you do to fix it? I swear it was frozen. I swear it was doing this is or that, but as soon as you walked up the problem went away.” Ghosts? Aliens, magnetic fields? I’m still trying to figure it out 20 years later.


As far as my X? It’s been virtually flawless. Not a single issue. Runs like butter, FaceId is near perfect, lightening fast. Couldn’t be more happier.

 

[blairian89]

Mine is running just fine here.

You need to take it in to Apple again; know it sucks. Force them to make it right.

EDIT: I have ran five benchmarks back to back with no discernible drop in performance (small variations in exact numbers).

 

[varunsanthanam]

I've had a few random reboots on my iPhone X (256 GB, Intel Modem), but none of the other errors you've described. A friend of mine's seems to be throttling a lot though (64 GB, Qualcomm Modem) , I'll check back with him, have him run a Geekbench, and revert.

I think it's worth noting for people who plan on commenting on this thread whether you've got an Intel or Qualcomm modem. Maybe we can see if certain SKUs are more affected than others.