So I jumped on the iPhone SE frenzy last week and bought a new iPhone SE from the apple clearance. These phones are new, not refurbished. However, I removed the plastic wrap and as soon as I opened the box I noticed there is a small scratch in the metal near where it attaches to the glass screen and there is black dirt staining the edge of part of the white screen. I called the apple store and they assured me my phone was new, never activated and not a refurbished phone; but I am feeling a little hesitant. Did anyone else score one of the recent SE clearance phones and have any problems? Or have anything similar with any different new in box iPhones?
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iPhone SE (2016) My NEW iPhone SE arrived with scratch and dirt on it....Anyone else expereince this?
- Thread starter Pink Lilo
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I also received one of the phones, in the rose gold. My phone looks perfect and branded new. No sign of any blemish, dirt, or imperfection. I'm sorry that you may have lost the lottery on this one. It seems like it is the same lottery that we deal when a new iPhone comes out unfortunately (and trust me I have been there). Not sure what kind of stock of these phones came from but they definitely are brand-new. They should be able to issue you will replacement however I don't think it would be a new box unit because it was a seemingly one off sale.
Thank you for your kindness. Honestly, the aesthetics of the blemish don't bother me much, as I assume I'll get it scratched and dirty soon enough. It just has me concerned that the phone wasn't new or was somehow subpar QA/QC? The customer service person was really nice and helpful. Unfortunately, given that the SE is out of stock, they could only offer a refund. After perusing the above mentioned thread, which demonstrates others have had 'out of box' blemishes; I'm wavering toward keeping it and taking the gamble...
I too received one of the SEs from the Apple clearance sale, in the gold color. Mine was just fine with no debris or scratches. However, when I pulled the plastic sheet from the back of the SE, there was a multicolored patina left on the Apple symbol itself, that did not go away with some light buffing. The rest of the back side, and of the front glass, was fine.
I suspect it was due to the phone being left in the box for quite a long time, and the plastic adhering to the Apple symbol a bit more than to the rest of the back. I think the multicolored effect is rather humorous, though, so I consider it a weird sort of bonus more than a defect.
I suspect it was due to the phone being left in the box for quite a long time, and the plastic adhering to the Apple symbol a bit more than to the rest of the back. I think the multicolored effect is rather humorous, though, so I consider it a weird sort of bonus more than a defect.
When these things happens, they certainly ruin the excitement of having a brand new phone. As you said, scratches will come sooner than later, and you will eventually forget it but, damn, one thing is to be responsible for your own scratches and another is to accept the ones other person at the factory has made. Because I'm pretty sure this is a problem of QC. One thing you can do is to check the serial number in a site like appleserialnumberinfo to see when your device has been manufactured.
By the way, I have also acquired an SE weeks ago. No blemishes nor scratches, but I'm having other kind of problem with it that i'm trying to understand if it's normal or not.
I let you here my post in case you are able to help me:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...y-battery-drain-fresh-out-of-the-box.2167339/
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https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...y-battery-drain-fresh-out-of-the-box.2167339/
By the way, I have also acquired an SE weeks ago. No blemishes nor scratches, but I'm having other kind of problem with it that i'm trying to understand if it's normal or not.
I let you here my post in case you are able to help me:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...y-battery-drain-fresh-out-of-the-box.2167339/
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Hi coleblk. I'm seeking help with my new acquired SE. If you can check my post, I would greatly appreciate it.
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Hi Wandering Wastrel, if you too can check my post and maybe be able to contribute with your recent experience with the SE, that would be great.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...y-battery-drain-fresh-out-of-the-box.2167339/
As of right now, iphones SE are back to the Apple clearance store. If you act fast, they can exchange your device for a new one. They have your case number so I assume the 14 days time frame for returns doesn't apply in this case because you certainly did contact them before it expired. Good luck!
Interesting. The only thing I would be concerned with, is if a Phone was manufactured in summer of 2018, that’s a _long_ time for a lithium ion battery to not be charged regularly, which directly affects the health and overall longevity. For me, that’s not a risk I would not want to take. One of the worst things for a lithium battery, is when it sits for an extended amount of time without being used, and if it completely is depleted, sometimes they never fully rebound.
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I ordered two - one silver, one rose gold - both 128GB. The rose gold apple logo on back was badly tarnished, I was able to clean up with a latex-free pencil eraser. Just enough grit to polish logo beautifully without scratching neighboring anodized aluminum.
I have genius bar appointment for screen replacement on the silver unit. It suffers from bad pixel inversion/pixel walk.
I have genius bar appointment for screen replacement on the silver unit. It suffers from bad pixel inversion/pixel walk.
That SE came with a 20% charge out of the box. When they swapped that battery at the genius bar for a new one (for reasons I explain in another thread), that battery came with a 18% charge. The genius explained to me that the low charge on brand new batteries was for security reasons. Go figure...