Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 12 Pro Yellow Screen/Tint? Display seem "Warm"? Check here first!
- Thread starter kre62
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
And that’s for sure with True Tone off. With true tone on would be spectacular 😄
*sigh*
I got mine yesterday, Dec 16th, from bestbuy and will be returning it today.
Iphone12PM PacificBlue, 128gb, F2LDQ Series.
I tried the RaisedBlackTest and didn't see/notice anything.. my black is black as far as my eyes can tell BUT really notcieably yellowtint. like old paper yellow? a kindle yellow? I dont see any other tinting going on other than the obvious yellow tone...
I have tried TT on and Off, AutoBrightness On/Off, NightShift On/Off.
I did the color filter 'fix' - And having to pay a $1000 phone and do that is just unacceptable to me...
I chatted with CS (connected to my phone, ran diagnostic, no issues) so, he/she had someone called me.
Got the call and talked and he offered me to have my Screen Replaced. (doesnt sound like they are aware of the yellow tint. The guy on the phone said he has the same phone but no yellow tint) I promptly said No and will gladly return the phone today/tomorrow. End of our conversation. No other offers and was like good luck on your new device (was said sarcastically and it ****** me off but we)
I paid $1000 for an inferior screen quality. I am sad and disappointed. I really didnt want to return it but the yellow is really bothering me. Im probably not going to ask for an exchange. ill just return it and get a refund and just stick with my iphone x and wait for maybe iphone 20..
I watched a lot of big youtubers review on it and not once have I heard them mentioned a yellow tint on the screen and its obvious that there is and they arent even talking about it. Yikes.
Country: Canada
Upgraded from Iphone X
I got mine yesterday, Dec 16th, from bestbuy and will be returning it today.
Iphone12PM PacificBlue, 128gb, F2LDQ Series.
I tried the RaisedBlackTest and didn't see/notice anything.. my black is black as far as my eyes can tell BUT really notcieably yellowtint. like old paper yellow? a kindle yellow? I dont see any other tinting going on other than the obvious yellow tone...
I have tried TT on and Off, AutoBrightness On/Off, NightShift On/Off.
I did the color filter 'fix' - And having to pay a $1000 phone and do that is just unacceptable to me...
I chatted with CS (connected to my phone, ran diagnostic, no issues) so, he/she had someone called me.
Got the call and talked and he offered me to have my Screen Replaced. (doesnt sound like they are aware of the yellow tint. The guy on the phone said he has the same phone but no yellow tint) I promptly said No and will gladly return the phone today/tomorrow. End of our conversation. No other offers and was like good luck on your new device (was said sarcastically and it ****** me off but we)
I paid $1000 for an inferior screen quality. I am sad and disappointed. I really didnt want to return it but the yellow is really bothering me. Im probably not going to ask for an exchange. ill just return it and get a refund and just stick with my iphone x and wait for maybe iphone 20..
I watched a lot of big youtubers review on it and not once have I heard them mentioned a yellow tint on the screen and its obvious that there is and they arent even talking about it. Yikes.
Country: Canada
Upgraded from Iphone X
You guys and gals seem convinced that the majority of iPhones have issues, but they do not. Someone will be quick to point out how many pages are in this thread, which has nothing to do with measuring this year's iPhone fleet. Someone else will be quick to say "Dude, I returned my iPhone 12 five times and all of them were piss-yellow"...but that one person's singular viewpoint is not representative of all iPhones.
Discussing the color accuracy and making comparisons is a cool thing, but the highly aggressive attitudes and anger displayed by some is not. (Not pointing that finger at you, just referring to some of the posts in this thread.) It's hard to take anyone seriously when they make outrageous claims.
This is what my wife’s iphone did... she now got a replacement - week 49 December - and it doesn’t do that (similar to mine). It’s also less yellow than her previous screens On a bike background.
However it has the same issue has mine - smearing of greys on blacks, with night mode on, with low brightness...
It does not seem something that people are talking about.
I will ask another time for folks to test their iPhone 12s for this.
LOL, no I do not "realize it" because it is not true. Your sample size of three does not mean anything in the context of millions of devices. Also, the vast majority of people are actually using and enjoying their iPhones, not running mad scientist experiments hoping to visualize some kind of discrepancy listed here.
So returning it 4 or more times by some users and get the same us very normal. Also being analyzed by some pro analysts and remarking yellow tint is very normal.
mist people don’t care, like probably you. That does not mean problem do not exist.
I can't believe this thread is still going. 
I stopped following it when it had about 50 pages or so... (and no I haven't read the last 130+ pages).
I hope the OP is happy with the sh#%storm they started here for what might only truly be affecting a tiny subset of users. The 12 line has panels that are tuned less white, period. If that's not obvious by now...
True tone is also programmed extremely warm, furthering the effect. And turning true tone off makes it cooler, but doesn't help make it whiter, because all it's doing is dropping the yellow and bumping up the blue. But no matter what, it's going to look less white than previous models (especially LCD's like the 11, XR, 8+ and prior, which a TON of people upgraded from).
The fact that we're a couple of months into this now with new batches and shipments from Apple and nothing has changed, and the fact that software has not changed anything, should be further proof that this is the way Apple intended it. Most of the people adding to this thread (not all, but most) are looking at how yellow it looks with true tone on, and comparing to their previous less-yellow iPhone, and then thinking they have a problem because of this thread when they likely don't have a problem at all.
And again, I'm not saying there isn't an issue with a few, but it's not some widespread major problem like this thread makes it appear to be.
If you don't like the warmer screens on the 12 line, then you'll want to stick with the previous models. Or, try ignoring your old phone for a week and I bet you won't even notice any more, or might even like it.
I stopped following it when it had about 50 pages or so... (and no I haven't read the last 130+ pages).I hope the OP is happy with the sh#%storm they started here for what might only truly be affecting a tiny subset of users. The 12 line has panels that are tuned less white, period. If that's not obvious by now...
True tone is also programmed extremely warm, furthering the effect. And turning true tone off makes it cooler, but doesn't help make it whiter, because all it's doing is dropping the yellow and bumping up the blue. But no matter what, it's going to look less white than previous models (especially LCD's like the 11, XR, 8+ and prior, which a TON of people upgraded from).
The fact that we're a couple of months into this now with new batches and shipments from Apple and nothing has changed, and the fact that software has not changed anything, should be further proof that this is the way Apple intended it. Most of the people adding to this thread (not all, but most) are looking at how yellow it looks with true tone on, and comparing to their previous less-yellow iPhone, and then thinking they have a problem because of this thread when they likely don't have a problem at all.
And again, I'm not saying there isn't an issue with a few, but it's not some widespread major problem like this thread makes it appear to be.
If you don't like the warmer screens on the 12 line, then you'll want to stick with the previous models. Or, try ignoring your old phone for a week and I bet you won't even notice any more, or might even like it.
I’d appreciate if those on here could test how badly their screens are affected by the black smearing.
All OLED are, it’s just a matter of how badly they are affected:
forums.macrumors.com
My wife’s old one did it far less than mine, but her screen was yellower. her replacement has a whiter screen, but the smearing is now as bad as mine.
My only logical explanation is that the older panel made the grey sort of greenish, hence less issues with smearing, where dark greys are the biggest problem.
All OLED are, it’s just a matter of how badly they are affected:
IPhone 12 OLED - black smearing
I wrote a post already on this, but I didn’t know how to call the issue. I have since learnt it’s called OLED smearing. I understand that all OLED screens do it a bit, but I do not know if my screen is worse than others, from this point of view. Can you test if the same happens on your OLED...
forums.macrumors.com
My wife’s old one did it far less than mine, but her screen was yellower. her replacement has a whiter screen, but the smearing is now as bad as mine.
My only logical explanation is that the older panel made the grey sort of greenish, hence less issues with smearing, where dark greys are the biggest problem.
No, it is not normal. One person scrutinizing the display and then returning it over and over again with the same results is not normal behavior and does not indicate a wide-spread problem. It indicates that one person is unhappy with how a phone was designed and they need to move on if they can't find happiness.
I can't believe this thread is still going.
I hope the OP is happy with the sh#%storm they started here for what might only truly be affecting a tiny subset of users. The 12 line has panels that are tuned less white, period. If that's not obvious by now...
True tone is also programmed extremely warm, furthering the effect. And turning true tone off makes it cooler, but doesn't help make it whiter, because all it's doing is dropping the yellow and bumping up the blue. But no matter what, it's going to look less white than previous models (especially LCD's like the 11, XR, 8+ and prior, which a TON of people upgraded from).
The fact that we're a couple of months into this now with new batches and shipments from Apple and nothing has changed, and the fact that software has not changed anything, should be further proof that this is the way Apple intended it. Most of the people adding to this thread (not all, but most) are looking at how yellow it looks with true tone on, and comparing to their previous less-yellow iPhone, and then thinking they have a problem because of this thread when they likely don't have a problem at all.
And again, I'm not saying there isn't an issue with a few, but it's not some widespread major problem like this thread makes it appear to be.
If you don't like the warmer screens on the 12 line, then you'll want to stick with the previous models. Or, try ignoring your old phone for a week and I bet you won't even notice any more, or might even like it.
Very well said! I could not agree more with this excellent post.
A “pro” phone with main selling points of 10-bit HDR video recording and RAW photo capture should without a shadow of a doubt have a properly calibrated screen with 6500k white balance.
The question was whether early units had warmer screens because of poor QC or whether this was a conscious decision by Apple.
It’s been a month since release and looking to be the latter.
There is another issue mentioned in this thread which is blacks not being black at low brightness.
I very much doubt this is a conscious decision. The fact that some users are reporting perfect blacks at low brightness further confuses the whole screen issue.
The question was whether early units had warmer screens because of poor QC or whether this was a conscious decision by Apple.
It’s been a month since release and looking to be the latter.
There is another issue mentioned in this thread which is blacks not being black at low brightness.
I very much doubt this is a conscious decision. The fact that some users are reporting perfect blacks at low brightness further confuses the whole screen issue.
Oh god... ok you have the truth 😂 Apple should be proud of people like you.
You came here to judge people's behavior, the majority come here to exchange their experiences.
Apple's communication builds exactly on the same attitude you stand for. "What I see can't be bad, its impossible, since Apple = premium. Surely my eyes are bad and the people around me are either stupid or lying."
Oh man, I'm sad, you probably took the blue pill.
This is slightly OT...
If purchased online from Apple and want to exchange because of display issues within 2 week period, does Apple make you return the current phone before sending you another one, or can you return it once the new one arrives? Thanks.
If purchased online from Apple and want to exchange because of display issues within 2 week period, does Apple make you return the current phone before sending you another one, or can you return it once the new one arrives? Thanks.
I am exactly in the same situation. I had to send it back, they waited until it arrived in Netherlands and then (after few days) they sent the new device.
For me it was not a problem, because I still have my 11PM.
You can return it once the new one arrives, but they will put a hold on your credit card until they get the original one back.
Brightness is fine. Color filters was added to allow for color calibrating to an extent. Unless your screen is legit yellow, Color Filters should do the trick. The whole color filters produces inaccurate color jargon is just nonsense.
Disagree. It’s for filtering colors. RGB and hue adjustments can alleviate most of the yellowing issue. I can compare to my naturally cool white iPhone X display and use color filters hue adjustment on the 12 Pro to get an exact match with whiter whites and accurate colors. It’s not specifically for blind. It’s your typical RGB Hue adjustment that nearly every modern screen incorporates.
Apple should include a color temperature toggle within color filters and it would allow for a more straightforward adjustment rather than playing around with the other settings.
Can you do your spectral analysis like Erica Griffin did here (starts at 4:27) on the 12 series to compare results? Because she clearly shows white is lacking red and blue.
Not defending Apple at all, nor am I an Apple fan-boy. I just happen to use their products extensively with my work and they produce tools to get the job done.
I'm always amazed at the small crowd in this annual thread that simply refuses to accept opinions that don't match their own and try to twist it into something it is not. Kind of like not accepting the way a display looks after multiple product returns and then continuing to expect a change. Keep on being frustrated if that is something you enjoy!