Iphone 5 green border

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Iphone 5 green border

vroom

89 posts

Master Geek

#173534 26-May-2015 21:45

Hi I've noticed my year and a half old phone has a faint green border a few mms wide around the screen, so has my partner's. On googling it seems to be quite common with the iphone 5 - given that it seems to be a common issue does anyone know if I can get it fixed under warranty even though it's past the 12 months?

Dairyxox

1594 posts

Uber Geek

#1312441 27-May-2015 08:08

Can you take a photo of it? Never seen this before.
Where did you buy it from? and When? Some places (Vodafone iirc) had two year warranties (to match the contract duration). etc..

hyperman

418 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1312445 27-May-2015 08:24

Dairyxox: Can you take a photo of it? Never seen this before.
Where did you buy it from? and When? Some places (Vodafone iirc) had two year warranties (to match the contract duration). etc..

To elaborate AFAIK every telco (Vodafone, spark and 2deg) and their MMR's (NLG, DSE HN, JB) all carry a 2 year warranty

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer

bitserf

101 posts

Master Geek

#1313575 28-May-2015 15:40

Yeah, very widespread problem, sucks for those of us who notice it.

Once you notice it you can't unsee it :(

If I recall correctly, one of the display suppliers for the 5/5S screens, had these problems (didn't occur on 4/4S, and hasn't occurred for me on three different 6/6+ models). I think it might have been LG who made the faulty ones.

It happened for me with a black iPhone 5, white iPhone 5S, and black iPhone 5S, a few months in.

If you have the option, I would warranty replace that POS screen ASAP.

Take the photo with a DSLR. You will probably have more success if you can find someone with an equivalent phone that does *not* have the issue, and do a side by side comparison - that's how I got the 5S replaced when it started happening.

Here's a Dropbox photo someone else posted of this issue:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/30337214/image.jpeg

This is not "normal bleeding", because there are many other iPhones where this does not occur.

dclegg

2806 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1313581 28-May-2015 15:47

My 5S does that too, and so does my wifes. I was initially considering getting them replaced under warranty, but as it's such a faint problem only around the edge of the screen, I'm suppressing my usual OCD tendencies and am living with it.

In fact it's so faint, my wife doesn't notice at all. And she gave me that "Oh dear, here we go again" look when I tried to tell her that our phone screens had a problem. :-)

bitserf

101 posts

Master Geek

#1313585 28-May-2015 15:49

Don't think it's OCD, but then I am the guy who will RMA at the slightest hint of display imperfection :P

Would Jony Ive or Steve have put up with that green border on his phone? I think not ;)

vroom

89 posts

Master Geek

#1313590 28-May-2015 15:53

Yes that photo is exactly it. It's a work phone so I guess I'll lump it but I told my partner he should have his fixed. As long as it doesn't get any worse!

dclegg

2806 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1313592 28-May-2015 15:55

bitserf: Don't think it's OCD, but then I am the guy who will RMA at the slightest hint of display imperfection :P

Would Jony Ive or Steve have put up with that green border on his phone? I think not ;)

I get what you're saying. And trust me, it isn't easy ignoring a fault like this with a $1200 phone. But considering it's a little hard to initially see, I figured I'd have a fight on my hands with the retailer or Apple. And because it doesn't really detract from the utility of the phone, I've decided life is too short to bother trying to fight to get it fixed.

In fact, out of all the things that bug me about this phone, the screen problem is by far the least annoying. And all the rest are due to declining quality & reliability of the software. That, and the (once again very hard to demonstrate/quantify) cheap feel of the Home button. Its a lot clickier than my wifes, and sometimes does a weird double-click thing. It still works every time though, so once again I'm burying my urge to rage about that too :-D

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nathan

5695 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1313594 28-May-2015 15:56

remember regardless of 2 year warranty, you're covered by CGA if you've bought from a NZ retailer for personal consumer use.

I think most normal people expect a $1000 smartphone to last longer than 2 years.

dclegg

2806 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1313597 28-May-2015 15:58

Hmm... I'm actually going to be within walking distance of the Apple Store in San Francisco in a couple of weeks. Wonder if it's worth taking it down to the Genius bar there to see if they'll do anything about it :-)

ajobbins

5052 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1313605 28-May-2015 16:30

dclegg: Hmm... I'm actually going to be within walking distance of the Apple Store in San Francisco in a couple of weeks. Wonder if it's worth taking it down to the Genius bar there to see if they'll do anything about it :-)

A far better option I suspect. If they agree it's an issue, you'll likely walk out of the store with a replacement - which is much better than having to send it away and be phone less for days or longer.

Twitter: ajobbins

Aaroona

3196 posts

Uber Geek

#1313714 28-May-2015 20:54

hyperman:
Dairyxox: Can you take a photo of it? Never seen this before.
Where did you buy it from? and When? Some places (Vodafone iirc) had two year warranties (to match the contract duration). etc..

To elaborate AFAIK every telco (Vodafone, spark and 2deg) and their MMR's (NLG, DSE HN, JB) all carry a 2 year warranty

Is that irrespective of whether they are on contract or not?

littleheaven

2130 posts

Uber Geek

#1314298 29-May-2015 19:14

I noticed it on my 5 the other day, and just checked my sister's - same there. It's only faintly visible on a white screen though. Not visible on any other background. If it were new I'd be a bit annoyed but at this stage I'm not motivated enough to try and get it fixed.

Geek girl. Freelance copywriter and editor at Unmistakable.co.nz.