Help Yellow cast on newer screens?

[wynand32]

Okay, I'm going to be really careful here about how I present this, because I was attacked on another forum for just being "picky."

Let me start by saying: I've had four Primes (yes, four) looking for one with acceptable quality. The issues have included broken haptic feedback, screens pulling away from the case, a rattle from some broken piece inside the unit, speaker crackling at higher volumes, etc., and were all legitimate reasons for rejecting each one. Sorry if I'm being defensive, but I'd really rather avoid the "you're just being picky" charge that will completely lose the purpose of my post.

Which is: the two Primes I received in the last two weeks (BB and HH Gregg) have had a screen that is markedly different from the first two. These have a distinct yellow cast that shows up as whites being a dingy yellow. It's noticeable by itself, but certainly obvious when placed next to another Prime. Colors are also washed out, text isn't sharp, and in general the screen isn't nearly as good as the previous ones.

What I'm trying to figure out is: did I get incredibly unlucky by getting two defective screens in a row? Or did ASUS source screens from a different manufacturer? Has anyone else noticed this on newer Primes?

I have a Champagne unit with an open RMA, that has broken haptic feedback, a speaker that crackles at higher volume, a screen that's got some give on the right side (clicks when I hold it there), and a chemical stain on the back where some solvent or something leaked out of the camera and LED holes. But, I might still keep it if it represents a previous generation of screen, which is literally that much better than the screen on the newer one I have in my possession.

 

[kronie]

I hope you get a nicer response here than the other forums....

Honestly your post made me think of the Mac boards where customers traded in like five or six Mac's looking for the perfect one. Its quite possible that they switched panels. Maybe the new one works better with GPS?

 

[Deleted User]

I know what you are talking about... The EVO 4g went through the same thing, and the phone I have (maybe had?) definitely had a dingey white/yellow tint to it.

Hated it.. Either I have a different one, or got used to it. Heh...

Well that sucks. Sorry about the quality of your screen. :/

 

[Dagr]

I'm afraid I can't help in terms of the yellow screen... havn't noticed it myself. I had audio problems on my first unit and am on my 2nd now... only really having wifi speed issues (nothing terribly unique there I'm afraid).

To the point of being "too picky"... its my personal opinion that when you pay as much money for something like the prime, you are absolutely justified in wanting it to work correctly, and well. It's frustrating that this device has had some quality issues thus far (I believe I read somewhere that the reports of the return/exchange rate for the tablet are very high based on initial sales numbers). I still feel its an excellent tablet... but the purchase process has been a very frustrating experience for many so far... :/

 

[wynand32]

Thanks for the responses. I have another one from Best Buy that's charging now, and we'll see if I either got really unlucky in receiving two defective screens in a row, or if this is a new screen entirely that's now shipping on new devices. Or, perhaps, that there are two screens out there (same thing happened with the Xoom at first) and it's a lottery as to which one we'll get.

If this one is the same as the previous "good" ones, then I'll stick with it unless it's possessed by a demon. I've been using the "bad" screen for a couple of days now, and it simply is NOT the same experience. Blech.

 

[Thwip]

My Prime arrived yesterday from Amazon. I have not noticed a yellow cast to the screen. Mine does have broken haptic feedback, though. Does feedback work on some of the Primes you've had?

 

[wynand32]

My Prime arrived yesterday from Amazon. I have not noticed a yellow cast to the screen. Mine does have broken haptic feedback, though. Does feedback work on some of the Primes you've had?

The very first Prime I had did have kind of working haptic feedback. That is, it vibrated more often than it just made noise. Every other one I've had has been the opposite--mostly they just make a noise as if the vibration is TRYING to work but is just spinning in place, and every now and then there will be an actual vibration.

I gave up on it, frankly. I think at best it's very weak and at worst it's just noisy. Worst thing is that you can't turn haptic feedback completely off--even when turned off in the settings, it still tries to work in a number of situations, e.g., selecting items on the home screens, selecting images in the Gallery.

Personally, I'm not terribly concerned about it. I'd like it to work (it's actually quite nice on my wife's Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, although she turns haptic feedback off on that and her phone; go figure), but mostly from the "it's there, so I want it to work" perspective, not that I think I need it on a tablet.

I certainly wouldn't return an otherwise good Prime because of it.

 

[wynand32]

Update: the one I got yesterday from Best Buy has an excellent screen, probably meaning that either they're shipping two screen types or I was actually unlucky enough to receive two bad ones in a row. It wouldn't appear that they've made some permanent switch to a different screen, which is what I was most worried about.

 

[kronie]

I just received mine yesterday and my screen looks good. No yellow cast.

 

[A2012Z]

Okay, I'm going to be really careful here about how I present this, because I was attacked on another forum for just being "picky."

Let me start by saying: I've had four Primes (yes, four) looking for one with acceptable quality. The issues have included broken haptic feedback, screens pulling away from the case, a rattle from some broken piece inside the unit, speaker crackling at higher volumes, etc., and were all legitimate reasons for rejecting each one. Sorry if I'm being defensive, but I'd really rather avoid the "you're just being picky" charge that will completely lose the purpose of my post.

Which is: the two Primes I received in the last two weeks (BB and HH Gregg) have had a screen that is markedly different from the first two. These have a distinct yellow cast that shows up as whites being a dingy yellow. It's noticeable by itself, but certainly obvious when placed next to another Prime. Colors are also washed out, text isn't sharp, and in general the screen isn't nearly as good as the previous ones.

What I'm trying to figure out is: did I get incredibly unlucky by getting two defective screens in a row? Or did ASUS source screens from a different manufacturer? Has anyone else noticed this on newer Primes?

I have a Champagne unit with an open RMA, that has broken haptic feedback, a speaker that crackles at higher volume, a screen that's got some give on the right side (clicks when I hold it there), and a chemical stain on the back where some solvent or something leaked out of the camera and LED holes. But, I might still keep it if it represents a previous generation of screen, which is literally that much better than the screen on the newer one I have in my possession.

I experienced same problem with Transformer Prime 201 32 g. Purchased from BB on Jan 25 th 2011. The colors were more than noticeably washed out. Lack of contrast, lack of RED and Blue. This persisted after an upgrade to ICE and reboot and in Performance Mode as well. As samples, I have used photographs posted (as large files ) on photography web pages. Comparison were drawn using Samsung G II tablet and iMac desktop. The same "washed out" impression was present on the pictures taken with the built in 8 MP camera and displayed on the Transformer. And indeed when displaying pictures from an MicroSD, the result was equally disappointing. So, after ruling out the differences of the source, and input method, I decided to return the unit. At present, based on my experience , the colors on the ASUS Transformer Prime are rendered in a way that is best described as noticeably washed out. As the same time, this issue can not be solved ( tweaked ) by an end user with above average computer/ tablet handling experience.
To be sure, since I have waited so long for this device, I opened the same photography web page on the unit on display at the store and the colors were equally bad.


Sorry to see this on a unit that otherwise ( design, speed, battery life, ICE and so on) seems to live up the expectations.

 

[wynand32]

Here's another update: further complicating matters, my wife picked me up another Prime at a Best Buy and set it to charging for me. She knew I wasn't happy with the stuck pixel on the one I had, along with a bit of a vibration when playing audio at full volume on the external speakers, and so she decided to surprise me.

Lo and behold, the screen on this one is pretty much right smack dab in the middle between the "bad" screen and the excellent screen. Temperature is about right in the middle--a bit more yellow, but whites are still more white than yellow. Colors are better than the bad one, but not as deep and bright as the best one. Details don't pop as much as the good one--I can compare a picture on both side-by-side and see details on the one that don't show up on the other. Text is better than the bad one, but not as sharp and black as the best one.

So I'm now convinced that there's just general variability in overall quality between these screens. Some are excellent, some okay, and some downright bad. For me personally, the choice of which one to keep isn't clear, because the one with the best screen also has pretty much non-functional GPS, weaker wifi, the stuck pixel, and the audio issues. The one with the second-best screen has excellent GPS (locks 12/14 satellites in a minute from a cold boot), stronger wifi, perfect audio, but some light bleed and non-functional haptic feedback.

It's driving me crazy. I'm bound and determined to get a "perfect" one, because it's a great tablet. I simply can't believe that there's so much variability at this point--these should be pretty new machines, and kinks should be worked out of the manufacturing process by this point.

 

[just4747]

Here are my two posts from the XDA and Transformer forums threads:



1. Also experiencing this. Got a 32GB gray Prime from Best Buy tonight (updated to ICS immediately).
Colors are AWFUL, washed out, and not only do I have the yellow hue everywhere, but it is SO easily noticeable that the screen, in landscape view, goes from whiter to much much yellower the lower you look down. Literally the top half of the screen is white (not really considering the yellow hue) and the lower half is SO much more yellow. I'm not exaggerating a bit. How in God's name can a device come from a factory like this?? It's disgusting, it looks like the entire lower half is a piss stain.

It is downright terrible. Comparing this to my Gnex and Tab 10.1, it is absolutely pathetic. Also, all other colors are washed out, colorless, no pop in saturation at all.

Why do I have a feeling that if I return this for the ONE left at that Best Buy, that I will have no better luck??




2. Tell us we're crazy now. This is absolutely, 100% UNACCEPTABLE (Tab 10.1 on left, Prime on right):

Prime:

 

[kronie]

That is yellow for sure. My screen is luckily perfect. My comment above about swapping Macs for the perfect screen was me when the 27" iMacs first came out. I couldn't get one with a uniform white screen. They all had had blotchy yellow. I eventually gave up and didn't buy an iMac.

I do notice that the screen on my TF-201 is kind of washed out compared to my 24" IPS monitor and my oversaturated Samsung GS2 phone.

 

[wynand32]

I'd say that the example above is maybe a worst-case. My "bad" one also shows as more yellow, but not even that bad. As I posted in another forum, my biggest concern is that people have screens that are also too yellow with washed out colors, but they're not quite as bad as the one in these pics. So, they're not really experiencing the full experience--one of the things that's simply excellent about a good Prime is it's screen, and if you get one with the yellowish tinge, you simply are NOT enjoying what's possible with the device.

And, you might not even realize it, if you don't have one to compare to. Even worse, you might run across one to compare to long after your return policy is up, and you'll be terribly disappointed.

 

[kronie]

Maybe this is what you need?:

https://market.android.com/details?...t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5uZXRtYW5zbGFiLnNhIl0.

 

[wynand32]

Maybe this is what you need?:

https://market.android.com/details?...t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5uZXRtYW5zbGFiLnNhIl0.

Thanks for the link, but there's no way on God's green earth that I would use an app to overcome an inherent flaw like this. One can debate the value of GPS, and decide that it's not important, or decide that the wifi, though weaker than some devices, is acceptable for one's needs.

However, a tablet's screen is the one thing that can make or break the experience across the board. You stare at the screen almost every second you use a tablet (exceptions being few and far between, like when you're listening to music). I personally will accept nothing short of excellent in a tablet's screen, and these flawed screens with the yellow tint are simply not acceptable.

 

[mikehud1984]

Okay, I'm going to be really careful here about how I present this, because I was attacked on another forum for just being "picky."

Let me start by saying: I've had four Primes (yes, four) looking for one with acceptable quality. The issues have included broken haptic feedback, screens pulling away from the case, a rattle from some broken piece inside the unit, speaker crackling at higher volumes, etc., and were all legitimate reasons for rejecting each one. Sorry if I'm being defensive, but I'd really rather avoid the "you're just being picky" charge that will completely lose the purpose of my post.

Which is: the two Primes I received in the last two weeks (BB and HH Gregg) have had a screen that is markedly different from the first two. These have a distinct yellow cast that shows up as whites being a dingy yellow. It's noticeable by itself, but certainly obvious when placed next to another Prime. Colors are also washed out, text isn't sharp, and in general the screen isn't nearly as good as the previous one

What I'm trying to figure out is: did I get incredibly unlucky by getting two defective screens in a row? Or did ASUS source screens from a different manufacturer? Has anyone else noticed this on newer Primes?

I have a Champagne unit with an open RMA, that has broken haptic feedback, a speaker that crackles at higher volume, a screen that's got some give on the right side (clicks when I hold it there), and a chemical stain on the back where some solvent or something leaked out of the camera and LED holes. But, I might still keep it if it represents a previous generation of screen, which is literally that much better than the screen on the newer one I have in my possession.

I just wanted to say I know exactly what you have been through as I have done the exact same thing. I'm currently typing this from my fifth Prime. (which still has a slight yellow tint on the bottom half of the screen) #1 I got my first one from BB and it had all the wifi/GPS and random restart issues so I went to exchange it only to find they had none available so I had to return it. The screen was amazing on that one though. #2 So I went to Staples to get one which also had a perfect screen. It also had great Wifi and decent GPS but unfortunately it was badly damaged on the left edge where the screen was separating from the aluminum back. #3 So I went back and exchanged for another at Staples which had a horrible yellow tint to it which made whites look like someone pissed on my screen. #4 Got another from Staples that again had the yellowish whites on half the screen. #5 Yet another from Staples (I'm using this one now) that unfortunately again has a yellow tint but only on a small portion of the bottom of the screen in the center. I really am disappointed with ASUS quality control with these especially for the price they are asking for them. I really want to keep this tablet as it is an amazing piece of hardware if you can find one without defect which I seem to be unable to do. So for now I'm settling with this one unless it bugs me to much then I will just return it and wait for the Lenovo K2 which from the sounds of it will be a better faster tab anyway for only $50 more.

 

[cambo1]

I didn't really notice anything till I put it beside my tf101 .then I can see a difference.but it is not as bad as what some are describing

 

[wynand32]

I didn't really notice anything till I put it beside my tf101 .then I can see a difference.but it is not as bad as what some are describing

I think the point is that there's some real variability in the screen. What you are seeing could very well be the slightly warmer temp of a "good" Prime screen. They're ALL slightly warmer and so whites will seem a little more yellow than the original Transformer, which was fairly cold (i.e., more blue). Being a little warmer isn't a bad thing--I actually tend to prefer it, because I think it gives more comfortable contrast for ebook reading.

However, there are some Prime screens (I've had two of them) that are WAY too yellow. There, the difference is glaring when holding it next to another Prime--whites are literally a dingy yellow that's noticeable by itself. I believe now that there's simply a range of temperatures on these screens, from nicely warmer to terribly yellow.

I'm choosing between two Primes right now as my "final" one, and I'm actually finding the differences fascinating. One has a bit crisper text and sharper images, but oddly enough colors aren't as good as the other one, which also shows more detail in lighter parts of images (which seems counter-intuitive to the overall increase in sharpness of the other screen). The first one has a small cluster of dead pixels, and so that's the one that will likely go back. Without that problem, though, I'd have a hard time deciding which screen was better.

And, I should note: I don't think this is unique to the Prime. I'll bet if you bought five different Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 units, you'd find the same kind of variability. Comparing my Epic 4G Touch to my wife's, mine is MUCH more blue with far worse whites--so, in a sample of two, we have very different screens. And I remember people complaining in the Xoom forums at the very beginning about different temperature screens. So, I think this is only coming up regarding the Prime because people are going through so many of them, with some people having two or more on-hand at the same time.