Some iPhone 3G Owners Seeing Yellow

Countless first generation iPhone owners upgraded to the iPhone 3G yesterday anticipating similar features coupled with 3G speeds and GPS capabilities. The iPhone 3G is priced at $199, a far cry from the $599 iPhone released just over a year ago. Some owners have complained of a yellowish tint and there is indeed a difference between the two. It doesn't necessarily mean lower quality parts, but rather we're theorizing that Apple has tweaked the graphics settings on the new iPhone.

Click to enlarge.

In our experiment, we took the iPhone 3G and placed next to the first generation iPhone. Brightness adjustments did not affect the color of the screen. On LCD TV screens, the yellowish tint is what is normally referred to as a "warm setting". Most video enthusiasts prefer warm settings, when adjusting LCD televisions for optimal viewing. Out of the box, your TV is more than likely set to "Cool" and produces bright whites. It's even more apparent when you switch between the two settings or compare the sets side by side. The same goes for the iPhone 3G and first generation iPhone. The difference is apparent when you place the two phones next to each other, as seen in the photo above. Currently, there is no setting to adjust from a "warm" setting to a "cool" setting. That in mind, this is more than likely a software setting rather than a hardware defect. Some forum members have mentioned that software restore has removed the yellow tint. Placed side by side, the iPhone 3G clearly has a sharper screen. Icons and text is more crisper than the first generation. As for the yellow tint, it's still unclear whether this indeed an internal setting or a hardware compromise.

UPDATE: Bob Borchers, senior director of product marketing for the iPhone, spoke with Engadget regarding reports of the yellow tint. According to Bob (and Apple), the screen's color temperature has been purposely altered on the new iPhone to produce warmer, more natural tones, sharper images, and deeper blacks. The company says that 1st gen iPhone screens appeared colder and less defined, and they made some adjustments for the new models.

via EngadgetMobile

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