Apple Warns Of iPhone X OLED Burn-In
The iPhone X has finally been released, and those lucky enough to get their hands on the expensive device are now enjoying features like Face ID, Animoji, and its Super Retina OLED display. But as this is the first iPhone to feature OLED technology, Apple has released a new support document that advises users of its differences from previous iPhone models, as well as issues they might experience over time.
The most important things mentioned in the document are changes in color and hue when the screen is viewed from certain angles, and some burn-in over time. With the former, Apple explains that its OLED display is among the best in the industry, however a common characteristic of the technology is that color and hue shifting can be noticed when viewing the screen from side angles.
The other issue is burn-in, or when an image has been displayed on a screen for long periods of time, resulting in it still being faintly visible after the image changes. Apple says that it has worked to reduce the effect of burn-in, but adds that it may still be experienced over the device's lifetime. The company notes that "slight visual changes" such as these are considered normal for OLED displays.
"If you look at an OLED display off-angle, you might notice slight shifts in color and hue. This is a characteristic of OLED and is normal behavior. With extended long-term use, OLED displays can also show slight visual changes. This is also expected behavior and can include 'image persistence' or 'burn-in,' where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen. This can occur in more extreme cases such as when the same high contrast image is continuously displayed for prolonged periods of time. We've engineered the Super Retina display to be the best in the industry in reducing the effects of OLED 'burn-in.'"
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To help prevent burn-in over time, Apple recommends that iPhone X owners keep Auto-Brightness enabled, use shorter Auto-Lock periods, and avoid displaying static images at full brightness for extended periods of time to help maintain the life of the OLED screen.
But what's also important to note with this document is that Apple is referring to these issues as normal behavior, meaning that if they do appear, they're unlikely to be covered by the iPhone X's warranty or AppleCare+ coverage. As the device is still so new, it's unclear how common of an occurrence something like burn-in will be, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out over the weeks and months to come.
SOURCE Apple