yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[myTouch 4G General] tenbeau:
I just got word that TMobile is shipping out a replacement today and I will receive it probably on Wed. I had hesitated thinking I might get one that was even worse. This one is really bad and I get more and more resentful of it everyday. The more posts I saw on this thread convinced me that to do nothing was what TMO and HTC would want. Just ignore it. Than TMO said they would give me another 20 day remorse period, even though I have had the device for about a month. Now the problem is I had rooted and turned s off. Still on stock rom though. I had deleted alot of bloatware but luckily I had done a backup before deleting all of it. I restored the backup and turned s back on. It still appears to be rooted though. Really don't know how I can totally unroot it. Have read a lot of threads but I get more and more confused. Does anyone know if I do a factory restore if it will brick the phone because I am still rooted? Also if S is on and all the apps are there how closely do they check before flashing the stock firmware on the device.? Any and all help and info is appreciated.
[myTouch 4G General] eriksoto:
I honest to god though I had a good red one untill I checked hboot. Glad I still got 14 days to switch it. I might get a black one.
[myTouch 4G General] ArcticWolf91:
Did you pay for the shipping?
[myTouch 4G General] onishchuk4:
I returned my defective one. It was rooted though I highly doubt they will actually check. Don't worry about it ;)
[myTouch 4G General] rjhay22:
Ive had several devices replaced and returned it bricked and rooted. :-( sounds bad, but tmobile doesnt care. Their customer service is awesome.
[myTouch 4G General] dalkaveli:
Tmo is pissing me off. Ive been with them 10 years and since I'm outside buyers remorse they're giving me a hard time.

EDIT: Finally got a replacement out of them, lets hope it's descent!
[myTouch 4G General] jota164:
has anyone get sent 2 replacement (3 phones total including first one purchaseD) and called T-Mobile up to get another one and they tell you you've reached a limit. You have to go to a TMo store so that an employee can "verify" it being messed up ?

I've called 4 different times and each person says the same. This is quite some bull****. I'm gonna waste my time going to a store so that an employee can call them up and tell them the same exact **** that I've been telling them about this defective phone.

Kind of getting tired of this. I will go to the store and let them check it out so that I can get a replacement. If the next one comes back with any problems I think I'll give up and get a refund.

But good thing was that the Rep I spoke to this morning told me he made some notes down in my file to extend my remorse period because the east coast got hit hard with this blizzard.

Lets see what happens.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Can you give some more information? What are the reasons for returning? Are all 3 of them for the same thing? The reason I ask is if it is not a recognized problem they are more difficult to get a exchange. I have never heard of a limit and I have had more than this and I think other people have also.

EDIT: Also have you tried to go straight to retentions rep by saying cancel at the automated attendant? You might have more luck there.
[myTouch 4G General] rjhay22:
Wow... Thats kinda unlikely of tmobile. From my experience, theyve been nothing but great. :-(

I just called them a few minutes ago to get a replacement, not caise I had a bad screen but because im having issues with the memory card reader... Had 5 replacements within 2mos. 3 from the vibrant and 2nd one for the mytouch. And with my luck, I have a feeling ill get a washed out screen coming my way.
[myTouch 4G General] Jaylito.:
No, they took care of it! got it delivered literally in 3 days.
[myTouch 4G General] dustinearley:
This is all really freaking me out. When I first got my mT4G, I thought i looked really washed out and bland. I knew it wouldn't be as good as the AMOLED on my Nexus One, but I figured I'd just have to live with it... then I read this. I am going to be obsessed now until I figure it out. I got it on the 23rd, so I'm well within my 14 days.

Considering that almost nothing else is wrong - GPS/WiFi work fine, no creak - is it really going to be that much of a difference? Color contrast is a big deal for me, so I'm considering what to do. If I take it back within 14 days, don't they have to return it no matter what?

I want to be honest and tell them about this thread, and the color differences, and see where it goes from there.

Any advice?

Thanks
[myTouch 4G General] marinergreg:
Yes they have to and will take it back. Within the 20 day period you will get a new replacement. It was changed to 20 days. You can have them ship it to you first if you want but you have to call them with a tracking # and send it within 3 days or they will charge you. They will reimburse your account $10 for shipping it back. But if you want to insure it that comes out of your pocket. The good thing is once you recieve your new phone the 20 day period starts all over again in case that one is bad also. The easiest way to call them is to say cancel at the first prompt. That way it sends you to the loyalty/ Retention department and they are very helpfull.

Seriously do not accept that screen. I had both of them and putting them side by side is like night and day. You will be very happy when you get a good screen and I think the newer batches are getting much better.
[myTouch 4G General] dustinearley:
Thanks.

Is the general consensus to get one from 611? I want to try the store, but in afraid I'll just get another bad one.
[myTouch 4G General] bspatel:
Just bought a couple mytouch4g's a few days ago from the Tmobile store.

Took two hours, but the service rep was really good about getting us two phones with good displays (I brought it to his attention that the two phones he was about to give us had different quality screens).

Long story short, we opened 5 boxes: 2 from China and ran 2.2.1, 3 from Taiwan and ran 2.2. (You can read the "made in" statement on the box, under the upc barcodes, and get the version number when the phone is booted up).

The two phones from China had good displays, the 3 from Taiwan poorer displays.

Take what lesson you will from an n=5.

Of note, the poor display is really only striking if you look at it from an angle (when is skewed viewing all that important?). It's pretty nearly identical when looking straight on.

Don't have a theory about squeaky buttons. My Chinese made phone has slightly squeaky buttons, but I'll live with it. It's squeakiness is no different than my previous blackberry curve.

Sorry if this information has already been conveyed (I know someone mentioned Taiwan/China before); I'm too lazy to read through this entire thread.
[myTouch 4G General] smonme:
I can honestly say that, you will never notice the difference until you see other mytouch 4gs next to yours. When I went to work and compared 2 other phones to my own, it was clear the issue is very wide spread (there's having crappy display)
[myTouch 4G General] btbuck1:
LOL, totally understandable....(gum in pubes...lol, nice).
[myTouch 4G General] mingkee:
I caught one with bad display at corp store, so I took a pic of comparison with 100% same conditions (same wallpaper, same brightness).

Check this out:
[myTouch 4G General] kgbkny:
Based on mingkee's post above, my phone appears to have the washed out screen. I just called T-mobile and requested that they send me a replacement. Here's to hoping that it'll have the better screen.
[myTouch 4G General] mgymnop:
to which brightness have you set it? If it is more than 50% I prefer the washed out display. The other one is way too dark and you don't even have the reflection effect in the dock anymore.
[myTouch 4G General] jriv:
so will tmobile replace it for free if you have the washed out screen.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Thanks mingkee for the photo, and it gets worse the more of and angle. If you don't mind I put this picture over in the MT4G official forum.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I don't think it matters as long as they are the same. I would guess the are set to automatic. The reason the other one looks darker as it is at more of a angle to the camera than the bad display. When you look at the display directly face on it has even more vibrant colors. The reason for taking the pictures from the side is the better display has good viewing at all angles where the other doesn't.

See this post for some face on pictures with the good display:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=9607941&postcount=36

The white to black contrast is much better and rich colors. Easily seen in the clock widget background and luancher bar.
[myTouch 4G General] kgbkny:
Yes. I called T-Mobile earlier today and complained about the washed out screen on my MT4G. They are sending me a free replacement, but I was charged $10 for shipping.
[myTouch 4G General] 808HD2:
So what did you actually say?! Im asking because im trying to get a replacement also.. I got crooked ffc, loose batt cover, and the side were the gold pins are, the body is bulging out..
[myTouch 4G General] student.driver:
OK, I went to the T-Mobile store, and the one on display was just like mine. I remembered the display on my G2, so I tried out theirs. It appears that mine is the "bad" display. I guess a much better way to explain this is that the "bad" display will grow gradually lighter when varying the viewing angle, while the "good" display will grow gradually dimmer. I used the GTalk and WiFi calling icons to test, and my mT4G's WiFi calling icon goes slightly greenish and starts to blend the text at the most extreme angle, while the G2 gets a slightly darker blue, but the text is pretty clear and white.

However, when viewed at common angles, my colors are all bright and clear, and extremely similar to the ones on the store's G2 and my wife's G2. I don't have any color tinting or issues with black and gray elements. I'm debating on if this is important enough for me to return it, considering how long it takes to setup. I got it Saturday, and then I'd have to hope the next one has the "good" display. Just not sure I care enough, considering every other display I have (except my 24" Dell IPS, I suppose) is a lot worse than the phone is and I use them daily.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Well good news for me I guess. I got another replacement today from a different store and I showed the guy these pictures I printed out plus I told him I had some data connection issues, and asked for a replacement. I specifically asked him to check and see if he had a black one made from china, as all my others have been from Taiwan. And I knew as soon as it booted up it was the good screen. The FFC is slightly off like many others but I can live with that. There is also a code on the box which tells what version of software the device is shipped with.

I will do a in depth comparison with my wifes phone later.

PS anyone who is skeptical believe us it is a big difference. I even showed a rep from the t-Mobile store and he pulled out his from his belt and you should have seen the look on his face when we compared them side by side with my new phone and his phone.
[myTouch 4G General] itmustbejj:
I have one with the "bad" screen that says it was made in china.
[myTouch 4G General] student.driver:
Mine is red and made in China as well.
[myTouch 4G General] mingkee:
On 50% setting.

To ensure the fairness, I selected same wallpaper, theme, and HTC clock.
[myTouch 4G General] zeno911:
sorry a better video got posted
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I'm working on a video as well. but here is a couple of screen shots until then.
[myTouch 4G General] Jayrod1980:
Wow, these pics are depressing. I'm on my fourth mt4g, and it Is alright. I have the bad screen, but I'm tired of shipping back and forth since I got this phone through cancellations after having so many gps issues with my vibrant.

On topof that there's the shipping costs with every exchange. When I get finger prints on this, the blown out whites are very noticeable.

Guess im stuck
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
I posted my amateur video on the first post, but here it is as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXMu-5KWA6s

@jayrod1980 don't give up but you might wait a while as I think this is going to become widely known soon and I suspect they will fix it.
[myTouch 4G General] Jayrod1980:
Thanks, just don't want to end up with 100 bucks in shipping fees to get a decent phone, nor 130 for an insurance claim. Such a bummer.

Btw, all of my phones seem to have had this same display, my white, two reds and the black that I currently have. So much inferior to the g2 display. Asopish android sends to look better too. I think the only reason we have so much ram is because of sense bloat and ui enhancements. Bet thing would on vanilla.
[myTouch 4G General] 2012iawait:
i have the white one. color washed. : ( what do i do? call tmobile? and tell them what?
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Well although when buying viewing at an angle may not seem important. However there are many instances where viewing at an angle is possible.

1. Using the device in Desk Clock mode.

2. Using the GPS, especially from the passenger seat.

3. Anytime you have it on your desk or table in front of you.

These are just a few I can think of. Also what is another important part of the good screen is outside viewing in sunlight. The washed out display is much harder to read than the good display. The good display is clear and bright even in direct sunlight.

Read through this thread, there are countless people who could not believe the difference until they had a good one. If the display is an important factor to you then it is worth the change.

My advise is go to a busy store in your area. Take your receipt and everything included in the box and go to the store. I know you want to be honest. But they do not recognize the screen as a issue from T-Mobile and most likely you will get a deer in the headlights look from the Rep. I have and many others made them aware about these threads but until T-Mobile sends out or post in their internal system it is a known issue they will not recognize there is anything wrong with the screens. You would be better to say you want to change colors (if applicable) or you have a random problem with data connection and you have tried troubleshooting with tech support and they said to come to the store and replace it.

Most important thing I could recommend is ask for one made in China. Tell them anything, my friend has one and his has no problems and was made in china. Will you please check on the outside of the boxes and bring me one made in China please. There seems to be a higher rate of success with the China ones right now.

Hope this helps you.
[myTouch 4G General] dalkaveli:
I spoke to David at tmonews this is what he had to say:

"I did post about it in Twitter and I pinged T-Mobile and they said that they were unaware of the problem affecting a large number of users. Unfortunately one forum thread didn't constitute enough of a problem with them to warrant anything public, such as a recall. I've been working with HTC and T-Mobile over the last few days, minus the holiday time to try and get some responses but unfortunately I'm coming up short. I do have a post written and planned but I was hoping to get a response first.

Look for something this week!"

And further:

"I'd say the probability of a recall is somewhere in the negative. T-Mobile didn't recall the hinge on the G2, if anything they would move forward with fixed devices and replace for those who call in and complain. It's likely though that the general buyer will never notice a problem"\

So in essence, keep hounding them about this!
[myTouch 4G General] chrisjs81:
It would be cool if someone with a good and bad phone could put together a nice comparison pic that's a bit more obvious than the sense clock test. I can see a difference but I don't think that particular comparison makes the issue that obvious. I'd like to see a comparison of what the white/red block lock screen looks like between the good and bad screens, or even compare what the T-Mobile web site looks like. On my bad screen, the grays at the top start to glow at an angle.
[myTouch 4G General] eriksoto:
Just got my Red one replaced for a black one.first exchange and I got a good screen.I could immediately tell the difference when I tilted it.
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Well any comparison is possible. However the greatest amount of difference is seen with the HTC clock as it has black on white and is easily distinguishable between good and bad. The best wallpaper is the white blocks but at the time I did my video I had the highway theme on both devices.

Looking at a website might not show the differences as pronounced as with the HTC clock.
[myTouch 4G General] crx4xharder:
Having my third one shipped from CC. All refurbished. All washed out screens. Manufacturers warranty only covers three exchanges. So I'm hoping for the best but my love for HTC is quickly deminishing. I guess any company that gets this big this Fast eventually pushes things under the rug. Following in the steps of apple... DAMN THEM!
[myTouch 4G General] Eppidemic:
So i'm returning mine to stapples tomorrow in hopes of finding one with a good screen.

is there still any word on identifying which has the better screen without rooting? Or do we still just ask for the newest arrived shipment?
[myTouch 4G General] crx4xharder:
I'd say your best bet is get one that says its made in China on the back of The box. If they'll let u open it then ans there... DO IT! Check the creaking buttons, ffc, display and whatever else your heart desires.
[myTouch 4G General] Eppidemic:
gotta say. i'm a little confused now. mine is made in china. the FCC is off center.

after watching this vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_WmGHh4Km8

It looks like my phone is somewhere in the middle? mine doesn't turn that horrible yellowish brown like the phone on the right. it looks more like the good screen. until I do the clock test. even then it looks pretty good except the middle and tops of the number start to turn white the further I tilt. my screen also doesn't do well on the "mytouch" power up screen. with all those whites, it fades pretty quickly...

I think I have a "bad" one and am going to return it just incase. but it sure isn't as bad as the one in the vid. are there more than 2 kinds of screens?
[myTouch 4G General] Phateless:
I'm in the same boat. I think I have one of the "good" ones out of a batch of "bad" ones.
[myTouch 4G General] hydrogenman:
goto add a widget, and select "clock"

hit the right arrow over twice to get to the style 3 of 12

hit select (and hit thanks on the post :P)
[myTouch 4G General] lalab0y:
for all those asking if texas even has any good ones, i just received my first replacement and it's a good one..kudos t mobile..
[myTouch 4G General] /b/rotherJudas:
I got the good display, but my ffc is off. I can still get my face in it, but it puts my display at an odd angle.
[myTouch 4G General] Bronyr:
As I'm awaiting MT4G is it safe to assume the following:

- most/all made in Taiwan have bad display, made by Sharp?

- what about FFC issues - does this follow apparently similar rule above, China - good, Taiwan - bad?
[myTouch 4G General] ArcticWolf91:
Ok so I have replacement coming in next friday. Hope its the good screen.
[myTouch 4G General] spimonkey34:
Here is my story. I finally got one with the good screen. I have the black version.

Phone 1: Taiwan / SH / 2.2 - This phone also had a loose trackpad and horrible light leaking around the buttons. Also had off centered ffc.

Phone 2: China / SH / 2.2 - This phone had better build quality. No light leaking and ffc was centered.

Phone 3: Taiwan / SH / 2.2 - This one had off centered ffc and worse build quality than #2 but better than #1. There was very minimal light leaking.

Phone 4: Taiwan / SO / 2.2.1 - Finally the perfect phone. Zero light leakage, tight buttons, centered ffc, and amazing screen.

I hope this info helps.
[myTouch 4G General] spimonkey34:
I have a good Taiwan model.
[myTouch 4G General] SeaRickster:
'Received my original/bad screen MT4G on 11/23 from Retentions Dept (MT Fender issues - agreed to reduced retail price on new MT4G plus contract extension). FWIW, this phone ROCKS in comparison to my 'less-than-one-year-old' Fender!! 'Was out of the 15 day remorse period, called CS 12/23 and reported bad screen compared to a friend's new MT4G.

They shipped replacement from Ft Worth, TX via UPS 3 Day Select at no charge with a prepaid UPS label to return old phone. Received new MT4G today and could tell immediately it was the SO/good screen -- amazing difference! Verified 'panel type = 2' via 'dmesg' in Terminal.

Replacement is a red MT4G that came with 2.2.1 pre-installed vs bad phone which came with 2.2 originally installed and doing the over-the-air update. Both phones made in China.

My 2 cents: IMO the problem is most likely with the first batch(s) manufactured. The serial number of my original/bad unit was SHO

AZ

T704XXX (XXX = last 3 numbers). The new/good screen is S/N SHO

BA

T700XXX. 'Suspect the "AZ" serial numbered bad unit was manufactured prior to the good "BA" unit.

I couldn't be happier... 'was dreading the thought of having to call and have multiple phones shipped in the event replacement(s) = the bad screen.
[myTouch 4G General] mackster248:
I just called and now my 3rd replacement is in its way. Everyone, please pray for me that I finally get the good one! :)

Btw, kudos to T-Mobile customer service for dealing with my BS stories of why I keep needing replacements. No way any other mobile phone company can match their customer loyalty.
[myTouch 4G General] Dataman100:
Retail store or Customer Care

I purchased my phone on Nov 13th, only a few days after it came out. It's a Taiwan made and has the Sharp screen that's washed out. I want to replace it to get a good screen. Would it be better to go to my local T-mobile store, (I live in a big city, Phoenix) and hope to convice the rep of the problem, and be able to see the replacement to check for all the issues, or would it be better to try my luck with Customer Care and a random one shipped to me?

The advantage to Customer Care would be that I'll have time to backup everything and send it back at my leisure. If I go into the store, I have to have it ready to trade in, (unrooted, backed up, etc.)

I suppose I could always have CC note the replacement in my account and then have the rep at the store fulfill it. That's how I got my upgrade at the "new account" pricing.

What's the general consensus here?

Thanks,

Dave
[myTouch 4G General] bobsbbq:
Since your out of the remorse period I'm not sure if a retail store will give you a new exchange. You could ask them for a warranty exchange which would be the same as you would get from CC. they will tell you it is a refurb unit but they are not. They are shipping only new devices right now for warraty exchanges. But yes you need to have your device data backed up and ready to go when you do the change.

I doubt you will be able to convince them of any problem with the screen and will not have much luck with this excuse.
[myTouch 4G General] jpelzel:
If it were the first batch that was bad, wouldn't it be more likely that that would be the one with 2.1 that was bad?

Wouldn't think that theyd downgrade the software in production.
[myTouch 4G General] lalab0y:
so for those who returned the phone after getting a good display, did you also unroot and restored your phone to stock? any complications if you did not?
[myTouch 4G General] Dataman100:
Thanks! I know that David at Tmonews is trying to work with T-mobile to have them send out something to their people descirbing the screen issue, do you think I should wait for that? If they won't exchange it due to the bad screen, what excuse should I use? There's really not anything else wrong with the phone.

Thanks,

Dave