Late last week, Apple published a support document explaining how OLEd displays function and that it is normal to see some screen burn-in over time and shifts in color when looking at the iPhone display from an off-angle.
The company described the display, when viewed from a side angle, as possibly presenting shifts in color and hue, something that’s a “characteristic of OLED” and “normal behavior.”
The document stated that with extended long-term use, OLED displays can show “slight visual changes,” which is also considered normal. The iPhone X has been engineered to be the “best in industry” at reducing burn-in effects, but Apple’s support document suggests burn-in is still a problem that some users could potentially see over time.
The behavior can include “image persistence” or “burn-in”, wherein the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image has appeared on the screen. This can occur in more extreme cases such as when a high contrast image has been continuously displayed on the screen for extended periods of time.
Given that the possible burn-in is regarded as normal behavior and to be expected, it’s unknown how this will be handled with regards to the one-year iPhone X warranty or extended AppleCare+ coverage. In years past, issues that Apple considers normal have been harder to have repaired via the warranty or AppleCare+.
Apple’s description covers this as a rare occurrence, so only time will tell how prevalent this issue might be.
Making sure the iPhone X’s display is set to go to sleep after a short period of time will also help prevent any burn-in issues, as it generally happens when the same image is on the display for a long time. Apple recommends setting Auto Lock to “a shorter time.”
Please let us know if you’ve seen this issue on your snazzy new iPhone X and stay tuned for additional details as they become available.