Yellowish tint on brand new iPhones!

Hi, you’re wrong and right at the same time. What we’re basically talking about here is the perception of color in humans and its variability. I agree that you’re seeming a warm shade and others are seeing a cool shade or even a neutral shade (white). This explains why every iPhone you look at has a warm shade, until you see one on the cool side and your brain perceives it to be more neutral.

“Have you ever disagreed with a friend, family member or colleague about the color of an object? If so, you’ve experienced how subjective color can be. (Remember the infamous dress that went viral in 2015 because no one could agree on the color?)

White light reflects all colors equally, which is why white objects appear bright and neutral to most people. The brain interprets colors based on light conditions, surrounding colors, and individual experiences, meaning two people may register white very differently in the same visual scene. Variations in cone cells, neurological processing, age, gender, and psychological state further affect how each person perceives color, including white.”

“There’s a complex science behind color perception, and multiple factors that impact how we see. At the very least, these differences can cause friendly disagreements. However, if accurate, consistent product colors are a critical part of your company’s success, not accounting for these differences can be a costly mistake.”

https://www.datacolor.com/business-solutions/blog/why-we-cant-agree-color-perception/

Some people perceive white as yellow due to lighting (e.g., tungsten or low-quality bulbs), which shifts the spectrum toward warmer hues. Eye health can also play a role. Conditions like cataracts or jaundice cause the sclera (white of the eye) or vision overall to take on a yellowish tint.

These differences reflect how color perception emerges from a blend of physics, physiology, psychology, and environment, making “white” a complex and individualized experience rather than a single, universal color.

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The screen on an iPhone can’t be properly calibrated and manufacturing tolerances of a consumer grade product cannot be held to tight enough tolerances to yield “perfect color” at all times for all people.

In my opinion you need to follow your current path and examine different iPhones until you find one that is acceptable to you. You may also find that some manufacturers have devices that appear white you, but others will perceive them as blue. I personally have that issue and use True Tone to adjust the over blueness of many devices. When I edit photos for print I use a color calibrated monitor or my iPad Pro in Reference Mode. Yes, iPad Pro screens can be color calibrated. Good Luck!

PS: I teach classes in Color Theory and Color Management for universities.

There is a thread on Reddit about a brightness issue. The consensus in the thread it’s the variation in screens being manufactured from three different sources, Samsung, LG and a new supplier BOE. Samsung and LG are supplying panels for the international market and BOE, a Chinese manufacturer, is supplying panels mostly for China. This specifically applies to the OLED panels in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

I suspect the color variation(s) are due to slightly different components being assembled slightly different, by different manufactures and yielding screens with a slight variation in color. iPhones aren’t intended for critical color correction or analysis. It’s an amateur device intended for amateur uses. It’s virtually impossible to color calibrate an iPhone screen so slight variations are expected.

Apple Genie wrote:

would you be kind to elaborate how that is normal? Would appreciate your help or advice on how to avoid this issue every year.

Screens vary in color. They always have. Some are more yellow than others. Sometimes the difference is minor, sometimes it's more noticeable. There are a variety of settings that will make a difference. Settings>Display>Night Shift>Color Temperature is one of them. Also, Settings>Display & Brightness>True Tone.

crysalmarcred33 wrote:

Is it the screen bonding curation process ? There is a very small level of tolerance that is acceptable during manufacturing.

Yes, the bonding adhesive has a slightly yellow tint initially. It goes away fairly quickly if that is the cause.

I never suggested your question wasn't justified. I just said we can't answer why questions here. But if I got a phone which was warmer in color, I'd just adjust the white point and call it a day.

You take care.

All True Tone does is attempt to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen so it stays (as much as possible) visually the same against the current ambient lighting. It also doesn't work well in dark room as it decreases the brightness almost to the point of being off.

To solve the yellow tone, turn Night Shift off since that's what changes the color of the screen. Again according to what it thinks the surrounding ambient light looks like. Turn the Scheduled and Manually Enable Until Tomorrow sliders off. Then move the Color Temperature slider to where you prefer the screen color. It will then always remain at that Kelvin color.

This is a user-to-user forum, with minimal Apple participation. 

Product Feedback - Apple

I tried to update my post, but it had timed out. I was curious if OLED screens suffered yellowing like older LCD panels did in the past. Since Apple switched over to all OLED panels, we're really not seeing people come here complaining about yellow screens anymore. This is what I found:

"OLED screens do not suffer from yellowing in the same way LCD screens do, as the underlying causes and mechanisms are fundamentally different. LCD yellowing occurs primarily due to the degradation of color filters from heat, UV exposure, and material wear, leading to a visible yellow tint over time. In contrast, OLED screens are composed of organic light-emitting diodes that emit light individually, and their degradation is not characterized by a uniform yellowing of the entire panel."

The bottom line is most people aren't all that concerned with how white their screen is. A lot of people have True Tone turned on, which naturally adds a warmth or yellowish hue to their screens. And if you don't think your screen is white enough, you can change settings, like White Point to meet the color standard you'd prefer.

Jeff Donald wrote:

I suspect the color variation(s) are due to slightly different components being assembled slightly different, by different manufactures and yielding screens with a slight variation in color. iPhones aren’t intended for critical color correction or analysis. It’s an amateur device intended for amateur uses. It’s virtually impossible to color calibrate an iPhone screen so slight variations are expected.

That's what I've always heard.

I’m agreeing that you’re perceiving a warm tone/hue to the devices. Others around you may perceive the same warmth, especially if you point it out to them. However, it doesn’t change the fact that you consistently see warm tones. I could very easily walk into the same store and see neutral because of my tendency to see cool tones and they cancel out the warm tones and I see neutral. IF you’re looking at them in the store, what’s the color temperature of the lighting? Enviornment affects the color perception. Do you drink caffeine? Caffeine affects co lol perception. This is a rabbit hole and no single answer works in every scenario.

I agree, you’re purchasing consumer devices, you’ll never get perfect color out of them and continue doing what you’re doing now. Look at multiple units until you find one you like. Consumer devices just don’t have the tolerances you’re looking for.

I completely agree with you!

I remember older iPhone models had some screens with cooler tints. I prefer a cooler tint over a warmer one since it seems more natural to me. I've already gone through several phones from the 17 series (Pros, Pro Maxes, regular 17) and they ALL seem to have a warmer tone with yellow tint (even with auto brightness and True Tone off). It's really off-putting and looks washed out and sub-par to me. I compare it to an iPhone 14 I have, and, compared to the 14, it looks really yellow and "un-premium" to me.

I'm getting the sense that Apple is now calibrating screens to be warmer in tint. This is disappointing, especially given that it appears that Samsung calibrates their screens to be more cool; however, I mostly have Apple products so switching to Android would definitely impact the Apple ecosystem I have set up.

Is there any way that this can be brought to Apple's attention to maybe get them to calibrate their phones to be a little more cool? I know this is a long shot and most people don't care, but if that's the case, then they won't mind if the screens are a little cooler.

Just my frustration with this phenomenon :(

crysalmarcred33 wrote:

My question is rather simple, screens vary in colour and they always have BUT why?? I’m sorry I can’t just accept they always have varied in colour.

Is it the screen bonding curation process ? There is a very small level of tolerance that is acceptable during manufacturing.

Thanks in advance Idris.

[Edited by Moderator]

No one here can answer why questions. We aren't associated with Apple in any way as this is a user to user only forum. We aren't Engineers who design the screens, nor do we have the ability to measure the white point difference in the screens. I can tell you we get the newest iPhone every year, on launch day. We have yet to get an iPhone with a yellow tinted screen. That's two new iPhones on launch day every year. I don't use True Tone as I don't like the yellow warmth is adds. You commented earlier that the early batches of new iPhones have yellow tinted screens, which you believe are solved a few months into the production of that model. That's not based on quantifiable fact at all. And certainly hasn't been our reality.