I've become pretty exasperated with these phones lately, so I thought I'd share my experience. My question is: are these phones supposed to be this fragile?
It started two years ago: due to Verizon's discontinuation of unlimited data, I'd convinced my family (me and my parents) to move to T-Mobile. It seemed like a great deal: we could finally upgrade from our Galaxy S Fascinates, and the plan was cheaper too. Me and my dad, both power users, chose S4s, while my mother, who was more of a casual user, picked the S3 since it was cheaper. At first, it seemed great: the S4s were powerful, and the screens were awesome. We purchased the insurance, but neither me nor my dad bought cases, and my mom got an aftermarket back for her S3 with a swing-closed screen cover.
Fast-forward two months later. My mom's S3 started rebooting randomly, especially during periods of high use. It got so bad that we were considering replacing the phone, when I noticed that I could trigger a reboot by running a CPU stress test application. This pointed to a battery that was going bad and couldn't always provide enough voltage to keep the phone running. We replaced the battery, and were off on our merry way.
Over the next year of heavy use, the silver coating on the band of plastic around the front edge of my S4 started to flake off. By summer, it was totally gone, exposing the white plastic underneath. Meanwhile, my dad's S4 had developed an odd issue with the screen , causing vertical bands of color to be visible. It wasn't a huge issue, and he didn't seem to notice it.
After the first year, it all changed. A new issue cropped up first in my dad's, then my S4. It seemed that dirt had gotten inside the case, underneath the proximity sensor. The screen became more and more reluctant to wake up during calls. Dad could seem to keep his in check by canned-airing through the speaker grill on a regular basis, but I had no such luck. Once I hit dial, my screen would turn off for good unless the other person hung up, or I put my phone in a spotlight or direct sunlight. Eventually, I had to start pulling out the battery to hang up a call. I could only check my voicemail by plugging in headphones.
Then came the cracks. That autumn, it happened, that thing all phone-owners dread: After surviving several multi-foot drops with only dents and scratches, my S4 fell off of my leg when I was sitting on the ground, landed upside-down, and developed a small crack off to the side of the screen. It wasn't bad, but I was kind of shaken, since up until then I'd considered my phone screen to be pretty much invulnerable. Then, a week later, it fell only a few inches out of my pocket onto a stucco floor. It landed directly on the screen, and I heard an unholy cracking sound. I picked it up to find two cracks stretching diagonally from the top left to the bottom right of the screen. We discussed getting a new phone, but I decided that it wasn't worth the insurance deductible, especially since I would get a phone with the new KNOX bootloader. Later on, I dropped it another couple times, and the display shattered in a few places.
A few months later, Dad's phone's SIM card holder started to fail. At first, whenever he went for a bumpy motorcycle ride or otherwise shook his phone around, the S4 would lose cellular signal until he rebooted. It got worse over time, to the point where he was rebooting multiple times a day just to stay connected. I decided to do some troubleshooting, and, with his agreement, ODINed it to 4.4 touchwiz with the KNOX bootloader. It had been over a year, so we figured that the warranty had run out. This got results, as soon after booting up the phone it would show an error, "SIM Card Removed!" I guess that the other rom hadn't had this error, and just lost signal when the card momentarily disconnected. Anyway, we contacted T-Mobile, who gave him a new SIM card. The problem persisted, and he had to wait a long time at the store while it was being provisioned. We proceeded to call the insurance, who told us, surprise surprise, that buying the insurance also comes with an extended warranty. Which I had just voided. Now, Dad was really angry, since he had to pay $150 for basically no reason. We got the refurbished phone, but he refused to let me root it because that would void the warranty, and he didn't want to have to pay the insurance again. Instead, even though we had Titanium and Clockworkmod backups of everything, he painstakingly rebuilt all his user data by hand. And so the story ended. Or so we thought.
You see, about a week after he got his replacement, the screen cracked. He didn't drop it; according to him it just spontaneously happened. It wasn't very noticeable, and it wasn't a big deal.
Two days ago, his Wi-Fi just stopped. Completely. It wouldn't turn on in settings. Neither would Bluetooth. He did some research, and it turns out that a common issue with refurb S4s was that the internal Wi-Fi antenna would not make good contact with the mainboard. He went to a T-Mobile store, and found out that that little crack actually voided his warranty, so all of that manual rebuilding he did was for nothing. So, he took apart the phone according to a YouTube video, cleaned the antenna contacts, and put it back together. He turned it on, and it was still broken. Oddly enough, it worked for a while after uninstalling some apps, but it soon broke again. Desperate, he gave it to me in hopes that it was a software problem. I tried two different ROMs, but the issue persisted.
So, his replacement phone is a bust. The thing is, he refuses to consider any other phone because he goes through two or three batteries a day, and needs a phone with replaceable batteries, and these are becoming endangered species nowadays. So, he's going to get another S4 from the insurance company, which might be just as unreliable.
Meanwhile, Mom's S3 is still running Android 4.1, and has given us no trouble since the battery thing.
We owned our fascinates for the same amount of time and never had any hardware problems at all. I gotta think that this isn't normal. Are we unlucky, abusive, or is this actually the normal failure rate for these phones?
To me, the physicality of your use case suggests you should have the phones in strong cases. This kind of phone just isn't as physically robust as say the Motorola phones (e.g. the RAZR max series or even the Moto X). If you are going to be dropping it and taking it for motorcycle rides put it in a case and get a screen protector.
Yes, this slim design centered around an almost border less screen is relatively fragile. And yes the S4 has some design flaws like the sim card problem. My next phone may be a return to Motorola if they have a suitable contender at that time. Or other brand. Most of my phones have been Motorola and they have felt MUCH more solid than any of the recent Samsungs.
A note about removable batteries: instead, consider an external powers pack to recharge the phone. I got a pair of them at Costco... Very convenient!
Good post. Sorry to hear your troubles and best wishes going forward!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk
A long, slightly boring story, but what's the bottom line?
So you got 3 phones a few of which you broke. Just buy a new one and put it in a case. Are you abusive? I don't know. Everyone has their own definition of normal I guess. I don't normally drop my electronics. But hey, it's yours, and you can do whatever you like to it.
I still have my almost 4 year old galaxy s4. It's basically like new, without a single scratch and I gave it to my 9 yo son and got myself an s5.
Yeah, I still dislike using cases because I feel like they make the phone hard to hold, but I'm planning on getting one for my next phone because I seem to be too clumsy not to need one.
I wrote this after I spent like 4 hours getting increasingly frustrated trying to fix my dad's phone, with no results. I guess I'm just wondering if it's worth switching to a different manufacturer because of this ordeal.
I've had my S4 for over two years now and it looks, feels, and runs as good as the day I bought it. No nicks, cracks, scratches, or errors whatsoever. I've had mine in an Otterbox since day one, and I've never dropped it from more than a few feet onto carpet or hardwood a few times.
These Galaxy devices are about like any other device, really. If you abuse them or fail to properly protect them, then they'll crap out on you like anything else. No amount of rooting or roming can fix that.
I kill my battery daily, or I would if I wasn't sitting at a computer most days with a readily available power source. I do enjoy the ability to pull my batter (especially when rooting, hanging, etc...) but power packs work well too.
I've had the dirt in the sensor issue. I just took the phone apart and cleaned it (as canned air did not work in my case). It literally took 10 minutes. My newest issue (which did require an RMA to SquareTrade) was a stuck power button. For a full day I could not turn the phone on. I finally bit the bullet and paid the deductible for a "new" phone. The next day I was able to turn the power on again but I already received my replacement so I just factory reset the old unit and sent it back. Now I have a previously refurbed unit, I can only hope has the power button fixed.
In the end, $500 pieces of small electronic equipment might benefit from having a $10 case on them. YMMV
I've never had the slightest problem with the proximity sensor on mine. About once or twice every month, I'll take the Otterbox off and give the phone and case a nice rub down with a microfiber clothe. It keeps everything nice and clean. I've never had to use compressed air or anything to clean it out.
Protip: a little routine cleaning goes a long way toward maximizing the lifespan of your devices.
Related
Fragility of the Dash
I am new in this forum and i am considering buying this phone. I need a phone that will last me at least a YEAR and a cheap smartphone. This seems to be a good phone. The problem is that i have heard many people breaking the lcd screen . How fragile is this phone? If it is that fragile of a phone, please recommend a good cheap screen protector. Thanx
I personally think the phone is built very well, and is quite solid.
No phone is meant to be dropped, but it does happen from time to time by accident of course.
The bigger the screen, the more chance it has to crack.
I have dropped my Dash twice on concrete in the case, no problem..
If I had dropped it outside of the case, chances are it would probably crack the screen at least one of those times.
Smartphones are not meant to be slipped into the back pocket, their target audience is the business person.
I agree with you guys, but a silicone skin is in part like to buy an insurance. I´ve dropped accidentally my dash a couple of times and the story would have been different if no skin is wrapping my phone.
Investment of 5 bucks is worth.
I droped my dash a few times and is still working, one thing i did was get myself a case to cover the phone, i hate when the screen gets scratch when you have it on your pocket. But overall personally the dash its a really good and reliable phone.
Great Phone
This phone is the best ive had ever... before this one was a blackberry pearl, hated it. I have loved every second of owning my dash. got it for 50 bucks and have dropped it on a couple of occasions, just dings and dents on the hard plastic/rubber casin, thats it... nothin wrong with the screen
p.s. runnin rickwyatt's newest rom and it is freakin awesome
I am probably the most anal person you would ever meet when it comes to my phones (as an example I have phones well over 5 years old that look brand new). No scratches, dents or dings will do. I bought a hard shell cover that snaps over the entire phone and I use a scratch proof screen cover. I have on occasion dropped my Dash and it never has had a problem.
This is a good phone, I dropped it a few times and works perfect still... Haha and especially if you upload the new rom you will rock it straight pimpin haha...
I live a little rough, and where I go, Dash goes.
When it falls out of my lap as I get out of my truck, and it lands on asphalt it seems to be okay, though I hold my breath till I see it function. It has slowly collected dings in the chrome edge. My truck is a bit high, to be fair.
If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night and you fling it with all your semi-conscious might because the end button wore out and you cant turn it off, however, it will probably break. Depends on your arm, I suppose.
It is not fragile compared to your average phone, but it has glass parts and they have their limits. As for the buttons losing function, I do use the bechooie out of it all day, every day. A lot.
Get insurance, take care of it. Respect your tool.
I had the same reservations about this phone as I considered it over a Blackberry Curve this past November. I googled on it and the stories of the cracked screens really made me nervous. People were stating that they would just crack on their own it seemed.
But since Suncom ran out of inventory on the Curve during that time, it narrowed my choices and I really liked the features of the HTC S621, so I decided to go with it.
So far (knock on wood), the screen has held up just fine. I even dropped it once on our very unforgiving hardwood floor, that rests on top of a concrete slab. It was not in any sort of protective case. It fell hard enough for the battery cover and and battery to fall out. I just knew that was it for my phone. But I picked it up, looked at the screen, no cracks. Reinstalled the battery and turned it on, everything functioning the same. Of course every drop could have a different result, depending how it lands and such. I may not get so lucky if that happens again.
Going back to all the nightmare stories about the screen cracking. I'm wondering if these were earlier versions of the HTC S620's issued by T-Mobile. Perhaps with later revisions of the HTC S620's or S621's they fixed what was ever causing the cracks to occur.
Anyways, I love the flexibility and the level of customization that can be done with this phone. I've already flashed my phone many times, and have tried all sorts of stuff on it. This phone is great for people who really like the ability to tweak their phones.
Thank you,
Tim
I don't know why people think the S620/Dash is "fragile"; mine has held up wonderfully. The only thing that is remotely fragile is the screen, which WILL break if you hit it hard enough (as it does on EVERY phone). The good news is that the screens are pretty cheap on eBay (US $25), and they are decently easy to replace. I made a tidy profit repairing and reselling a friend's Dash that he smashed while he was drunk.
I have owned my dash for a year and a half and have had no problems. I think a lot of the cracked screens were from back pockets and tight jeans...lol. I always use the pouch and have dropped it a few times. Nothing has ever broken, even the time I got out of my truck with the phone in my lap and it fell and I ended up punting it a good 8 feet with the battery going one way and the cover and phone another. Treat it well (most of the time) and it will last.
what a GREAT TOUGH phone
i have dropped my dash 3 or 4 times.. hard too! i have seen it land on its edge and once face dowm... not a thing happened to it except a ding where it hit on the cornner,, and the face looks great... not to mention,, the phone itself rocks too... (as long as you ditch the T-MO ROM) lots to do with it, and holds a good charge...
well worth the $$$$$
I dropped my Dash a few times on the concrete and it never got anything more than some scratched on the silver outer band.
I decided to do a little test for you all. So this weekend I ran my Dash over with my car just to tell you all what would happen. (Yeah, that's why I did it. I knew there was a reason.) It broke. The LCD is busted and the body no longer fits perfectly together. The middle of the keyboard looks a little indented as well. I can still make and receive calls, even via bluetooth.
Now since I helped you all, anyone want to help me get a new one? I don't mean to hijack the thread (and I've read a few others on the subject.) Am I pretty much hosed at this point ore should I try sending it to one of the repair places like pocketpctechs.com?
How to remove single scratch from screen?
Hello. I make stupid single scratch to my screen. How to remove it? I expect some home-style solution .
IS it bad
littleclown said:
Hello. I make stupid single scratch to my screen. How to remove it? I expect some home-style solution .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine has buncha little ones but dont distract from a beautiful machine
Most commercial scratch coverups are liquid acrylic-based. Even some liquid floor polishes (like "Future" in the US) can be used to hide some scratches. If it bothers you that much, there are people on eBay selling full housing replacements for the phone.
Try to use toothpaste, I heard that it works just run a little toothpaste and brush for a few minutes on the screen and then wipe it off. Usually this helps out quite a bit so give it a try.
Depending on how deep the scratch is, there are different methods you can use.
If you use Future to cover it up, be aware that water dissolves it.
My screen Died!!
Hi, my Dash screen turned completly white with a Black Stain in the middle like ink..does this means my screen died completley or do u think there is anything I can do to fix it?? I think something got burned inside...
It sounds like your lcd is broken. It should look like a puddle almost. I imagine you hit it or something. That does not have to be the case. It could just happen. that's wha they do sometimes when they go black like that. There is nothing you can do to repair that. Replace the lcd or the phone. That's it.
Ok. I'm starting to see more and more threads popup about their beloved TP2 taking damage, or getting destroyed. There are links starting to fly around and i thought before it got too crazy and disorganized, I would start to try to collect them into a single thread. Perhaps people could even tell their tales of how their device got damaged, their service experience, and most importantly, the cost of repair (if any).
I also plan to add other things such as backup software and links to parts when i find them.
Hopefully, others plights will serve as a list of what NOT to do to our phones. lol
==================================================
Manual
This is a site that contains all the service manuals for HTC devices. No link yet for the Touch Pro 2/Rhodium, but as soon as one is posted, ill add a direct link.
http://www.mikechannon.net/page1.html
==================================================
Parts
HTC Touch Pro2 BA S390 Battery (1500mAh)
Dutch Supplier
Soon as a U.S. supplier is found, i shall post it here as well.
==================================================
Backup
SPB Mobile Backup Full cost $24.99, but their is a trial download. (not sure if this supports device cloning)
Sprite Clone Mobile Clone software. Full seems to cost $300
==================================================
The "Wobble"
A lot of people seem to be complaining about their screen wobbling while tilted. Not sure why anyone is messing with it, but regardless, measurements have popped up. (typical guys, lol) My personal TP2 has ~3mm of freeplay. I personally, consider this acceptable. Others have reported as much as 9mm of freeplay. Its been said that HTC claims a little freeplay is normal. How much freeplay is normal to them, is unclear. From what i have gathered around this forum, is that others seem to consider exchanging it when its 5mm or more of movement. Ill keep everyone posted on this.
==================================================
Water Damage
Posting this due to a seemingly number of claims that the water sticker is far too sensitive, and in a fairly bad location.
Water Indicator Thread
==================================================
More to come later
(ok, i only found two or three posts pertaining to actual broken devices, but ive seen reply's here and their mentioning such things.)
*********************************************************************
Great post, should be stickied for future reference.
Story's so far. (thought i saw somewhere that someone had theirs runover, but cant find it now)
Washing Machine
Rough Landing
Hard Turns
Run over by a Car (this made me die a little inside)
Lyian said:
thought i saw somewhere that someone had theirs runover, but cant find it now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was aegeuss
PumpAction said:
it was aegeuss
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh.. thank you.. Link added.
(also updated main thread)
*bump?*
Anyone have any more major issues with their TP2?
Lyian said:
*bump?*
Anyone have any more major issues with their TP2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My device has 6 bright pixels. Barely noticeable due to such a hi-res screen. Not exactly "damage" but I see you included the screen "wobble" in your list.
Dead/bright pixels in tp2
FYI - CNN.CN are selling spare parts. I have used them in the past for Kaiser parts.
remarks said:
My device has 6 bright pixels. Barely noticeable due to such a hi-res screen. Not exactly "damage" but I see you included the screen "wobble" in your list.
Dead/bright pixels in tp2
FYI - CNN.CN are selling spare parts. I have used them in the past for Kaiser parts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, im including anything that might be considered a hardware issue, that would more than likely cause the TP2 to stop working, or need a particular part replaced.
Never thought i would have to post here. .
so ive had pretty much the worst day of my life. I got hit by a car on my way to work at 530 in the morning. [I ride a bike, since work is a couple streets over]. I have road rashes all over my face, ear, and shoulder. I decided to call in to work, and instead, go to marching band rehearsal. [Still in high school, btw.].. At lunch, me and a couple friends went to CarlsJr. for some eats. and then drove back to the school. I got out of the car and just by fate, my Tmo TP2 fell, bounced off my leg and landed under the wheel. For some reason my friend pulled forward, and then all i heard around me was a crunch. My screen got curb stomped by his tire. I yelled and screamed. after he stopped i told him he ran it over. He, then, backed it up thinking he was still on top of it, and crunched it some more. So now he was parked on my poor, helpless phone. Had no choice but to tell him to roll off of it. She still works. The screen is still touch sensitive, but its cracked to hell. The plastic is cracked from top to bottom, and the top left quarter of the LCD is no more. just a black liquid crystals where color once fulfilled my heart..
well at least i have insurance on it. Will T-mobile replace my handset under the circumstances?
josh_prayyforplagues said:
so ive had pretty much the worst day of my life. I got hit by a car on my way to work at 530 in the morning. [I ride a bike, since work is a couple streets over]. I have road rashes all over my face, ear, and shoulder. I decided to call in to work, and instead, go to marching band rehearsal. [Still in high school, btw.].. At lunch, me and a couple friends went to CarlsJr. for some eats. and then drove back to the school. I got out of the car and just by fate, my Tmo TP2 fell, bounced off my leg and landed under the wheel. For some reason my friend pulled forward, and then all i heard around me was a crunch. My screen got curb stomped by his tire. I yelled and screamed. after he stopped i told him he ran it over. He, then, backed it up thinking he was still on top of it, and crunched it some more. So now he was parked on my poor, helpless phone. Had no choice but to tell him to roll off of it. She still works. The screen is still touch sensitive, but its cracked to hell. The plastic is cracked from top to bottom, and the top left quarter of the LCD is no more. just a black liquid crystals where color once fulfilled my heart..
well at least i have insurance on it. Will T-mobile replace my handset under the circumstances?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be demanding that this persons car insurance cover it, as it was ancillary to the wreck. INAL but it's certainly easy to argue that if he had not hit you, you would not have dropped your phone.
Did anyone hear anything about newton rings or overheat damage on the TP2 like it seems to happen quite often to TouchHD users?
I am a bit afraid of that as HTC seems to deny warranty coverage for that kind of defect and the TP2 uses the same hardware (to large parts).
If you have insurance then you can easily get if fixed right? At least, most insurances also cover repairs due to own faults.
in my experience with Tmo and there insurance..
in the US they use a company called "Assurian"
they insure the LINE that you have with tmobile.. so basically whatever phone you have on that number, is supposedly insured...
they also say no matter WHAT the reason they will cover the cost of the phone...if you drop it, get it wet... crack the screen..whatever...
BUT... this is what i recomend...
before you put a claim in, call tmobile OR assurian, and just cassually ask about how the insurance works...ask what they would cover.. ( chances are they will cover everything)
next they first try to help you fix the phone ( if it were software related issues) then they tell you you have a 100$ deductible and they will replace the phone for you... and pretty much mail you a new phone..
in my circumstance i had a SE p900 i paid $1000 for... when i plugged in the ear peice it broke the internal connector and it never was able to use the handset speaker during calls...
they first "tried" to fix it on the phone by changing settings...obviusly to no avail.. then they said ok, no problem since tmobile doesnt sell p900's we will replace it with the best brand they do sell... unfortunatly none of the phones tmo sold was a valid replacement.. i told them no its unacceptable.... then then argued a little cuz they had to shell out $1000 because when i signed up they told me they would cover any phone for any reason..
anyways... after 100$ deductible and some time on teh phone, they cut me a check for $800....i was very impressed...
you should be fine, i dont think they will try to fix it, i think they will just replace it...also, MAYBE just tell them you lost it, they will replace it with deductible.. this way even though its crunched you will have SOME spare parts... but use caution because if you tell them its lost you cant EVER power it up on your sim chip. it shows on tmobile. then they will try to call you on insurance fraud...
Hello,
I've had a peculiar problem recently.
My internal phone speaker (earpiece, not loudspeaker) sounds pretty terrible now, when it sounded absolutely fine just over the weekend. I did not do anything different than before and I didn't do anything to damage it... (to my knowledge at least)
The problem is... the speaker vibrates and is very distorted and sounds really loud. Like if you were playing music too loudly on a low powered amp/speaker.
I tried installing a new rom and some volume tweaks to lower the volume hoping it's a software thing, but it still sounds very distorted...
Any ideas? Is there an equalizer for the internal speaker?
I'm hoping the speaker itself is not damaged...
Stomped.
Ghost image...
I had to return mine after a week. Two faint bluish purple areas formed on the lcd, almost like a faint image got 'burned' in. I'm not sure how this happened, and it was def a burnt image. They replaced it with no questions asked, but I did get the warranty on the new phone....along with the body glove case.
Finally I have sold my TP2. Traded it in for the Samsung GT-i8000 which will arrive next week.
Though I loved the TP2, it's speed and it's hardware keyboard, it bugged me that it is slowly falling apart (well, not literally).
When I first had it, the screen would hold up and wouldn't wobble much. Now it wobbles so much it annoys me. I guess that is normal wear and tear.
Anyway, that wasn't the most annoying part. It is normal for it to wobble I guess. The worst is the sliding screen has started scratching both sides of the keyboard. Not just minor scratches but deep ones. So much so, I was afraid to slide my keyboard out again. I would of kept the stickers on to protect it but it feel off as time went by. So that is why HTC placed stickers on these things maybe, but unfortunately it never stayed on long enough.
And last but not least, there were newton rings, slam in the middle of the screen. I can notice it when the screen is lit or sleeping. I went to HTC to see if they will fix it for me. Turned out they blame me for putting it my pocket and with prolonged pressure, it will create these rings... Damn! If I knew, I wouldn't of kept it in my pocket without any casing. Never knew my pocket will create these rings. Fixing it costs $1200 HKD. EAT MY SHORTS!
So all 3 added together, I don't want to keep it anymore. I don't want another because of the slider and wobbly screen. I went to Wilson Communications (Hong Kong) and traded it in and when they saw the Newton Rings, they said it is normal for large screens to have them as it's hard for the large piece of top layer membrane to keep rigid long enough. Eventually they all will give in and the rings will appear after prolong usage.
I personally disagree, I think only some will suffer from them as my HD is still ok, no rings whatsoever. Even after it has been in my wife's bag since April.
I also guess I can't wait until WinMo 7 comes out when it will support capacity screen. HTC has some new copyright thingy where you are able to use both a stylus and your fingers (not nails) to operate the system. Some kind of electro-stylus. So accuracy won't be a problem anymore.
Until then, I might have to keep my i8000 for a while. The mrs is not rather happy about me changing phones so often. LOL.
dougstoner said:
I had to return mine after a week. Two faint bluish purple areas formed on the lcd, almost like a faint image got 'burned' in. I'm not sure how this happened, and it was def a burnt image. They replaced it with no questions asked, but I did get the warranty on the new phone....along with the body glove case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like the other reports of pressure on the screen causing damage.. It's not 'burnt' or image burn (which does not happen on LCDs, although a very temporary similar thing can happen but goes away after being powered off for a bit). Most likely your phone screen was pushed inwards at some point.
Screen back scratching keyboard
cocoaju said:
The worst is the sliding screen has started scratching both sides of the keyboard. Not just minor scratches but deep ones. So much so, I was afraid to slide my keyboard out again. I would of kept the stickers on to protect it but it feel off as time went by. So that is why HTC placed stickers on these things maybe, but unfortunately it never stayed on long enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone know if all versions of the TP2 are susceptible to the back of the screen scratching the keyboard (sans stickers, of course)? It looks like some versions (Original HTC, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T versions) have a slight ridge/seam around the perimeter of the kepboard that I assume may make the sliding mechanism better, while the T-Mobile USA version does not have this ridge/seam. Does this slight design change affect the susceptibility of the keyboard getting scratched?
khaytsus said:
Sounds like the other reports of pressure on the screen causing damage.. It's not 'burnt' or image burn (which does not happen on LCDs, although a very temporary similar thing can happen but goes away after being powered off for a bit). Most likely your phone screen was pushed inwards at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That crossed my mind, but I was EXTRA careful to never push too hard. I also kept it in the case on my belt, and never even came close to hitting it or anything. With the money I spent, I made sure I didn't.
I had to DOA my 2nd Pro2 for the same issue. I thought it was software related, but it wasn't. My 3rd one is flawless....
brucemeng said:
Hello,
I've had a peculiar problem recently.
My internal phone speaker (earpiece, not loudspeaker) sounds pretty terrible now, when it sounded absolutely fine just over the weekend. I did not do anything different than before and I didn't do anything to damage it... (to my knowledge at least)
The problem is... the speaker vibrates and is very distorted and sounds really loud. Like if you were playing music too loudly on a low powered amp/speaker.
I tried installing a new rom and some volume tweaks to lower the volume hoping it's a software thing, but it still sounds very distorted...
Any ideas? Is there an equalizer for the internal speaker?
I'm hoping the speaker itself is not damaged...
Stomped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Morning Guys and Girls,
Just wondering if anyone has experienced the same issue as me and how they got on.
I have had my phone exactly 3 weeks today I was using my phone and it was absolutly fine (no scratches/dents etc) put it face up on a table went had a showever when I came back there is a very large split in the screen perfectly straight (which would indicate manufacturing problem) going from top left corner half way down the phone to the right side.
I have spoken to HTC and they say its a chargeable fix as the warranty doesn't cover accidental damage but its not accidental damage! I have just phoned up my provider who said it would have to be sent back for them to determine whether it was accidental or not before sending out a new one but then they realised I actually got it through the carphone warehouse (as T-mobile direct were out of stock) and have now said I will have to take it to them as its their phone even though my contract was taken out with T-mobile direct.
This is a pain!
can you upload a photo?
Sure you had no impact before that? Or excessive pressure like in a pocket. Maybe it cracked later.
If not I don't know, maybe some faulty panel indeed that had a weak area that cracked due to thermal stress or something. In the lab it is probably easy to determine if it was cracked from the inside or due to external impact or torsion.
I have had a couple of light bumpbs but no damage/scratches after them and it was sitting all night on charge in my front room got up this morning picked it up used it for a minute (still fine) walked away came back 15 minutes later to find a crack. Noone had touched it.
Normally when I break a screen its a tiny crack and not normally in a perfect straight line. This one is 2.6" long
Pretty upset with this as its only 3 weeks old. I have had HD / HD2 / TD / TYTN etc and really abused them and I only end up with minor chips and scratches after about 10 months. Where as this one I have really tried to look after it
Also to add I never put my phone in my back pocket wher eI can sit on it.
It never shares a pockets with coins / keys or anything else that can damage it
And I will try and get a photo of it somehow - only cam I have at the moment is on the phone so don't think I can use that
Heres a picture, you can see where the light is reflecting is roughly the start point of the crack and it goes out both ways. I just don't see how a crack like this can form on its own sitting face up on a table.
That really sucks man.
I am going to get a hard cover for my phone. Don't want a cracked screen.
Having a look at your picture though - there doesn't seem to be a pressure point of impact etc. So what you're saying looks to be correct.
Hope you get it sorted.
I know thats what is frustrating me. Everyone telling me its accidental damage and I know I am not lieing, I have broken screens in the past and seen many more and I know how accidental damage looks you normally have a point of inpact as you say, its normally small or if it is big normally has multiple fractors no just one long steady line.
Yes, exactly.
However - you're going to have a hard time proving this to any retailer. As they normally have a very strict policy on warranty claims.
I'll get my way I have a nack of getting things I want from shops and businesses
I am hoping like the guy said at T-mobile as its only 3 weeks they might just do a handset swap rather than fixing it.
Anyone by any chance know how much it is to get a screen replaced?
Done some research for you - you're looking at 70 + pounds to replace it.
Thanks. Hmmmm thats quite a bit that I don't really have. Just hope I can get them to accept it as warranty. Might have to visit all stores in Sussex until one agrees to repair it lol.
Well it is even more, if you didn't actually cause the crack on the screen!
Hoping my Desire doesn't suffer the same fate as yours!
Good luck. My advice is do not put it on a table and walk away!
Ill post here how I get on.
I will be sure to keep a constant look on it, while I leave it on the table. Will test later if the same situation arises when leaving it on a chair.
Jokes aside: mine fell twice already. Once it was after a week I had it, it landed from about 1 meter high, 50cm far away after it slipped from my hand when picking it up from ... a table ! (I see a pattern, the desire doesn't like tables). Landed and rolled on my polished floor and I still can't see no visual damage. From that day on, I grip it so firmly, that it almost behaves like an iphone4
Second time it was from about 30cm and obviously no damage.
I had it for about 2-3 months and -knock wood- screen is ok.
It does look as a factory defect.
Is ur handset not insured either mobile phone insurance or as it happened in your house - your house insurance
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Well, don't know how the law is over there with you. But here in the Netherlands (and I thought it was EU, but not sure). Within a certain period of time the seller of the device is the one that should prove it wasn't used properly etc.
So.. they can say whatever they want about it being accidental damage. But at least here in this country, it's not up to you to prove otherwise. THEY have to prove you mistreated the device.
Your screen cracks without mistreating the device, sounds like a proper warranty claim to me!
It could be there has always been some tension on the screen, and when it got hot or cold it finally cracked. Who knows. I'd say let them prove you mistreated the device.
i work for carphone warehouse mate i wouldnt no what to do really say some thing elswe is wrong with it like crashing or some thing. depends on how noticeable try putting a cheap screen protector on it and see if it cant been seen then take it back LOL gimme a message if you want any more info =]
Don't CPW give you 3 months insurance for free as a come on?
That's nasty. I dropped mine from 30cm onto a wooden floor and the battery cover flew off and it sticks up in one corner now so had to bend it back to shape!
Good luck getting it sorted out.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
I dropped my phone this morning getting into my car. It hit pretty hard upper left corner of the device. it actually struck the door sill panel the battery panel popped off and the batter fell out and the phone landed face first on the garage floor. I drive a 2010 camaro the car sits pretty low so it didn't have to far to fall. I have a zagg screen protector so no scratches on the screen nor did the screen crack or shatter (much to my surprise).
There is, however, a noticeable Chip on the housing in the Upper left corner above the HTC logo. This is surprising to me because I have heard many stories of the screen shattering falling on that part of the device.:huh:
My question is this. I have insurance on my phone. I am very anal about how my phone looks and operates and it having ANY scratches or nicks on it(nearly OCD) I have rooted the device, I have a great ROM i REALLY LIKE (kings unleashed rom Ultra Blakk R3).
Sooo.. Do i make the Claim?
Pro's:
Great ROM
Phone is FAST
Get a new or near new Phone (refurbished)
Phone may act funny do to the drop (later on)
Cons:
Backing up the Device (starting over)
Going through the Process of Rooting
Clearing the Phone back to Original Stock ROM
Spending the $100 Deductible (100 on bill)
I am sure I can think of more so this where i need your opinion folks.
Personally, I wouldn't claim that, because I don't see it worth 100$ for a new phone, for THAT. I'm a tech major, so I like my gadgets in pristine condition as well, but I couldn't justify it. And as far as backing up, you'd have to do a titanium for your apps, that's it. You couldn't restore your system settings cuz it wouldn't work on a new phone, just re-install the rom, and load your apps. As far as rooting, you can do it with unrevoked and be done in less than 5 minutes.
Overall: Don't claim.
I have only dropped my phone once but it was drastic, all the way from my pocket where i thought i was putting it, to the concrete...landed right on the corner and made a pretty good nick. Im not happy about it but my screen is OK and I certainly wont spend 100 bucks on a nick. also pondered a little touch up paint. If its acts up later...? dunno why that would occur cut OK, i would just make a claim then.
If you want to feel better just drop it again and make sure the screen shatters. Now you have more reason to claim it! I'm very anal about scratches and dings on my stuff it would drive me nuts.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
I've taken mine back for unrelated reasons and got a new (well, most recent was a refurb) phone at $0 with insurance on a couple occasions. The phones weren't rooted when I took them in, by the way.
I dropped mine & it has a nick on the side that drives me nuts sometimes. I thought about pulling the battery during a radio update to try to completely kill it so I wouldn't have to pay $100, but my conscience along with worries of bad karma got the best of me, so I've stuck with this one. It runs fine, so I've learned to live with it.
I also learned to put the case back on if I have to take it off.
If you have the cash then get a new phone. You won't be happy till you do, you know that.
Arnezie said:
If you have the cash then get a new phone. You won't be happy till you do, you know that.
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this describes myself well...
i say get a new one or wait for a new device and buy at retail.(I like being without contract)
Wait and upgrade to Evo 3D in two months. You might want to just put the phone in a nice silicon case so that you can't see the blemish.
so i was at the lake today, had the pixel in my pocket, and without even thinking, swam straight into the middle of the lake to get into my buddies side by side.
I had pulled out my phone, realized it wasnt responding (screen was still on) then after me trying to unlock it, it randomly shut off. came back on with a ram dump message, then went off and stayed of for 5 hours. Finally got it to come back on, it kept restarting, i assume the water made the adhesive fail because the glass started lifting away from the chassis (no it wasnt the battery). And now its completely done, just an occasional white flash on half the screen.
luckily i bought the protection plan from google (through assurant) when i bought the device, so im getting that worked out now.
its about time i got a new device anyways. my speaker would always quit working, the back glass was cracked, the volume buttons didnt work half the time, etc. I used this phone like no pixel should be used , haha.
i decided to order a sim tray for one of my 5x's. and figured ill just use it on work or fun days, and switch to my pixel on casual and nicer/professional days.
i know, i know, lots of typing and reading right? well i mainly wanted to ask if anyone had experiences replacing there device through insurance, and how it went. did you get a refurbished device? same color? the rep put alot of emphasis on "it may be new or it may be refurbished, and the color may not be the same"
noidea24 said:
i know, i know, lots of typing and reading right? well i mainly wanted to ask if anyone had experiences replacing there device through insurance, and how it went. did you get a refurbished device? same color? the rep put alot of emphasis on "it may be new or it may be refurbished, and the color may not be the same"
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Click to collapse
I personally have never had a device replaced through Google or the device manufacturer, but for those people who had their Nexus 6P's replaced through Google got refurbished devices, random colour and sometimes even a higher storage option than the device they turned in.
Doubtful you'll get a blue, even though it's the nicest looking, but they'll probably send a random coloured one, but hopefully not a VZW variant since that has the un-unlockable bootloader.
noidea24 said:
so i was at the lake today, had the pixel in my pocket, and without even thinking, swam straight into the middle of the lake to get into my buddies side by side.
I had pulled out my phone, realized it wasnt responding (screen was still on) then after me trying to unlock it, it randomly shut off. came back on with a ram dump message, then went off and stayed of for 5 hours. Finally got it to come back on, it kept restarting, i assume the water made the adhesive fail because the glass started lifting away from the chassis (no it wasnt the battery). And now its completely done, just an occasional white flash on half the screen.
luckily i bought the protection plan from google (through assurant) when i bought the device, so im getting that worked out now.
its about time i got a new device anyways. my speaker would always quit working, the back glass was cracked, the volume buttons didnt work half the time, etc. I used this phone like no pixel should be used , haha.
i decided to order a sim tray for one of my 5x's. and figured ill just use it on work or fun days, and switch to my pixel on casual and nicer/professional days.
i know, i know, lots of typing and reading right? well i mainly wanted to ask if anyone had experiences replacing there device through insurance, and how it went. did you get a refurbished device? same color? the rep put alot of emphasis on "it may be new or it may be refurbished, and the color may not be the same"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fell in a lake on july 4th with phone in my pocket.
Worked a little random screen movements(water under the screen)
Next day, wouldnt take a charge.
Chatted with google support, i have no insurance on teh phone.
they directed me to an approved repair shop in my town.
Took it in.
$54 they cleaned it out and dried up the water still in my phone 7 days later as I was on vacation and the Rice did nothing.
Phone works good as new.
Shop said if the corrosion was bad enough they would replace other parts, but fresh water isnt as bad as salt so I was fine.
Phone has been working like a champ since.
Keep it off so you dont induce any shorts and take it somewhere.
Bought a White Pixel XL from Best Buy (I wanted Black but they were sold out and I was in a hurry) and got a protection plan on it. My phone started exhibiting behavior indicative of a factory defect. Best Buy wanted $200 to replace. The protection plan was a colossal waste of money. Luckily I paid monthly for the protection instead of a lump sum up front. Anyways, I went to Google instead, who offered to replace it for free. Sent them my Pixel XL and got a Black Pixel XL in return. So it's possible they'll send you a different color, I suppose. The phone was new in box, not a refurb. Pretty happy.