[wwhiterabbit]

Question: Should I risk exchanging my Pre for one with no dead pixels and possibly a tighter slide mechanism? In turn risk getting a worse unit??

So I've had my pre now for about three weeks. I love the phone, and compared to my roommates Iphone, my pre gives it a run for the money IF, and WHEN the app store gets going...

The only problems Ive noticed on my hand held so far;

1. It has three dead pixels spread out across screen. Not noticeable when lit up, but when I have a black screen load up, you can see them.

2. Device firmness when pushed open from a slant or held by the sides, does give a little bit. Is is twisting open like an oreo? Heck no!!


Battery life I've been happily surprised with. It will get me two days use with moderate use. Making a few phone calls, text messaging lightly through out the day, moderate Pandora use with headphones on, light web browsing to check my bank account statment, view precentral on the go, and searching something.


I realize this is the first build of the device and there are bound to be problems (as we've all read about in the forums). But having dead pixels? Is it that hard for them to make sure they're screens are made correctly. I've seen many of my friends Iphone and NOT ONE has had a dead pixel.

Thanks for the forum!
-Keep Pre'ing!!

[jbg7474]

Of course, the only vote that counts is yours, but I think you should not exchange over a few (say, less than 5) dead or always on pixels. Sounds like everything else about your phone is perfect. Dead or always on pixels are a problem on LCD screens--lots of them have one or two. If you don't notice it under normal viewing conditions, then I would say it's best to pretend they don't exist. That's what I would do if I were you, given reports of other potential quality issues.

[Ronno971]

I had the exact same question with the exact same problem with the keyboard but with a very light bright spot on the bottom corner of the screen. It's only viewable at an angle. Thanks for posting, after hearing some of the horror stories, I think I'll keep mine.

[reyalsnik]

I have 1 dead pixel and no other issues. I am on day 2 and as long as everything else holds up I'm keeping it.

[jfol]

Well after a few days of testing I have noticed that with her battery in my phone it seems to last a lot longer than it did before. The odd thing is she made the comment today how her phone seems to be lasting even longer than it used to also. LOL

[wynand32]

Well after a few days of testing I have noticed that with her battery in my phone it seems to last a lot longer than it did before. The odd thing is she made the comment today how her phone seems to be lasting even longer than it used to also. LOL

Thanks for the report. So, it's a simple enough process of trying another battery.

[SkinFlaps]

First, let me say I'm not looking to duplicate any of the countless threads on this site about the problems the Pre has. I'm just looking for some honest feedback on my situation.

It has officially been one week since I purchased my Pre. I'm on my second one because the first had an issue where when the phone was closed, the top section did not match up with the bottom. So far, everything on my current Pre is fine, but I do have the heat/discoloration problem that a lot of people have been having.

I'm torn as to whether I should attempt to replace this one. I would like to have one without the problem, but is that a realistic expectation?

Advice would be appreciated, especially if we can keep this on topic.

Thanks in advance.

[Aridon]

I would.

[theBrknSystm]

I would as well if your not happy. I presume your talking about the discoloration on the bottom of the screen? My first Pre had that same issue amongst a few others and I swapped it. Unfortunate I'm out of my thirty days now and I find the slider is getting loose on my second Pre and I'd love to get one that was tight like my first one because now the thing feels like it is going to fall apart at any moment and that bothers me. I'm not sure if I should open a case with Palm directly about it as a warranty claim or what I should do. Everything else with this one is good ... it's like taking a gamble as to whether the next would have some other issue. I actually contemplated that with the first one ... ughh. haha

[tayhimself]

I'm having the same issues with mine as well...I have not even had it for 30 days and there is slight discoloration at the bottom right hand of the screen and the slider is starting to get a bit looser than I'd like. I can't decide whether to go through Sprint or Palm.

Anyone had any luck with either?

[theBrknSystm]

If it is within your thirty days just go back to your Sprint store. They gave me the run around at first. But you basically have to tell them it is a defect and not abuse of any kind (oh and that it CAME that way because if you say you just noticed they will try to tell you that you must have done something to it). Also if you can show it in pictures (the discoloration) they seem to like that. I took a picture of a dead pixel and the discoloration and my seem coming apart and once they saw it in pictures they just swapped with no more questions. Prior to showing them pictures they were giving me all sorts of run-around.

Now I just have to decide if the loose slider is a big enough issue (there is also a noticeable gap on the left side of the phone and none on the right side?) to me to want to attempt a warranty claim or not. I am sure that process is not going to be a fun one.

But since it is such a widely reported issue I doubt I'd have to convince them very much.

[SkinFlaps]

I'm not worried about whether or not they will exchange it for me, just worried that I will exchange it and end up with a different problem, or the same again.

[theBrknSystm]

Yeah that was exactly my worry with exchanging. Unfortunately I waited till only like a week from my thirty days to tackle my exchange. I wish I would have done it MUCH earlier so that if the new one had any problems I could have dealt with it. The replacement one I got was nice and stiff when I got it but after a week the slider has loosened and my first one remained nice and stiff the whole time I had it. So it really was like I traded one problem for another. I am very picky/anal though so perhaps I am just worrying to much about nothing. The looseness it has is certainly not horrible but it does make it feel more fragile than my first one.

So the only word of advice is ... get it exchange quickly and don't let them give you the run around! That way you will have more time with the new one to decide/determine if there are any problems with it.

[jrcbandit]

Pretty much all Pres will have light bleeding so it might be pointless to exchange. That said, there are different degrees of twist and discoloration - the two most common issues. On all 3 Pres I had, a slight twist of 1 mm developed over time, but some people have significantly more twist, which would be unacceptable to me. As for the screen discoloration issue, pretty much every Pre produced has light bleeding on the bottom of the screen - most people who say they have perfect screens just don't realize it is there. For a return, it would depend on the degree of discoloration - do parts of the screen look yellow in a white background? Or is the only discoloration you see is a slight change under Pandora or the App store? If there are multiple yellow splotches on the screen, you may want to consider an exchange. My first Pre had noticeable light bleeding on the green test screen/Pandora but no yellow splotches, so it was acceptable (I never planned to exchange the first phone, it got bricked ;p). My 2nd Pre had a yellow splotch in the middle portion of the bottom part of the screen on a white background and a 3mm twist, so I returned it. My 3rd Pre has a slight yellow splotch in the corner, which isnt as bad, but I might return it one day once the refurb Pre's become more reliable.

[AllwaysPre]

I'm not worried about whether or not they will exchange it for me, just worried that I will exchange it and end up with a different problem, or the same again.

I had a light bleeding problem on my first pre. I took a chance and exchanged it... the next 3 Pre's they gave me all had issues with the slider (oreo effect), and I wished I had never exchanged my first one.

Luckily, I found a Sprint Repair center that had some great customer service, and they were able to find me a Pre without the slider issue. 5th Pre is the charm, I guess.

If had to do it all over again, I probably would not have exchanged my first one, because it's been like pulling teeth to get regular Sprint Sales reps and corporate stores to understand the problem.

[TheOpusFuller]

I don't understand. Even after your 30 days is up you can go back and exchange your PRE if you have insurance. I thought the 30 day thing was if you wanted to completely cancel you sprint account.

Even after 30 days you can go back and swap out your PRE if there is an issue or defect as long as you are under warranty.

[Oyabun]

So do all Pres have the bleeding?

[speak easy]

Hopefully this doesn't sound like a complaint. I love this phone. Just need some opinions on making a decision.

I'm about a week and a half over my 30 days. This is my 2nd Pre. I exchanged the last one because the battery door was creaky no matter how much padding I put in there. The first one also had very minor oreo and what I would call see-saw effect (if oreo is x and y directions, see-saw is the z direction).

My 2nd Pre's slider is great with little to no play. However, I think since it's so tight, it's causing the phone to scratch itself. My first Pre only had 2 scratches on the bottom lip after almost a month. The 2nd one has numerous scratches on the bottom lip and 2 longer scratches on each side of the keyboard (at the shiny curved parts). And this is only after 2 weeks of use. My new Touchstone battery door also got creaky. I think the heat is just warping the doors. Adding some padding fixed this though.

Another thing I noticed is that Sprint Nav on my 2nd Pre is way better than my first one. From virtually the same locations, I had to reset my first one a few times whereas, on my second Pre, if it's not picking up my location, usually closing and reopening Sprint Nav would do the trick.

So the question is, would you go for another exchange now, or would you wait maybe 2-3 months for them to "maybe" improve the hardware some more? The thing is, if I wait that long, maybe they have a better case on simply blaming it on normal wear and tear and refusing warranty. Then again, I do have the insurance plan.

[vNaK]

It's hard to say if you should exchange or not. Unfortunately, getting a new pre, doesn't mean you will get a better, working pre. It's a hit or miss deal. I'm on my third pre and have noticed minor scratches on the sides of the keyboards too. But one of my other Pre also had those scratches. I do have more play on this one than my previous pre, but willing to live with the play.

If my scratches are getting worse by the end of my 30 days, I'll probably go get a new pre. If those scratches bother you, I would definitely get it exchanged. But there is a chance that you will be getting a pre that is in worse condition than yours.

[Holley2583]

If you're over the 30 days, and you go into Spring with a hardware problem, you will have to pay to get it fixed. They will say that you did it whether it's a well known hardware defect or not. I too had to replace my pre within the 30 days, oreo effect, and they reluctantly gave me another with the warning of having to pay for any future hardware issues. A$$es. Not quite sure why i'm paying @ $200 a year for insurance when my phone is already has the "see-saw" effect and sometimes turns off when i shut the keyboard and there is nothing i can do about it. I just figure i'll use this one until I cant take it anymore and shell out the $100 for a refurb.
I am definitely going to wait until Palm fixes more of the hardware quirks before i do anything. Apparently the second batch has already tried to fix the "oreo" effect, the turning off when shut by placing foam next to the battery, and changing the button from pearly to silver. So if you do get a referb or a new pre, make sure it has the silver button and if they give you all the goodies, the protective bag should have a "Palm" logo.