Expect some color shifts and burn-in on your new iPhone X, Apple says

Picked up a brand new iPhone X for yourself this morning? Apple has some advice about that OLED screen, namely that color and hue shifts, and perhaps a little bit of burn-in, are to be expected with this kind of display technology.

In a new support document, Apple says "you might notice slight shifts in color and hue", which is "normal behavior" for an OLED screen. Indeed, manufacturers have grappled with the problem in smartphones, televisions and monitors ever since the Organic Light-Emitting Diode tech first appeared on the scene.

Then there's burn-in, where images that are repeatedly displayed (like the battery indicator) start to leave ghostly patterns when they're not actually there. Apple says it's worked hard to minimize burn-in, but that it might still appear after "extended long-term use" of the iPhone X.

Tips and tricks

In other words, if you notice some of these issues, they're perfectly normal and you don't need to bother Apple asking for a replacement handset. Apple recommends keeping your iPhone updated to make sure these problems are minimized and to extend the life of your Super Retina display.

The support document also suggests switching on auto-brightness, turning off the display when you're not using it, and avoiding displaying static images at maximum brightness for long periods of time, if you want to counter the burn-in risk.

Anyone using OLED has to deal with the same issues - the home button on the Galaxy S8 shifts position very slightly to try and stop it from happening - and it seems Apple is getting its point of view in first before anyone starts complaining.

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.