Don’t use your iPhone as a browser. I regret.
Contents
Don’t use your iPhone as a browser. I regret
The author’s opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial team.
Since my first days behind the wheel, I have often wondered how our parents and grandparents managed without navigation systems. No, it’s not that I can’t read paper maps, it’s that GPS has opened up possibilities that we hadn’t noticed for a long time.
Turn the key, open Yandex or Google Maps on your iPhone, put it in the holder and press “Go”. That’s it, the route is built. The only thing left is an occasional glance at the device screen. But there is a “but”…
Yes, it is about the screen and the use of the iPhone as a browser that I wanted to talk about. I am going to warn you in advance not to use your mobile phone as a browser. Mostly in summer. It’s not a good idea.
What is the problem?
The price for a relatively affordable navigator with a healthy brain starts at 5,000 rubles. But, as always, there is money for everything except the essentials.
About a year ago I decided to put my iPhone 6 up for sale. Armed with a microfiber cloth, cotton swabs, and rubbing alcohol, I set out to give the contraption a commercial look.
Before selling any equipment, I always try to put myself in the buyer’s shoes, which is why I scrupulously examine all my equipment for scratches and blemishes. Oops, and I notice there’s a distinctive yellow blob on the screen near the volume buttons.
Damn, it wasn’t there! It turns out that she was appearing little by little. When I sold it, my iPhone 6 was 2.5 years old. It was running smoothly. I did not play football with it, I treated it very carefully, but the defect that appeared was unpleasantly disappointing.
Another victim of the same problem
Well, the defect was honestly pointed out and within a day the mobile phone had found a new owner.
The iPhone 6 was replaced by the cheap Chinese Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X. I wrote about the experience of using the device in another article (beware, there’s a lot of hate in there :).
In more than a year of use, there are no complaints about the mobile phone. But a couple of weeks ago that yellow spot reappeared.
And again near the volume buttons. A true déjà vu.
Changing the screen costs 1300-1500 rubles, you can get by, but you have to figure out what the problem is, right? Why mobile phone screens turn yellow, be it Xiaomi, apple or any other Liao wonder.
The mystery was simple.
Both the iPhone 6 (like all iPhones up to the iPhone X) and the Xiaomi screen are made with IPS technology. Liquid crystal displays are tested and, unlike OLEDs, they do not have a memory effect. At the same time, they almost never burn.
What causes yellow spots?
The fact is that the screen itself does not respond to touch. Your task is to display an image. And it is the additional glass – the touch screen – that assumes the control function. You touch it with your fingers, and then the sensor transmits data about the exact coordinates of your touch to the processor and it decides which new image to display.
Now, there is a very thin layer of glue between the touch screen and the screen. It not only performs the purely mechanical task of holding this “sandwich” together, but also increases the accuracy of tactile positioning.
We have solved the structure of IPS screens. Now open the official website of apple and find out the operating temperature range of the iPhone.
From -20° to +45° C. It’s interesting.
Returning to our situation of using the iPhone as a browser. An hour’s drive to the office awaits you. It’s a “harmless” 26 degrees outside. The mobile phone is in its holder, obediently showing the route… and also taking ruthless sunbaths.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the temperature picture:
After one hour of driving, the temperature of the device will reach 51 degrees Celsius. Even if you turn on the air conditioning or open the windows, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight will have a negative effect on the temperature of the mobile phone.
Touch your mobile phone at the end of your trip. burns. It is guaranteed to heat up to 60 degrees.
When you regularly use your mobile phone in these conditions, you bring your screen to a safe and not the best transformation. In the end, the glue between the touch screen and the screen matrix changes color from constantly exceeding the permissible operating temperature.
As a result, hello yellow spots.
The situation is not better in winter. It’s cold inside the car: the heating is on full blast. It doesn’t matter where you put your iPhone: on the baffle or on top of the bulkhead, it won’t save you from overheating the device.
The same goes for the iPhone X, which has an OLED matrix. Despite the completely different manufacturing technology of the screen itself, it has the same touch screen and, accordingly, the same problems with overheating and yellowing of the glue. And organic LEDs don’t like high and low temperatures, they don’t.
After the yellow spots, the screen continues to work correctly: it responds to touches, displays an image even in the problem zone. But aesthetically it is fatal. In addition, a yellowed screen greatly reduces the value of the device in the secondary market.
How to avoid yellow spots on the screen of your mobile phone
The best option is to avoid using your mobile phone as a browser. In winter, summer or fall, use a standalone device with GPS. Curiously, it is preferable to opt for browsers with a resistive touch screen. Yes, yes, the one that needs a stylus like in the days of Windows communicators.
The micro-insulating lining between the membrane and the panel does not react as critically to elevated temperatures. You don’t have to worry about it yellowing even under the blazing sun.
If there is no way to do without your iPhone as a GPS navigator, try to place it so that it heats up as little as possible. Alternatively, install a special anti-glare visor, but again, that’s all for now.
However, the need to use a mobile phone as a browser may disappear on its own. It took me “only” two screens to do it.
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