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joabim

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 4, 2018
10
8
Some say that the production process of iphones change during the months following the release date, effectively "ironing out" any initial kinks. Do you think there is any truth to this? The reason I'm asking is because I got the Xs and decided to return it within my 14-day-window because of the severe OLED banding my specific unit had combined with reception issues I noticed compared to my iphone 8. Considering rebuying the Xs if things improve.
 

O4liberty

macrumors newbie
Nov 5, 2017
9
4
New Jersey
I have never encountered major issues with any iPhone I have ever owned. They do get updates that add and improve on what they have.
 

shadow82x

macrumors 6502
Jul 11, 2012
442
188
New Jersey
Build quality can usually improve over time. (Gaps, etc.) But I highly doubt the components change unless they shift to a new supplier.
 

AppleB

macrumors 65816
Oct 18, 2011
1,149
1,366
I have never encountered major issues with any iPhone I have ever owned. They do get updates that add and improve on what they have.

Same here I’ve had every series of iPhone except the 8 and the only one I had a issue with was a 3GS where the headphone jack stopped working a few months after getting it.
My 6 Plus which I still have never bent.
 

DevinNj

macrumors 68000
Apr 27, 2016
1,722
1,740
New Jersey
I just spoke to an Applecare rep two days ago (unrelated to any service issues) I asked if he'd heard of any of the reported bugs w the XS/Max. When we started talking about if it's best to wait a bit at first he stated he NEVER buys a new product at launch. He always waits a couple of months just in case there are any bugs needing to be ironed out. I was asking because I want to upgrade to a Max myself but a couple of friends have had signal issues in my area. But that's just one person's opinion, do with it as you will, I know lots of early adopters that don't ever have issues.
 

eyoungren

macrumors Penryn
Aug 31, 2011
28,848
26,976
Some say that the production process of iphones change during the months following the release date, effectively "ironing out" any initial kinks. Do you think there is any truth to this? The reason I'm asking is because I got the Xs and decided to return it within my 14-day-window because of the severe OLED banding my specific unit had combined with reception issues I noticed compared to my iphone 8. Considering rebuying the Xs if things improve.
I believe there is a truth to it. Minor changes and improvements over time.

I'm on my fourth iPhone 5. The second and third one handled 'Scuffgate' much better and the one I have now (got in March 2017) has been tossed around a bit and isn't showing a whole lot of wear.

The launch day iPhone 5 was replaced because of a bad mic. The replacement was replaced because of a swelling battery and the third replacement was also replaced because of a swelling battery.

On the other hand my iPhone 6s+ is a launch weekend phone and three years later it's still ticking. I've never had any issue with it.
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
12,744
23,782
Yes, otherwise, official iPhone repair programs by Apple wouldn't be limited to certain serial numbers and manufacture date ranges.

What gets changed in each revision/date range is the real mystery.
 

cruisin

macrumors 6502a
Apr 1, 2014
962
223
Canada
My iPhone 5 was swapped out for the defective power button and it came with more LTE bands.

The earliest iPhone 6 models with 128 GB of storage had the new triple layer storage chips and some had storage problems requiring swapping out. Later models improved quality.

Most updates are firmware based, but it's not impossible that out of the millions of devices they make in the first month there are a few with problems. Also consider that you only hear about the problems, few talk about how there is nothing wrong.
 

now i see it

macrumors G4
Jan 2, 2002
10,723
22,555
It's always prudent to wait a few months to see what problems others are experiencing. That holds true for iOS too.

The iPhone 7 is still being manufactured today. It's unlikely that nothing has been tweaked with those in the last 2 years.
As mentioned above, often certain serial number groups have problems. That means that later versions of phones are different than previous ones.
 

AJAAY

macrumors 6502
Sep 29, 2012
438
292
Of course they do. It’ll be crazy not to think that. The only real test of a new product release is to put it in the hands of the public.

The iPhone on release day is not the same iPhone that is being produced six months later.
 
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