Small crack and discolouration in top of display

[azkhan82]

I recently got a new Xperia M4 (E2303 I believe). I've been super careful in caring for him.

But out of the blue, I suddenly have a small crack in the top left hand corner of the screen. And yellowing in that area. There also appears to be yellowing in the bottom left hand area, a larger section, around the back and home software keys. There doesn't appear to be any dead pixels but I somehow failed the touchscreen diagnosis test.

There also seems to be a problem with the headphone socket, the headphones in question are new and play nicely with other devices. And the handset in question is barely two months old.

I'm very disappointed with my shiny new Xperia, heartbroken infact, considering that I've looked after it so carefully.

I also did some research online and it seems there is or was a common problem with the Z series and "spontaneous cracking", but i thought I was safe?

Would I have to pay for a repair? Or would a manufacturer warranty cover it? How long would it take? Can I change handsets or get a refund or anything? Would unlocking my bootloader and/or rooting the phone affect any of this?

[Uliwooly]

@azkhan82

I'm sorry to hear that, but there's no such thing as a spontaneous selfcracking, if you look on those posts, the users that posted a picture of the phone, you can find the point of impact, you can post a picture of your phone. 

What you described seems to be a cracked digitizer and the LCD its also affected either cracked or was exposed to water/rain/steam and its causing this problem, the only solution is to contact your Local support to get it repaired. Only your Local support can answer warranty questions. 

Also unlocking the bootloader voids the warranty

[Uliwooly]

@azkhan82

http://developer.sonymobile.com/unlockbootloader/

Voiding the warranty

If you unlock the boot loader, you may void the warranty of your device and/or any warranty from your operator. See your device’s warranty statement for details. Additionally, due to the modified device software, Sony’s repair network will likely have to replace key components before it can properly test, repair and verify your device using our repair tools and software. Consequently, if Sony performs a warranty repair, Sony will likely charge you a significant service fee for the additional costs caused by your modification of the software

[CameronT]

@azkhan82,

Welcome to the community.

Uliwooly is correct, you will have to contact your local repair agent and yes, unlocking the bootloader does void your warranty.

I just wanted to add that the yellowing you're seeing is usually indicative that the area has suffered a high amount of force or pressure in that spot. It causes the LCD to leak and yellow areas appear. We usually refer to it as screen bruising. In most cases, such trauma isn't covered by warranty, but you will have to discuss the specifics of what your local warranty does and does not cover as this can vary from region to region.

[azkhan82]

Thank you for the information on repairs and your fast replies.

But I disagree on self-cracking screens. Try Googling "Sony Xperia cracked screen", sure some people probably are looking for free repairs, but surely some cases are genuine. It was even featured on Watchdog, (try YouTube search "Watchdog Xperia"). I'd be more than happy to post pictures of my phone if someone could explain how? There are no signs of impact anywhere.

The phone was exposed to a small amount of bottled water when I first got it - it's supposed to be waterproof. This was long before the crack.

I have phones that have had a very abusive life, but have lasted a lot longer than 2 months! A Lumia, that's been dropped, kicked, even landed on it's screen and yet, no broken screen, a few minor scuffs on the casing. Even a Blackberry that fell down a toilet, and still works - no broken screen.

After this experience, I won't be buying Sony again. Handsets, consoles, televisions, or anything else for that matter.

Sorry to go off on a rant, but I'm very disappointed with the poor quality of my beloved handset. It's beyond belief.

[Uliwooly]

@azkhan82

Could you post a picture of your phone's cracked screen?

[CameronT]

@azkhan82,

With all due respect, you can search for any device with the key words "Self cracking" you will find results. It is the nature of the internet. It is also the same glass that is used in nearly every other mobile. If it were an issue on our devices, it would be an issue on them all.

We are aware of the watchdog report. It was in relation to the Z1 and only applied in the UK. The actual quote was:

“In a small proportion of cases, screens have indeed cracked with no identifiable cause and in these instances the phone has been repaired for free.”

This does not mean they were covered by warranty, most likely they were a once off customer service gesture.

If you can provide images that great, we may be able to help identify where the issue occured. As I mentioned, because there is screen bruising this was likely caused by pressure to those points.

In any case, the way to get this fixed would be to contact your local support team.

[azkhan82]

Here are a few snaps, from my Lumia 640. Sorry about the mess, I just pushed it all aside to make way for my injured Xperia, lol.

Ah I don't know how to post more than one picture at a time it seems.

[CameronT]

@azkhan82, I believe it wasn't dropped based on this image, but it could still be pressure. Can you take any images of the yellow spots in the screen?

[azkhan82]

I've tried, it's hard to get on a camera. I'll try again. I took a full set of photos of the phone, but I still can't figure out how to post them here.

The whiteness along the crack and phone edge was just from the flash, doesn't seem visible by eye.