White iPhone 3GS reportedly overheats, turns a browner shade of white

Right after its launch, we noted the sundry problems reported by new iPhone 3GS owners, but this is the first time we've heard tell of this specific one... and it seems like a doozy. It's unclear exactly what caused this, but what is apparent is an unattractive, brownish / pinkish discoloration on the above handset. The user claims it was caused by overheating during a period of using the GPS and 3G of the phone. Either way, it looks pretty crummy now, doesn't it? What about the rest of you with new, white iPhones? Anything to report? One more shot of this looker after the break.

[Sam @ Jun 26th 2009 4:58PM]

hmmmm I'm smelling a recall.

[darkstar @ Jun 26th 2009 5:13PM]

i smell poor quality control.
this is blasphemy! i have always been told Apple is top notched! how is this possible???

[cole2839 @ Jun 26th 2009 5:23PM]

This guy obviously did something stupid to his phone or there is an overheating (i.e. defective) battery inside. The 3GS doesn't get hot enough to do that. I've played games for over an hour and it barely got warm.

[Demo @ Jun 26th 2009 5:24PM]

Is it really that hard to believe that maybe there is a manufacturing defect with his particular phone? Millions of iPhones are manufactured, they aren't all going to be perfect.

[Jean-Michel Decombe @ Jun 26th 2009 5:29PM]

Nah, it's just Zune envy; it will pass.

[Uchiha Sasuke @ Jun 26th 2009 5:31PM]

Why recall?! It's a buit-in feature. Ever heard of the black iphone turning to "charcoal" black.

[Richard Glitter @ Jun 26th 2009 5:32PM]

Because so far there is ONE instance of this... ???

[DizWhiz @ Jun 26th 2009 5:36PM]

Someone bought the white one?

[OneLove @ Jun 26th 2009 5:39PM]

Mellow! That's my style!

..its just a deeper shade of soul..

[SimbaDogg @ Jun 26th 2009 5:50PM]

@cole
you must be terribly ignorant. running GPS and 3G at the same on many phones causes them to get extremely hot. even worse if you have 3G/WIFI on, are using gps and the phone in charging. being that GPS and WIFI can't be especially high draining, the current draw itself makes the device extremely warm....sometimes my phone gets very hot.

[Wii60 @ Jun 26th 2009 5:59PM]

I guess you could say where there's smoke there's fire.

[cole2839 @ Jun 26th 2009 6:11PM]

@Simba,

Ignorant? I own a 3GS and it never gets very hot even when using GPS / 3G for long periods. The burnt phone in the picture obviously has a defect or was misused. The phone can't possibly use enough power to cause that kind of heat because it would run though the battery in a few minutes, it just isn't possible without a defect or short of some kind. And I would bet it was caused by a bad battery or during a fault while the phone was charging.

[Macbeth @ Jun 26th 2009 6:12PM]

i'd hazard a guess that it isn't just the white iphone, it is happening to the black one too it's just not visible since it's black.

[Eh @ Jun 26th 2009 6:32PM]

Apple doesnt do recalls, even on their dangerous magsafe adapters which are still being made the same way. When you look at what Apple has released, virtually every product has had something messed up about it from the first batch, yet no recalls. They dont care, they either silently fix the problem or stop selling it in place of something new.

[JZ @ Jun 26th 2009 6:42PM]

The guy did something stupid like his battery... last time I checked you couldnt switch your battery. Further what's odd if its the battery that's failing how come people dont cry a river over this while out of millions and millions of battery's only a few went up in flames caused a massive stir? Eitherway as ussually just like the previous two the first batch contains some flawes and I guess Apple will solve it again without any problems by just switching them, though it has to suck to be an early adopter.. again.

[Tuffguy @ Jun 26th 2009 6:49PM]

@Eh
Apple most definitely does do recalls, but it is just rare that they have to recall something. If this is in fact a legit device, and this guy didn't inflict this sort of damage to the phone, then it will probably be recalled. Does anyone remember the iBook battery recall of 2006?

[V Langs @ Jun 26th 2009 8:43PM]

@Quantum Physics

that's wrong in so many ways...

[blarge @ Jun 27th 2009 12:00PM]

I have a White 3G and had this EXACT same problem. It wasn't overheating, but rather a cheap leather case I purchased and the tanning had rubbed off.

[CheshireCat @ Jun 26th 2009 11:10PM]

Apple has just invented tanning.

[HTCMogul.Info @ Jun 26th 2009 10:59PM]

I love how people jump to conclusions based on a single occurrence by a single unknown source. Nobody else has reported this problem.

And to be honest, the spacing between the burn marks seems to be the same spacing as my toaster...hmm...I bet he left his iPhone on the toaster and was pissed that it got burned, and now he wants to get a free replacement.

[Andy @ Jun 27th 2009 2:46AM]

This story would be more convincing if the picture actually showed a 3GS. It doesn't.

[Jon Doe. @ Jun 27th 2009 4:00AM]

HA. Not before at least a threat of a class action lawsuit. Apple does nothing for their customers out of the kindness of their hearts. They are the epitome of big business.

[gouken85 @ Jun 27th 2009 10:02AM]

A guy got a defective unit. I'm shocked! Surely this only happens with iphones!

[robothouse @ Jun 26th 2009 4:59PM]

Mine gets hotter when playing games/watching movies, but nothing to THAT extent or to the point where it's painful to hold. Ouch.

[Ryujin @ Jun 29th 2009 10:28AM]

It just happens to be that Apple has a previous history with overheating that it has this kind of reaction when something like this happens. It may be one, but this is how it starts, though IMO if its not hot then its obviously not trying hard enough, lol.

[mvp @ Jun 26th 2009 4:59PM]

aww its blushing

[Andrew88 @ Jun 26th 2009 5:01PM]

like a little strawberry.

[Don @ Jun 26th 2009 7:47PM]

was the pic taken with a Pre?

[Agent .25i @ Jun 26th 2009 8:41PM]

Words are like bullets, and I just let them pass right through me.

Just like this guy did with his phone.

[Towncivilian @ Jun 27th 2009 10:05PM]

painful to me, pierce right through me...

[shaunisadirty @ Jun 26th 2009 4:59PM]

Well my 3G gets hot when using GPS so I'd imagine a "more powerful" processor would cause more heat, and without changing the way heat is dissipated what did they expect? To be honest, I hope this problem pops up more so Apple is forced to change the design. Also, that's what you get for buying the ugly white one.

[Captain Obvious @ Jun 26th 2009 5:31PM]

Some of us prefer the white iPhone because when placed in a shirt pocket of a dress shirt, the black iPhone really stands out. The white one is nearly invisible except for a little dot where the camera lens is.

[Tony @ Jun 26th 2009 5:43PM]

@captain

so instead of a large black rectangle which people would assume to be some sort of device, you have an unsightly, misplaced, dark nipple. ;)

[eddy @ Jun 26th 2009 6:08PM]

@Captain Obvious And you think people don't want their iPhone to stand out? Everyone I've seen with an iPhone is more like, "Hey, look at me!"

I think this guy is being punished by Apple for purchasing the more "low-key" iPhone model.

[John @ Jun 26th 2009 6:59PM]

A girl I work with upgraded to the white one from her old iPhone so that everyone would be able to tell it's the 3GS

[SpectreGadget @ Jun 26th 2009 8:25PM]

@John, tell her she's a little late, the white started last year with the 3G. :)

[Twitchy @ Jun 26th 2009 8:30PM]

@Joh

Umm, the regular 3G is available in white too. So either she has faulty logic or been duped by a rather good salesman who knew how to push her buttons.

[Kelmon @ Jun 27th 2009 7:51AM]

I want the white version simply because it is the iconic Apple colour and black is so generic. I have a 5g white iPod that the 3GS will be replacing so I want to continue with the white colour.

[Phil @ Jun 27th 2009 11:45AM]

I got the white one because, to me, shiny black === cheap and tacky looking. I really hate the current crop of shiny plastic black LCD TV's doing the rounds too.

The white looks a lot classier, plus will hide scratches on the back much better.

[loocas @ Jun 27th 2009 5:38PM]

So, pretty much, everyone here prefers whites over blacks...

And nobody minds... ;)

[Leindurstit @ Jun 26th 2009 5:00PM]

Unclear what did this? Hmm, the 400 to 600mhz bump and the inclusion of a 7.1mbps radio in the same package that ALREADY got too hot wouldn't have something to do with it, would it now?

[cole2839 @ Jun 26th 2009 5:16PM]

Umm, the processor uses less power than before even with the MHz increase because it has smaller transistors (smaller process tech). Secondly, the faster connection isn't even available yet. I have a 3GS and it doesn't run any hotter than the previous 3G version I also have did.

[zenstylejunglist @ Jun 26th 2009 5:30PM]

They will ALL look like that eventually. My first gen white MacBook looked like that after about a moth of use. It's the shoddy, cheap ass plastic they use.

[redcard @ Jun 26th 2009 5:58PM]

What sort of person wears a dress shirt then completely runs the fuck out of it by putting a phone in the breast pocket?

Unless it's to hide one of your tits

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Jun 26th 2009 7:15PM]

It uses the same battery and yet gets better battery life. So apparently it is using less power and therefore producing less heat than the 3G.

[SluttyMcNugget @ Jun 26th 2009 5:01PM]

It's a mood phone...it turns brown when you feel shitty!!

[ljm @ Jun 26th 2009 8:29PM]

yeah...because you know what a girl friend is...

[BryanL @ Jun 28th 2009 1:48AM]

I think you got it backwards, you feel shitty when it turns brown :-p

[MaX PL @ Jun 26th 2009 5:00PM]

iphone? more like LOLphone.

[Eddy Munn @ Jun 26th 2009 6:05PM]

Fail