Database Users

Check List for hardware issues - deciding when to return unit

I'm trying to aggregate a list of hardware issues that might help new Asus owners to decide whether to keep or return their units.
I'm not trying to be a troll or anything. We understand that we're getting a very competitively priced unit, and we're realistic about the short comings Asus has had.
I've been reading the threads, and I'll try to reproduce some of the relevant info here as concisely as possible. If there's errors you see, please reply and I'll edit this first post like a wiki. Hardware issues are kind of difficult to fix, and it's a personal thing whether you decide to deal with the flaw or not. Software, there's hope
1) Light Bleed; hardware
To check for light bleed, try viewing a dark screen.
2) Touch sensitivity; software
Maybe fixed by updated version 3.1. If you find yourself repeatedly having to re-tap an icon, check if version 3.1 fixes the issue.
3) Touch screen dead spots; hardware?
Fewer reports of this, but certain spots of the screen don't seem to be touch sensitive at all. You can easily check for this.
4) Charger issue (gets hot, or just dies, etc...); hardware
This one is tougher to figure out first day, and may take some time to manifest. See thread
. Maybe also want to read this charger thread too.
5) Speaker balance; software and hardware maybe.
One speaker louder than the other? Try this. Although there's some left speaker issue that seems to be related to poor QC. See here and here.
6. Speaker pop; no idea if HW or SW issue
Some have this problem. Other people have a different problem.
7) Dead or stuck pixels; hardware
There's no fix for dead pixels. Stuck pixels can occasionally be repaired with the age-old massage technique, flashing the screen many colors for hours at a time.
8) Dust under the screen; Manufacturing
RMA it or seek a replacement from the retailer. Apparently, certain batches of the Transformer were manufactured in less than ideal conditions and dust got trapped under the screen. It's sealed properly, so the problem shouldn't get worse. Replace if it's a problem for you.

I just picked mine up on Sunday and playing around with it on Monday I noticed the back light screen bleed. Its glaringly obvious at full brightness. looking at a pitch black background, the bottom left quarter of the display might as well be grey. All the other corners/edges have it as well, just not as bad. I'm considering returning it.
That's the only issue I have come across.

7) Dead or stuck pixels; hardware
There's no fix for dead pixels. Stuck pixels can occasionally be repaired with the age-old massage technique, flashing the screen many colors for hours at a time.
8) Dust under the screen; Manufacturing
RMA it or seek a replacement from the retailer. Apparently, certain batches of the Transformer were manufactured in less than ideal conditions and dust got trapped under the screen. It's sealed properly, so the problem shouldn't get worse. Replace if it's a problem for you.
Keyboard Dock Issues:
1) Battery discharges significantly in standby, or when dock is docked and off.; Software?
Appears to be a problem with dock's firmware. Future fix is a reasonable assumption, though right now, just detach the dock when it's not in use.
2) Crooked hinge, tablet docks at an odd angle and isn't flush; Manufacturing
Various degrees of severity. The hinge may appear crooked, but the tablet may dock flush. If the tablet docks in a weird way and doesn't lay flat and flush against the keyboard, it's probably best to seek a return if it bothers you. No way to fix it; The holes are drilled wrong, lol.
3) Keyboard does not respond to taps not right-on center; Hardware
Seek a replacement. Very uncommon problem, but there are reports. It's worth noting that it should not be difficult to use the keyboard!

Those who examine the light bleed issue - what menu sequence are you going into to get a "black" screen to better see the light bleed? I just hopped around until I see a menu that's fairly dark, but I haven't come across one that's totally black. And I picked a movie that had dark scenes...but again not totally black.
So, how do you bring up a black screen?

coachclass said:
Those who examine the light bleed issue - what menu sequence are you going into to get a "black" screen to better see the light bleed? I just hopped around until I see a menu that's fairly dark, but I haven't come across one that's totally black. And I picked a movie that had dark scenes...but again not totally black.
So, how do you bring up a black screen?
Click to expand...
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open gallery...

Or go to market and dl dead pixel test, there is a black screen to check.

im debating on buying the transformer. do you think i should buy a transformer and hope for the best knowing there might be problems? what do you think the odds are in getting a faulty transformer like is it a widespread issue or is it only with a small batch of ppl

My first Dock didn't charge tablet at all, but all buttons, touchpad, cardreader worked.

Don't forget touchscreen not working. It appears to be software but for some users there is no fix.

[Q] Have i broken my screen

So basically igot my tablet today and i think i already broke my screen.what i did was i pushed my screen into my dock too hard and now i have this kind of leakage in my screen. Everytime i apply pressure on the leakage it moves around and goes to its original position. Do i need to send it to asus to get it fixed or will the leakage just disappear in time
Ok i just realised the on screen keyboard has burnt into the screen, similar to how you get burnt in images on a plasma tv. Im guessing thats not supposed to happen. Cant believe i brokemy tablet in under 24 hours

I would defintiely return that unit.
Surely attempting to dock it to it's directly supported peripheral is not abnormal usage!

Cheer up bro, just send it back and learn from your mistakes. It was probably defected anyways, get another one and continue to enjoy android honeycomb on your transformer
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App

Ok i requested a replacement from the website i bought it from. This is my first time returning an item to an internet store. Hope it goes well. Still cant believe it broke, took me ages to find an available tablet

Don't get too mad.
Good luck with the exchange.
Regards.

kassim3 said:
Ok i just realised the on screen keyboard has burnt into the screen, similar to how you get burnt in images on a plasma tv. Im guessing thats not supposed to happen. Cant believe i brokemy tablet in under 24 hours
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This is a very rare defect possible on any IPS display. A number of iMacs I've seen have exhibited this, as have a few iPads. I'd never heard of it happening on the Transformer, but it makes sense since it uses an IPS display.
The "bleed" may have been from the screen breaking in some way, or the backlight breaking when the tablet had extreme pressure applied.
The "burn-in" is a defective IPS panel, and wasn't your fault. LCD technology is far from perfect.

dorino1 said:
This is a very rare defect possible on any IPS display. A number of iMacs I've seen have exhibited this, as have a few iPads. I'd never heard of it happening on the Transformer, but it makes sense since it uses an IPS display.
The "bleed" may have been from the screen breaking in some way, or the backlight breaking when the tablet had extreme pressure applied.
The "burn-in" is a defective IPS panel, and wasn't your fault. LCD technology is far from perfect.
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wow that's very informative thanks
I didnt realise lcd screens get burn in, i only thought plasma screans had that problem. I guess you learn something new everyday lol

Defective screen, ghost image.

Hello.
I wanted to share my experience... I love my Kindle Fire. It's an awesome little device. Even not taking into account the ridiculous price ^^
I love gaming in it, browsing, and fiddling with customization stuff in ADW Launcher EX.
But I noticed shortly after I received it that the screen was kind of funky. After displaying a still graphic or text for a couple of minutes, the image becomes "burned" in the screen around all borders, about half an inch into the screen. It is most noticeable by switching to a flat neutral color... The easiest way to check it is by bringing down the notifications overlay, which has a gray background. At first I thought that the notifications tray was kind of transparent, but that is not the case.
My 2 brothers also bought Kindle Fires, so I compared mine to theirs and found out that my screen is completely different. Colors are more greenish, and it seems brighter when looking at it perpendicularly. However, when looking at it at an angle, it loses a lot of brightness, which the other screens did not.
So I contacted Amazon tech support, and after doing just a cold reboot, they sent me a replacement kindle fire (which i'm currently waiting on)...
This leads me to think that this is a known issue. Maybe Amazon has 2 different screen suppliers, and one of them is of crappy quality. I recommend checking your screen against another KF, or at least checking to see if it has the "burned image" problem... You can do so by displaying a webpage, preferably white bg and black text, for 5 minutes still. Then bring down the notifications tray. If you see the "ghost" of the letters and graphics, then your screen is like mine and you should ask amazon for a replacement device.
Hope this helps someone!
Cheers.

haha damn... I was so sure there were no other threads about this. Not even google brought up any other posts talking about this. Still, more info on the topic is better, right? ^^ Sorry!

jedivulcan said:
Absolutely. No worries. I couldn't find but maybe one or two posts on it either using Google.
I threw our the other forum link because there's a few pictures and a link to Amazon'sessage boards with customers that have similar issues.
I went "OOO" when I saw your post though because the observations about the Kindle were similar to mine.
It's either multiple component suppliers or really bad QC or a combination of the two. I returned both of my Kindles and might wait it out for something else.
I hate LCD display raffles. The odds of getting two that are completely different ones seem pretty high or it's an extreme coincidence.
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Yeah, it's really annoying to get a bad LCD... It has happened to me with Dell laptops, but never with mobile devices.
My particular issues with the Kindle don't seem to be exactly the same as other people, since they only get dead pixels, light bleed or weird color temps. None (that I know of) have noticed image ghosting or poor viewing angles on their devices. Maybe this thread can work as a warning to check for these particular signs so you can see if you got an inferior LCD panel in your kindle.
I really like this device, kudos to Amazon for introducing a whole new price point for android tablets... But they should continue to acknowledge and take responsibility for poor quality items. And people should be aware of the issue so they can ask for a refund or replacement unit.

However, when looking at it at an angle, it loses a lot of brightness, which the other screens did not.
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Definitively sounds like a bad screen. IPS display panels (which kindles are supposed to have), should have a near 180 degree viewing angle without loss of image. That sounds more like what you get with a TN panel (what cheaper displays [sub 300-400 dollars in terms of desktop displays] typically use). Either the IPS display was damaged somehow in the process of making it or they stuck the wrong kind of panel on it.
IPS displays are also exceptionally bright. If any of you are experience "too much" light bleed all the time then that is generally not a defect. Read on:
Light bleed around the edges is typical for IPS displays (which nearly all tablets, touchscreen phones (minus the OLED ones like samsung's) and high end desktop/laptop displays are). The solution is basically turn down the brightness (because IPS monitors are also exceptionally bright). I have 3 IPS desktop monitors (HP2475 and 2 HP2335) and 2 IPS tablets (HP touchpads) and one phone and the brightness on all are around 30-35%.
Even ipads have the issue, because they too, are IPS displays (and so are iphones). Just random information..."retina" is just a fancy marketing buzzword for "high resolution IPS display."
Light bleed tends to obviously be more noticeable on dark backgrounds such as black. If it's really noticeable, your display is most likely too bright.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPS_panel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display#In-plane_switching_.28IPS.29
The kindle fire uses LG displays, (same supplier to many HP products, Apple, HTC and others). That should be a good thing, but defects do happen. Just another random fact...there's only a handful of IPS display panel manufacturers (LG, Sony/Samsung [a partnership], a few chinese outfits and maybe another Japanese one). Reason being the cost to make them mostly. Most monitors are just displays from those companies re-branded and wrapped in a monitor shell.
The single most expensive subsystem in the Kindle Fire is the display and touch screen, at a combined cost of $87.00, or 46.9 percent of the BOM. Amazon sources the display from two companies: LG Display and E Ink Holdings. The display uses E Ink’s FFS technology, which LG Display has licensed.
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Question RE: A500's Poor Color Performance

I think it is well known now that the A500 displays poor color saturation. I am wondering if there is either a third party app or a custom ROM that allows me to fix this issue?

panda.bear said:
I think it is well known now that the A500 displays poor color saturation.
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It is? I didn't know (or notice) that. What sources are you referencing?

Not to me, I am very satisfied with the A500 colour saturation

i dont know I get great colors and saturation , now I would say the camera isnt all that good but I dont really use the camera so it doesnt matter to me

Must not be very well known.

Mine looks great too

Like mine too
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

I am basing this off my personal observations as well as many others who have noted the same issue online.
Displaymate reviewed the screens of all android tablets a while ago and confirmed user observations that the A500 demonstrates poor color saturation. You can read the article here (http://www.displaymate.com/Acer_Iconia_ShootOut.htm).
You can also find many others who note the same issue with this model if you search Google. It should be apparent if you compare your tablet to other displays unless they are of an equal caliber.
I doubt it is the actual LCD hardware which is causing the problem, which is why I asked if there was a software solution where you can adjust display settings like saturation, contrast, etc.

The A500 does not have the greatest screen. No, I am not going to hold my breath and cry about ICS not here yet, no, I won't start a faceyspace petition, no, I'm not going to claim I'm putting my A500 on Craigslist.
I love my A500 and plan to keep it a long time.
But the screen is not that great. It does not have the best contrast (blacks being really black and not gray), it could be brighter, the colors a little more saturated.
But it's a tradeoff. No Android tablet is the best at everything, and I chose the A500 because it did have a lot of features I wanted compared to the others. The cameras, the 2 different sized USB ports, the construction, yada yada yada.
You MIGHT find some software tweak that could possibly adjust the screen a little, but you're really up against a hardware limitation. Compare your screen to a mirrored hdmi signal to a good TV. It's the screen. It's not great.

The only issue i have with the display on my a500 . When we are in bed Reading .. my better half complains that my screen is to bright. She tells me to roll over so its not blaring in her eyes or turn it down. IT Needs to go lower brightness.
everyone who i have seen my tablet say its looks amazing. I to will be using my a500 for quite some time.I See no need to jump onto a new device 450.00 and 1 year old. i want a 17.3 I7 Laptop next .Would get check book taken away if i try buying both.

Just a cheap screen, want better color performance step on over to a top tier tablet.

It's a 262k colour screen. What do you expect?

sRDennyCrane said:
The A500 does not have the greatest screen. No, I am not going to hold my breath and cry about ICS not here yet, no, I won't start a faceyspace petition, no, I'm not going to claim I'm putting my A500 on Craigslist.
I love my A500 and plan to keep it a long time.
But the screen is not that great. It does not have the best contrast (blacks being really black and not gray), it could be brighter, the colors a little more saturated.
But it's a tradeoff. No Android tablet is the best at everything, and I chose the A500 because it did have a lot of features I wanted compared to the others. The cameras, the 2 different sized USB ports, the construction, yada yada yada.
You MIGHT find some software tweak that could possibly adjust the screen a little, but you're really up against a hardware limitation. Compare your screen to a mirrored hdmi signal to a good TV. It's the screen. It's not great.
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Actually, the depth of its black is where our screen excels. http://m.gizmodo.com/5824807/the-best-tablet-displays-ipad-2-just-got-dethroned

chasmanian said:
Actually, the depth of its black is where our screen excels. http://m.gizmodo.com/5824807/the-best-tablet-displays-ipad-2-just-got-dethroned
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After spending time with a super AMOLED plus screen, I can't say the Acer screen is anything more than adequate in any catagory. And compared to other Android tablets, Samsung is at the top... in fact, they're at the top everywhere. Even the new iPad, since Sammy makes that screen, too.

erica_renee said:
The only issue i have with the display on my a500 . When we are in bed Reading .. my better half complains that my screen is to bright. She tells me to roll over so its not blaring in her eyes or turn it down. IT Needs to go lower brightness.
everyone who i have seen my tablet say its looks amazing. I to will be using my a500 for quite some time.I See no need to jump onto a new device 450.00 and 1 year old. i want a 17.3 I7 Laptop next .Would get check book taken away if i try buying both.
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Search for Rootdim, problem solved.

If you understand Russian, read here - it's a detailed comparative review of tablet displays.

so I guess the OP walked into a store with a fist full of cash and blindly bought a tablet.....the slightest amount of research would have found this tablets screen is no show stopper

BrianDigital said:
so I guess the OP walked into a store with a fist full of cash and blindly bought a tablet.....the slightest amount of research would have found this tablets screen is no show stopper
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I purchased this tablet about a year ago before the Transformer came out and the only other HC option at the time was the Xoom, which was a hundred dollars more expensive than the A500.
I did notice at the time that the color saturation on the A500 was slightly poorer than the Xoom when I purchased my tab in the store but that that difference didn't seem to overcome the price gap at the time. It is a minor issue I have with my tablet and no, I do not plan to see my tablet which I have owned for a year just because of it - I simply wanted to know if there was a way to adjust it which is why I created this post.
I don't understand why everyone here wants to attack and question me with rude or snarky comments which are OT. I am not attacking anyone or anything I am simply making an observation and asking if there is any way around it.

panda.bear said:
I purchased this tablet about a year ago before the Transformer came out and the only other HC option at the time was the Xoom, which was a hundred dollars more expensive than the A500.
I did notice at the time that the color saturation on the A500 was slightly poorer than the Xoom when I purchased my tab in the store but that that difference didn't seem to overcome the price gap at the time. It is a minor issue I have with my tablet and no, I do not plan to see my tablet which I have owned for a year just because of it - I simply wanted to know if there was a way to adjust it which is why I created this post.
I don't understand why everyone here wants to attack and question me with rude or snarky comments which are OT. I am not attacking anyone or anything I am simply making an observation and asking if there is any way around it.
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sorry just read a topic in here that got me moody, I have really only seen color modification on led screens i could be wrong, but i think what you see is what you get

[Q] Yellow Tint & Brightness issues (again!) - Why??

I know there are other threads that discuss this topic (somewhat) but I wanted to post this separately because what I'm asking is very specific.
I've had about 8 separate Nexus devices from Google Play in the UK and every one of them has had the same issue:
The display has had a noticeably yellow but admittedly slight (possibly slightly brighter) tint on the bottom and left edges, while the right edge has been dull/dark.
This is specific because there are other and numerous reports of a yellow "tint" across the whole screen. This is not the whole screen, this is very clearly just the bottom third and left edge of the screen.
Some think that this is a "glue" issue that will resolve itself. Some think it won't get better. Some think that it's an issue they can live with. Some can't stand the lack of uniformity.
Well I can't stand the lack of uniformity because in my opinion, on a 4.7 inch screen, I find it distracting to be reading text on a solid background or white and the "white" or background colour changes as I read right to left or top to bottom. I consider a decent amount of uniformity to be a minimum requirement for devices which will be used in the way most of us use our phones and tablets. Manufacturers, seemingly, don't care at all except in the most extreme of cases. It looks like they are churning out whatever they can get away with. In all other aspects, the N4's screen is fantastic.
There's nothing anyone here can really do to help directly but it leads me to a question I haven't been able to find the answer to anywhere by Googling or searching other forums:
What is the cause of this lack of uniformity on these LCD panels? It seems to be LCD specific. As mentioned, some think it's "glue" but then others say not and in my experience the tint issues haven't gotten any better in the time I've had the devices that have passed through my hands.
I don't think it's the LED backlighting but could it be something to do with that?
Does anyone know, from a technical point of view why LCD panels are so prone to this issue with the yellow tints across *part* of the display. It's a very widespread thing as it's been noted on most of the iPhone range and a lot of other handsets too. Is there something inherently difficult for panel manufacturers (in the N4's case, LG) to do to make the panel evenly toned and lit? Surely it can't be that hard at this stage in the development of LCD tech once the manufacturing process is "calibrated" at the factory and underway? I assume these handsets are assembled by robots, not by hand. Is that right? Why is it so widespread? Is it a cost issue? Would I have a better chance of a quality panel by buying a more expensive handset? (Although I've seen many HTC One X's with the same problem - I did see one which was almost literally "perfect" in uniformity and brightness). I'd really appreciate any feedback on this. I know that because it's the "norm", sadly, the common response is to now "accept" the panels and handsets that are out there. There doesn't even seem to be a "higher end" manufacturer where high quality uniformity is more likely - or is there?
Anyone with a good/strong knowledge of LCD tech or the manufacturing process out there that can explain this?
Thanks!
***UPDATE***
I've now attached an illustration to show what I mean. ***It's exaggerated a bit*** to show the effect but illustrates the problem clearly.

Have you tried using a custom kernel to tweak the colors of the screen? The Nexus 4 is known for it's washed out colors so using a custom kernel like Trinity or Franco kernel allows you to tweak the color of the screen to your desire. Of course you will need an application to tweak the colors.

LG is known for light bleeding and or panel uniformity issues, I had to swap 4 LG tvs before I decided to go with Panasonic , my LG ips monitor that im typing on right now for my pc has light bleeding in some areas which results in low contrast. I saw about 13 different optimus g devices before I got the nexus 4 and the screens are beautiful with good contrast, punchy colors and good black levels with no light bleeding or weird tints while my nexus 4 has slight light bleeding right where the signal bar is located. I love this phone and its seems to get the " perfect " one you maybe have to swap a few times and to me the price kind of fits the quality of the phone but then I almost have enough spare cash to buy another one lol can't complain about that.

demorik said:
LG is known for light bleeding and or panel uniformity issues, I had to swap 4 LG tvs before I decided to go with Panasonic , my LG ips monitor that im typing on right now for my pc has light bleeding in some areas which results in low contrast. I saw about 13 different optimus g devices before I got the nexus 4 and the screens are beautiful with good contrast, punchy colors and good black levels with no light bleeding or weird tints while my nexus 4 has slight light bleeding right where the signal bar is located. I love this phone and its seems to get the " perfect " one you maybe have to swap a few times and to me the price kind of fits the quality of the phone but then I almost have enough spare cash to buy another one lol can't complain about that.
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Thanks for the reply. I've heard elsewhere that LG specifically seems to have poor quality panel uniformity. I think LG panels are used by Apple who have had many, many reports of panel yellow "tint" issues on both their iPhone and iMac range. It seems to affect screens big or small. Having said that, HTC had similar problems and their panels were manufactured by Sony. I would *love* to know what's causing this or what is the reason for the yellow "tint" issue on part of the screen.

scream4cheese said:
Have you tried using a custom kernel to tweak the colors of the screen? The Nexus 4 is known for it's washed out colors so using a custom kernel like Trinity or Franco kernel allows you to tweak the color of the screen to your desire. Of course you will need an application to tweak the colors.
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I have done all of that and with some success with all of the handsets I've had but because the tint affects only part of the screen in a sort of gradient - the calibration cannot fix it.
I'd much prefer a screen that had a yellow "tint" evenly across the whole screen then of course I could calibrate accordingly.

alsheron said:
I've had about 8 separate Nexus devices from Google Play in the UK and every one of them has had the same issue:
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You've had 8 different Nexus 4's?

yellow patches is from the glue used in the optical lamination process, yellow tint is from the display calibration which is often used to reduce banding and gives more saturated/warm look to colors
if your device is affected by by visible yellow patches the only cure is to re-calibrate the display to reduce the effect and don't get the device too hot as it may increase it

DynamicRam said:
yellow patches is from the glue used in the optical lamination process
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Not that I don't believe you, but could you link me to the source of this theory?

DynamicRam said:
yellow patches is from the glue used in the optical lamination process, yellow tint is from the display calibration which is often used to reduce banding and gives more saturated/warm look to colors
if your device is affected by by visible yellow patches the only cure is to re-calibrate the display to reduce the effect and don't get the device too hot as it may increase it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but this is not what my OP is about. I do not have a uniform tint and therefore it cannot be to do with "calibration" of some sort unless I am mistaken. Neither do I have "patches" or "spots". This is very specifically about a gradient yellow "tint" that only affects part of the screen and trying to find out the technical reason(s) for its prevalence in a wide range of LCD screens used in mobile phones and of course the Nexus 4 in particular. I've updated my original post to include an illustration of the effect I'm asking about. Thanks!

I am pretty sure its a hardware fault and i assumed you tried to return it otherwise there is nothing else you can do so i suggested calibration to reduce the effect

I had the same issue, then flashed custom ROM and it was fixed. Go figure :silly:

stevenhw8 said:
I had the same issue, then flashed custom ROM and it was fixed. Go figure :silly:
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hi stevenhw8, can U give me name and link to download your custom ROM? thank you.