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980

Stop mounting substandard displays on high end notebooks please...

980 points posted to Monitors and Displays, Laptops by sergioo Jan 15

If I go to buy a cheap notebook, I can blame me or the reasons why I have no money to buy a better one.
But if I buy a GOOD notebook, as a Dell is expecting to be, even more if a Latitude or Precision, and you put a WSXGA+ Samsung like the SEC3350, or the other WXGA+ by Auo, and I paid a high end notebook to get a sandy, oily, dirty, yellowish display, with light leakage, whites not white, blacks not black, porr colors and bad viewing angles, may I get a bit angry?
And why must I get angry and fax an angry letter to Escalation to have all solved, if it is my natural right to have a good to very good display out of the box?
Don't you realize yet how often people avoid Dell for:
1) bad displays
2) bad customer care
???
TO me it is a pity. I really like all the rest in Dell.
It is a pity...

marcusesq
Jan 15		 This is a serious issue. Right now its stopping me from placing an order for an XPS M1530. Recently a family member of mine purchased this laptop on my recommendation and it had to be returned because of the grainy screen. A google search will show the extent of the problem. I really had my heart set on the 1530 but may have to look at Lenovo or HP just for peace of mind.
What I cant work out is why screens from different manufacturers with obviously different levels of quality, are being supplied in the same resolution for the same model of laptop. This turns buying a Dell laptop into a game of russian roulette. Customers should know exactly what they are getting when making purchasing decisions.

A response from Dell on this issue would be appreciated.
taumax
Jan 16		 I totally agree with your post.
I've already posted a few suggestions on this subject, but it seems like nobody else on this wants to support it!
cosmichellion
Jan 17		 well, aside from the bad luck that others have been having with their screens on inspirons and xps units, my m1530 was stellar out of the box. I'm one of the lucky ones that got a LG monitor on the first try. A few of the people I know who have had issues with their screen called up dell tech support and Dell came out and replaced their monitor at which point they received a better replacment. Although the issue with samsung and AU isn't constant as my cousin has a WSXGA+ samsung that is gorgeous. I must commend dell on getting the issue solved after the fact but it would be nice to have a decent display out of the box for all.
silencer
Jan 25		 I couldn't agree more, I'm considering returning my inspiron 1420 because of that. It's a shame Dell don't realize how important this is.
johnny76
Jan 25		 Count me in as someone who isn't happy with the Samsung SEC3155 display that I got with my Inspiron 1720. Grainy screen, bad viewing angles, and uneven backlighting on one side of the display. Contacted Tech Support once who said they would replace the display and when I sent it in, they didn't even do the job. They replaced the system board and heat sink instead. Sent it in a second time where they finally replaced the display, but with another SEC3155 which is only marginally better, still has the uneven backlighting on the left side and now in the bottom right corner. When asked the second time if it could be replaced with a LG display, I was told that it could only be replaced with the same model that my notebook originally came with. I don't know what else to do outside of just buying a new display myself. I've never had a problem with Dell, its products and customer service until now.
webdtc
Jan 25		 Agree. Displays on the XPS line should always represent the quality of the XPS line. Also all displays shipped with a model should be of the same make or quality so that people don't need to wonder if their screen is going to be a good or bad one.
blackrobin
Jan 25		 I've just got my very first laptop and it's a XPS M1530. Before I decided to buy it, I did some research and found out that substandard screen is one of the issues. I'm worried I would get a grainy screen and hate the hassle of calling Dell up for the replacement and the wait too. But I did try my luck. Got mine with a rather clear screen. I couldn't tell degree of graininess of the screen unless I have an LG to compare side by side, Mine is Samsung. However, its bad viewing angles and original backlighting really let me down. Whenever I alternate my sitting position, I have to readjust the screen to get back the initial display. The backlighting is horrible. I know that this is common in CCFL but is it a little too much?
maceto
Jan 25		 I second this- after reading a number of posts re the display. I am waiting for the LED 1400X900 as this would remove some of the potential issues that SO many have experienced (grainy screen, light bleeding) and hopefully some minor design issues with XPS 1530 will be fixed and there is a new cpu out...
fuzzy
Jan 26		 The XPS 1530 was very appealing, until I read the Dell forums at Notebookreview.com. It looks like about a quarter of the posts there are about the poor Samsung screens and the horror stories about defective Samsung screens being repeathedly replaced by one defective Samsung screen after another, with the alptops being delayed and damaged in the process.

Maybe another quarter of the posts are about various other problems with shoddy workmanship on Dell laptops (the electricaltingling is just one of several quality and design issues).

The screen problems also apply to Inspirons and Latitudes, which, incredibly, all share the same screens. No matter how much you pay for a premium product like an XPS or Latitude, you have the same risk of getting a defective Samsung screen.

In the Noteboorreview.com forums. there is a consensus that Samsung screens are defective due to graininess and dimness, while LG Phillips screens are good, However, there is no reliable way to get an LG Phillips screen.

The Inspiron and XPS brands are being ruined bythis. Dell needs to wake up and understand that the entire Dell brand is being ruined by Samsung screens just as it was by its India-based call center.

So, I am now looking at Sony and Lenovo. The XPS is off my list.

Dell should just tell Wistron and Compal to stop shipping Samsung screens before teh Dell brand is rubbished again.
cosmichellion
Jan 26		 I've seen the posts on notebookreview.com. While the number of complaints do seem overwhelming, what has to be realized is that the people who complain are a tiny percentage of people who have purchased these systems overall. The marjority of people who come to notebook review are either looking to buy something they know nothing about or have problems which they are looking to gain answers. A lot of the people have also never owned notebooks prior to the XPS or any dell for that matter and aren't even sure if they have sub standard screens. If I were a noob and looked at notebook review, I'd just assume that if I don't have a LG(which seems to have the best track record), my screen is crap. CCFL screens generally offer a decent display but like most things that are mass produced, you'll have some that aren't up to par.

While I'm sure all the screens meet some standard dell has set before shipping, no matter how low or high that be, there is of course room for improvement. If a percentage of complaints for any given manufacturer exceeds a certain amount, perhaps dell should look elsewhere unless improvments are made. Afterall, if crappy components go into their systems, it is Dell who will be blamed and not the 3rd party in most cases.
marcusesq
Jan 28		 @ cosmichellion... "I've seen the posts on notebookreview.com. While the number of complaints do seem overwhelming, what has to be realized is that the people who complain are a tiny percentage of people who have purchased these systems overall."

True but what percentage of people who are experiencing screen problems even know about notebookreview.com? There are so many complaints about these screens on ALL tech forums that proves this is a serious issue. Have a look at Whirlpool forums for example. Same story.
rithwick
Jan 31		 I just ordered mine a week back and recieved mine yesterday and it has a grainy screen I am getting it replaced. But it almost seems it is like a gamble to get a good screen because there is no quality assurance around the product. I really like the overall build of the XPS system but for the screen. I hope they fix it asap.
soonerdave
Feb 26		 Here's another unhappy M1530 customer with a crappy Samsung 3350 screen. No excuse for Dell to allow this issue to persist, yet they do. I don't think the percentage is as low as you might think; I once read a study that said every phone call or customer complaint represents, in reality, something more along the lines of 10 other unhappy customers. All I can do is tell others that this issue is real, that Dell does *not* care about it, and will *not* resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the customer. The user is, in effect, stuck. The rest of the 1530 is a darned fine laptop, but this screen issue is an embarassment. The 3350 shouldn't see the light of day in another XPS laptop.
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