A design flaw that afflicts the two curved edges of the HTC One X's screen, which we flagged up in our review of the handset, may only be a problem with demo devices -- and may not affect the final retail build of the units being sold to mobile users, according to the company.
While testing the HTC One X, I found that pushing on the edges of the curved screen causes the display to flex and patches of discoloured pixels track your finger movements (see video above). It is also sometimes possible to accidentally activate something on screen by mistake, simply by gripping the phone's edges tightly.
I've personally experienced this screen flex issue on four different HTC One X handsets -- three of which were provided by HTC and one by mobile network Three.
I demoed the screen flex to Daniel Hundt, creative director at One & Co, HTC's design consultancy, and he said: "I was not aware of that -- maybe this is not a shipping build.
"We would never let that ship," he added.
None of the One X handsets I've seen came in HTC's final retail packaging and a spokeswoman for HTC said that while she previously had thought these device samples were the final hardware build, she would seek confirmation.
At the time of writing, the company has not yet provided clarification of whether the screen flex affects only demo devices or is a problem with the final build of the HTC One X.
The HTC One X launched on UK mobile networks last week.
Have you bought the HTC One X? Are you able to replicate this screen flaw on the device? Let us know in the comments or post a note on our Facebook page.
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anonymous 10 April, 2012 17:59
I work for a major phone retail chain in the UK and had to install 4 of these handsets to go on live display on launch date. All suffer from similar issues to the one in the article, with one even displaying orange/yellow marks at the side when there's pressure applied on it from our display clamps. It's most noticable on white backgrounds.
anonymous 10 April, 2012 19:09
Purchased my One X from carphone warehouse and I have not experienced any of the 'flex problems that you have reported. The build quality is very good so assume as suggested this problem only exists with some demo models?
anonymous 10 April, 2012 19:30
No flex problems here my apple loving friend :)
anonymous 10 April, 2012 19:38
I have had my HTC One X since the 5th of April, no problems at all. I've tried to simulate the flexing problem but the display is perfect. In fact the best screen of any mobile phone I have had.
Junaid 10 April, 2012 20:20
This is indeed very concerning. I just checked my HTC ONE X ( got it from Three ) and seems to suffer from the same issue. Its only happening on the left edge of the screen and not the right hand side.
Natasha please advise further on the term Screen Flex ?. Most people wont even push the phone that hard to check the flex. I am a very knowledgeable person when it comes to phones and keep a close eye on all the prodcuts and related articles coming out on the internet. I have used my phone for a few days and apparently there is nothing else wrong with it other then what you just mentioned. Please let us know how can Screen Flex effect the durability and usability of the phone and the screen in the long run ? An answer would be much appreciated. Thanks
anonymous 10 April, 2012 21:09
Mine does this... The phone is so slim and slick what do u expect if u press on an liquid display... Best phone out there by a long shot.
anonymous 10 April, 2012 22:31
The HTC ONE X is the best phone I ever had! No flexing problems at all. HTC ONE X screen is awsome!
anonymous 10 April, 2012 22:44
I've one x since launch and had none of these problems pros are reporting such as yellow spots loose volume buttons,seems like people who llove to see HTC put down are trying there best to slate the HTC one x..it's a top range phone
anonymous 10 April, 2012 23:11
"may only be a problem with demo devices -- and may not affect the final retail build" 'but we are going to to rant about it anyway'...
anonymous 11 April, 2012 02:34
Well you know what the solouton is don't you. Don't push it!
anonymous 11 April, 2012 05:22
you're holding it wrong...
anonymous 11 April, 2012 08:19
obviously the reviewing doesn't understand LCD technology and that if you push on it you see that effect. As to if this is a problem? I don't think so, who holds their phone in such a way that you're pushing on the edges of the display. I've had my One X now for a few days where my previous phone was the Galaxy S and while I though the S was a great phone, the One X is much better and Sense is so much better than Samsung's Touch Wiz skin.
This is a great phone and I agree with some of the other comments that reviewers, just need to find fault even where there isn't one in the first place.
Also, why are all the reviews covering pretty much the same topics. I didn't read one review that tested out the GPS functionality on the device or the Bluetooth capabilities. Everyone seems to comment on the same aspects.
anonymous 11 April, 2012 08:28
It would be apparent I'm on the computer before work...what a sad idea, but true. Don't press the screen that hard!
Some of these reviews are ridiculous, finding the smallest possible flaw. Some 'issues' you find are not appropriately measured against the positives of a device. I do like Apple a lot, but there are a number of devices which run equally as well and even, dare I say on here, better. I've noticed an issue you've found on an Apple device is always seen as a lesser issue, than something found of the same kind on an Android that can easily compete with the Apple device. What's the deal!? Looking at other review websites, Cnet come forward as possibly the most obviously biased. However, I do enjoy reading them and then people's comments! It's no doubt a running joke, right?
RedHamstar 11 April, 2012 09:36
Yh same thing as "Junaid" said. Only occurs on the left side, but since I've had the device I have never needed to press the screen on edge. And also agree with the fact that it is a slim display, so what else can you expect. I mean try touching, not pressing, your laptop screen and I reckon the same thing will happen. Still the best screen out there...
anonymous 11 April, 2012 09:54
Exact same problem on my device. Also when the screen is on full brightness the whole screen starts to flicker. Sending mine back to Phones4U for a replacement.
anonymous 11 April, 2012 10:12
Screen flex problem? Not really a problem compared with, if you hold your phone in your hand you lose all signal. What rubbish phone had that problem?
I think the only problem with the HTC One X is that the Samsung S3 is coming out soon. My last 3 phones have all been HTCs and all great (including the Tytn II !) and have all been better than their respective Apple counterpart. The One is amazing and is far superior than the iphone in all but one respect. Apples bandwagon-style marketing and the media that they have fooled for the last 5 years
anonymous 11 April, 2012 11:43
If some people are having the issue and others not then it is obviously a problem. If it was everyone having the same issue then fair enough.
I love my one x but i don't expect issues like this, and the creaking issue i have on a premium handset.
anonymous 11 April, 2012 15:03
my Htc one x has got a severe fluxing problems the screen is turning black at the places that we hold by the edges. I got this from 3 network. This design flaw should be taken care of
anonymous 11 April, 2012 15:30
So what, obviously a thin LCD screen is going to do that. That's normal!
Natasha Lomas 11 April, 2012 15:59
@anonymous 11 April, 2012 15:30
If that's "normal" why did HTC's designer say -- and I quote -- "we would never let that ship"?
anonymous 11 April, 2012 16:13
A fake issue... Not with us , I seems 2 b a fruit lover, called apple.
anonymous 11 April, 2012 16:48
It seems HTC's designer was affraid to admit this problem. This is normal for all LCDs, it must will happen to any phone with LCD. You can try any, if display is close enough and by pressing the screen will go under pressure you will see the same results. Its OK and no big deal. But while designing they should have kept in mind to divert pressure somehow to the edges of the body from gorilla glass, not to the screen. Any way no biggi and all LCDs behave same way, it do not affect the quality of screen.
anonymous 11 April, 2012 18:41
my phones also is doing it. Got it from carphone warehouse.
anonymous 12 April, 2012 01:03
its so true i got recorded on my phone with that screen flaw, i can send it to cnet if they want. also i m uploading on youtube now.
anonymous 12 April, 2012 01:09
here is the video i just uploaded on youtube. CNET
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKAM3fDp30Q
anonymous 12 April, 2012 08:13
My Htc one X flexes on the left side and not the right. Also has the fault with the artifacts on the bottom of the screen when playing back video, See my vid on youtube Enormousstormtrooper video is htc one x screen fault.
Natasha Lomas 12 April, 2012 09:21
@anonymous 12 April, 2012 01:03 Send us the link to the video of the flaw you're experiencing
anonymous 12 April, 2012 16:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tJJJzAe0QU this video showed how some people are experiencing the screen banding issues. #ShockHorror
anonymous 12 April, 2012 21:28
I've just purchased the one x and the screen issues is not present,I've tryed pressing the screen quite hard and it didn't happen.I had gs2 and after using this thing the gs2 seems really dated.
anonymous 13 April, 2012 00:56
This seems like pseudoproblem to me. It's the same thing that happens when you poke an LCD monitor. I don't poke or squeeze my phone hard enough to make the screen deform so I don't have the problem.
anonymous 13 April, 2012 06:16
what a ridiculous concept: 'item may break if stressed in a way not normal for use'
My newspaper reacts badly to flames but it would take an idiot to complain its not fire-proof
Natasha Lomas 13 April, 2012 11:55
@Junaid Pressing on LCD screens hard enough to distort the surface can damage them so the flaw could end up affecting the quality of the One X's screen in the long run -- i.e. if you hold the phone in a way that causes the distortion to happen a lot
anonymous 15 April, 2012 07:55
I recently received my HTC One X and have no distortion issues with it. Perhaps it was a flaw that was caught early enough in production and was corrected?
BadgersOHara 15 April, 2012 20:18
I have recently purchased this phone and have no issues at all. If you really push the screen hard, there is very minor distortion, but you really have to squeeze beyond any normal stresses. This is no different to any other phone.
anonymous 16 April, 2012 11:21
I returned the first with two dots in the bottom corners, then two with yellow dots in bright white screens
anonymous 16 April, 2012 12:40
I had my HTC one x for 8 days, fine for the first 3 days then the screen started to get lines and distort, also when watching a video i got major banding to the bottom of the screen, when i called three they told me to take the battery off for 2 hours and call back. The battery is non removable but 3 must not have been aware. Anyway i saw the video on youtube and the guy had the same problem, unable to watch videos, use camera. I have changed my phone for another brand and model as i spoke to a few people who had the same problem with the HTC one x.
anonymous 19 April, 2012 01:06
Just got my HTC one x from dial-a-phone UK and I can confirm that my unit has this issue or design flaw or whatever. when I press hard on the edge of the screen, the discolouration happens. having said that, I need to press it quite hard and I don't press it this hard nornally anyway. I think Htc one x is beautiful and yeah I don't think this little issue is going to affect me
Brendan McNulty 19 April, 2012 10:51
I will start by saying I am an HTC afficionado. I have owned an iPhone but prefer the android platform and the flexibility of the phones etc. My whole family (wife and three kids) have android smartphones and my 7 year old is better at app installation than me.
I have recently acquired an HTC One X and was looking forward to it enormously.
I have checked the screen flex issue and it is there on my new phone from Orange (we got 4 new phones on the same day).
More disconcertingly the banding issue occurred for the first time last night while watching you tube. I switched to an installed MP4 video (Avatar) and the issue was still there, I tried another video source and,,, still there.
The flex is not a huge issue for me as I do not press the phone hard. The banding is as I use my phone frequently for watching videos whilst waiting on my kids at their various social gatherings and clubs.
I have contacted orange who said I need to go back to my supplier (I use an agent as it is through the business) and HTC who said take it back and 'there is a software update released'.
Orange, as we all know take ages to release updates so I have contacted my supplier today. I must stress that when I rebooted the phone the video is back to normal and that it only occurred that once.
Does anyone have any idea if the software update will rectify these issues as I fear my replacement handset will have the same issues?
anonymous 19 April, 2012 11:18
my 4th replacement in the latest batch is all fixed, I forgive HTC now ;-)
anonymous 20 April, 2012 11:05
After seeing this article and getting slightly concerned... I mean, is it doing this in my pocket all the time? Is it actually damaging the screen??... I decided to try it out on my screen...
All I can say is it is as sturdy as a rock... if i press any harder, it will break i am sure. I have the grey model from Phones4U bought on release day.
anonymous 4 May, 2012 17:03
I have a model brought from phones4u on 11 April12. This problem has manifested itself on my phone with orange colour bottom left corner visible on white screen. When pressing the screen along left hand side slightest of pressure results in identical issue as described in vid above. Phone is going back for replacement.
frodo 6 May, 2012 11:25
my first htc one x appeared perfect no flexing as mentioned the only problem was when you put brightness full up it flickered. took it back to cpw and they replaced it no worries got home and set up new one and guess what the screen had the flexing down the left side when you press on the edge you could hear the screen creak also the shiver effect. the first one didnt have this creaky screen or the shiver effect so there are dodgy ones out there. i took it back to cpw and the girl said they where aware of the screen flex problem.. i then just took a refund am not paying 450 for a phone that has dodgy build i was gutted cause its a nice phone if and when htc fix the problem i would defo get another one. the problem is more common than people think its a case of live with it or get it back htc say it shouldnt be like that
anonymous 7 May, 2012 15:33
I bought my One X in Hungary at T-mobile and i experienced the same flex issue that was mentioned above. What do I do? bring back the phone to T-mobile to change? or should i go directly to HTC?
anonymous 10 May, 2012 11:38
I have a same issue. The htc said: " This is not a defect of your screen, rather it is a characteristic of the technology of the LCD screen" However, I haven't got a same problem on my desire.
anonymous 15 May, 2012 18:05
Had my One X for 5 days and today noticed small yellow dot in bottom right corner. Exchanging tomorrow. This appears to be manufacturing issue.
anonymous 15 May, 2012 19:10
I have been on plenty One X's and there is no problem that you reported. I'm getting this on Friday and think its an amazing phone, as do 99% of owners so Cnet, stop griping about how bad this phone is. Apparently the Quad Core, size of the phone and battery is awful on the phone so what else are you going to complain about. It's actually comical when you see the S3 review that receives bags of praise for its Quad Core processor and size yet is criticised on the One X despite being the same (in fact the S3 is bigger!) Stop moaning Cnet and stop being so favourable towards the S3 when the specs of the two are NEAR IDENTICAL!
anonymous 18 May, 2012 11:13
Hi im from the Philippines i just bought the unit and it seems that there is the problem on the screen, I went to the HTC shop and told them to replace it, we tested a lot of one x unit, it seems that the white one's has the problem and not with the black, i think this is manufacturing problem and btw thanks for this site i inform them that the problem exist on a large scale,
anonymous 23 May, 2012 18:02
i had a problem of an orange mark on the top left side of the screen, should i return it back
anonymous 10 June, 2012 02:47
I am on my second (and final) HTC One X. First one had graphics chip problems and my replacement has the flex issues. I will never buy a HTC device again. The supplier has agreed to replace my 2nd faulty One X for a Samsung Galaxy S3.
anonymous 12 June, 2012 16:29
'I tried it out and yes the waves appear, but what concerns me a lot more is the fact, that the screen clicks when pressed down, as if it's not installed properly, it's a bit loose and you can even see the gap, it's about half a millimetre thick, I've had the phone for just one day, should I report that?
anonymous 20 June, 2012 15:30
I have an HTC One X and I can reproduce this, bit of a shame but I hadn't noticed it until I tried it so it's not going to make much of a difference for my usage.
anonymous 24 June, 2012 04:01
I am from Australia, and I got my HTC One X from via local major telco company. I certainly does suffers from flexing issues big time. Great job for a $700 phone guys.
anonymous 2 July, 2012 14:46
I have the same problem. I've buyed the phone from Vodafone. The waves appear pretty much on every edge and corner but on the left side is more visible and the waves are bigger.
anonymous 8 July, 2012 06:26
only the lower right side does this, that part of the touch screen is also pretty much totally unresponsive so I guess this is going to have to be replaced. what a bummer.
anonymous 8 August, 2012 20:44
I have a HTC one X and the left lower corner of the screen has got a permanent yellow spot which is most visible on white screens. If cnet wants I can upload a video of it. I am already taken the matter up with Amazon, hope they replace the handset.
anonymous 24 August, 2012 10:40
Having sent my phone back to HTC UK twice for repair, both times it has come back with this flexing issue and they seem incapable of fixing it. Really shoddy repair and disappointing as I only brought another HTC phone because of my old Desire's excellent build quality. Won't buy another HTC.
anonymous 26 November, 2012 10:41
Got mine from three
The screen came scratched right out of the box
There's annoying squeak at the bottom of the handset when you go to press the home buttons, or touch any part of the screen in that area
Theres lcd ripple also when you touch some of the area in the bottom
The call volume drops and raises so it's sometimes near impossible to make a good phone call
Love the phone but there's so much wrong, hoping to return it soon
anonymous 3 May, 2013 20:32
It's currently the 3rd of May 2013 and I can confirm that some retailers are still selling these phones with this problem and deny any knowledge of the issue. My service provider even refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem when I show them mine, all they suggest is get insurance.