Yes, at level 24 I can see the bottom shadows very clearly, though that doesn't bother me. I think that is going to be there on all of the PWs. I'm currently in a well lit room and as I turn up the light level I can just start noticing the bottom shadows at around level 12. Level 14 is just right for reading in this room. Level 24 is way too bright to comfortably read in this room.

But I'm not seeing the blotchiness all over the screen like I did with my defective PW. There is some shadow/light variations, but they are not that bad. My screen looks much like most of the photos I've seen from good units. It does NOT look as white and clean as the marketing photos, but I wouldn't expect it too!