Are all K3s created equal?

vega07 · 12-15-2010, 03:07 AM

I just got my replacement K3 and the screen is noticeably darker/yellower than my old one...as in the contrast is not as good.

I really don't want to bother with another replacement.

But when I turned on the replacement, I immediately noticed the difference. Does the screen improve in contrast or get "whiter" over time?

Yep, the left side of the screen is noticeably darker than the right. WTH AMAZON? Ugh.

veezh · 12-15-2010, 03:58 AM

I had a similar experience.

After noticing that the battery of my new Kindle was draining rapidly during the first few weeks I owned it, I phoned Amazon CS, and they sent a replacement. The new screen was much darker (and the contrast poorer) than my first Kindle's. On top of the screen issue, the replacement also had the dreaded 'rattle', so I just decided to keep my original Kindle and live with the battery issue.

I sent the replacement back the same day it arrived.

desertblues · 12-15-2010, 04:08 AM

I got a replacement as well, but I didn't have any choice of keeping the old one....was completely and totally stuck.
The replacement works smoother than my original Kindle and has the same quality of screen and doesn't give me any trouble at all.

hal2814 · 12-15-2010, 07:37 AM

I had the opposite happen when they replaced my Kindle 2. The original screen was OK, but when I got the replacement in the screen was fantastic.

scenox · 12-15-2010, 07:47 AM

Apparently you need some luck on your side to get a good Kindle. Differences in contrast are hard to recognize without comparison, so most people will accept it without a word of protest.

But when you have a comparison and think that the replacement is worse, get another replacement!

Tiersten · 12-15-2010, 08:43 AM

In theory they should all be very similar but the eInk display seems to have quite a bit of manufacturing variation. There is a chip on the eInk display which stores calibration data that is specific for that display so just going by the fact that they need that and it isn't generic means its not a very precise process.

That said, the operation of the eInk display is very dependant on the firmware as well. One of the early K3 firmware releases caused the display to be very susceptible to temperature changes and high temperatures would cause excessive slowdown during refresh. They fixed or at least significantly reduced this issue in a later update.

As for the other issues like rattling and excessive battery consumption, those seem more like faults tho. If it isn't how you expect it to be then you should definitely talk to Kindle CS and see what they can do.

gca3020 · 12-15-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veezh

I had a similar experience.

After noticing that the battery of my new Kindle was draining rapidly during the first few weeks I owned it, I phoned Amazon CS, and they sent a replacement. The new screen was much darker (and the contrast poorer) than my first Kindle's. On top of the screen issue, the replacement also had the dreaded 'rattle', so I just decided to keep my original Kindle and live with the battery issue.

I sent the replacement back the same day it arrived.

Any chance your battery issue was simply a problem indexing a bunch of content? I know I was terribly disappointed in battery life for the first few days I owned it. Since then, after it finished indexing the hundred or so books I dropped on it (and turning 3G off when I'm not using it) I've had fantastic battery performance.

stevenjotello · 12-15-2010, 02:27 PM

Apparently you need a little luck on their side to get a good Kindle. Exchange differences are difficult to recognize, without comparison, most people will accept without a word of protest.

ProfCrash · 12-15-2010, 03:07 PM

I would not keep a faulty product. Call back and return the replacement. You should be getting a Kindle that works as advertised. That means proper battery life and a screen with amazing contrast.

JaneD · 12-15-2010, 03:21 PM

I've seen people posting that they've replaced their k3s 4-5 times. If you are not happy with the replacement - replace it again!

Blog Kindle · 12-15-2010, 03:31 PM

Just go for the replacement. Since Amazon does cross-shipment on replacements, you can compare the two before sending the old one off.

If you do - take a picture and post it here.

WalkingDistance · 12-15-2010, 03:39 PM

Well when I had mine replaced, the screens were about the same. I feel like the real inconsistency is how they snap the front and back together. I have ridges (on both the old and the new) where the snap wasn't quite flush. So i have ridges hanging out from both the old and the new kindle.

But my old kindle had a functioning error where it reset all the time and had something physically loose and rattling inside so my new one was a huge improvement.

wvcherrybomb · 12-15-2010, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaneD

I've seen people posting that they've replaced their k3s 4-5 times. If you are not happy with the replacement - replace it again!

I absolutely agree.

Like someone mentioned, the battery thing may have been due to adding a large collection to the new device and having it indexing. If that is the case, it should have correct itself.

A K3 as it should be is a beautiful thing and I would ask for a replacement of anything less.

desertblues · 12-15-2010, 04:08 PM

I looked real hard with a magnifying glass to see wether my replacement-Kindle had been used and if they sent me a refurbished one. But I didn't notice wear or tear and it works even better as the original worked in the beginning.

I was happy; as they also sent that replacement to me well within a week from overseas (end of November).

scenox · 12-15-2010, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenjotello

Apparently you need a little luck on their side to get a good Kindle. Exchange differences are difficult to recognize, without comparison, most people will accept without a word of protest.

Thank you for repeating my words

12-15-2010, 03:07 AM	#1
vega07 Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 50 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle 2	Are all K3s created equal? I just got my replacement K3 and the screen is noticeably darker/yellower than my old one...as in the contrast is not as good. I really don't want to bother with another replacement. But when I turned on the replacement, I immediately noticed the difference. Does the screen improve in contrast or get "whiter" over time? Yep, the left side of the screen is noticeably darker than the right. WTH AMAZON? Ugh. Last edited by vega07; 12-15-2010 at 03:20 AM.

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12-15-2010, 03:58 AM	#2
veezh plus ça change Posts: 101 Karma: 32134 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: France Device: Kindle PW2, Voyage	I had a similar experience. After noticing that the battery of my new Kindle was draining rapidly during the first few weeks I owned it, I phoned Amazon CS, and they sent a replacement. The new screen was much darker (and the contrast poorer) than my first Kindle's. On top of the screen issue, the replacement also had the dreaded 'rattle', so I just decided to keep my original Kindle and live with the battery issue. I sent the replacement back the same day it arrived.

12-15-2010, 04:08 AM	#3
desertblues Home for the moment Posts: 5,127 Karma: 27718936 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: travelling Device: various	I got a replacement as well, but I didn't have any choice of keeping the old one....was completely and totally stuck. The replacement works smoother than my original Kindle and has the same quality of screen and doesn't give me any trouble at all.

12-15-2010, 07:37 AM	#4
hal2814 Connoisseur Posts: 65 Karma: 2460 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle 2	I had the opposite happen when they replaced my Kindle 2. The original screen was OK, but when I got the replacement in the screen was fantastic.

12-15-2010, 07:47 AM	#5
scenox Member Posts: 22 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Apparently you need some luck on your side to get a good Kindle. Differences in contrast are hard to recognize without comparison, so most people will accept it without a word of protest. But when you have a comparison and think that the replacement is worse, get another replacement!

12-15-2010, 08:43 AM	#6
Tiersten Guru Posts: 987 Karma: 8641 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3G+WiFi	In theory they should all be very similar but the eInk display seems to have quite a bit of manufacturing variation. There is a chip on the eInk display which stores calibration data that is specific for that display so just going by the fact that they need that and it isn't generic means its not a very precise process. That said, the operation of the eInk display is very dependant on the firmware as well. One of the early K3 firmware releases caused the display to be very susceptible to temperature changes and high temperatures would cause excessive slowdown during refresh. They fixed or at least significantly reduced this issue in a later update. As for the other issues like rattling and excessive battery consumption, those seem more like faults tho. If it isn't how you expect it to be then you should definitely talk to Kindle CS and see what they can do.

12-15-2010, 02:27 PM	#8
stevenjotello Member Posts: 15 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: none	Apparently you need a little luck on their side to get a good Kindle. Exchange differences are difficult to recognize, without comparison, most people will accept without a word of protest.

12-15-2010, 03:07 PM	#9
ProfCrash Tea Enthusiast Posts: 8,554 Karma: 75384937 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Somewhere in the USA Device: Kindle1, Kindle DX Graphite, K3 3G, IPad 3, PW2	I would not keep a faulty product. Call back and return the replacement. You should be getting a Kindle that works as advertised. That means proper battery life and a screen with amazing contrast.

12-15-2010, 03:21 PM	#10
JaneD Addict Posts: 322 Karma: 1057749 Join Date: May 2010 Location: LA, CA Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2013	I've seen people posting that they've replaced their k3s 4-5 times. If you are not happy with the replacement - replace it again!

12-15-2010, 03:31 PM	#11
Blog Kindle Addict Posts: 224 Karma: 25122 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 1/2/3/4/Touch/DX/Fire\|PRS-600/350\|Nook(color)\|iPad\|iPad2\|EVO 4G	Just go for the replacement. Since Amazon does cross-shipment on replacements, you can compare the two before sending the old one off. If you do - take a picture and post it here.

12-15-2010, 03:39 PM	#12
WalkingDistance Connoisseur Posts: 58 Karma: 50018 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Well when I had mine replaced, the screens were about the same. I feel like the real inconsistency is how they snap the front and back together. I have ridges (on both the old and the new) where the snap wasn't quite flush. So i have ridges hanging out from both the old and the new kindle. But my old kindle had a functioning error where it reset all the time and had something physically loose and rattling inside so my new one was a huge improvement.

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12-15-2010, 04:08 PM	#14
desertblues Home for the moment Posts: 5,127 Karma: 27718936 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: travelling Device: various	I looked real hard with a magnifying glass to see wether my replacement-Kindle had been used and if they sent me a refurbished one. But I didn't notice wear or tear and it works even better as the original worked in the beginning. I was happy; as they also sent that replacement to me well within a week from overseas (end of November).