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[Q] Screen pinkness (is mine normal?)

Hi all,
Picked up my One S on Monday and, so far, in almost every way it's my "perfect" phone - great feel, weight, crazy slick... just lovely.
However (and why is there ALWAYS an Achilles heel?), I'm really not happy about the screen. Ok, it's pentile, but so was my Desire (AMOLED one) and I never had a single problem with that. It's just this one seems so, well, pink! Not just in white balance, but there seems to be too much red everywhere - e.g. text on grey in Tweetdeck has crazy amounts of red fringing (especially noticeable on the yellow too), and the over saturated colours are almost too much (though not much more than my Desire, to be honest).
(Quick comparison of the screen temps attached)
I mean, seriously, that's not normal, right?
Am I the only person who seems to notice red / pink outlines on everything, am I the only person bothered by it, or am I just unlucky with this phone?
I went to Carphone to swap it, but they wouldn't because their manager was out and because I traded down from the X on Monday (flickering screen nightmare), so I had a play on their display model and I convinced myself the screen on that one was better! But, I'd love a second opinion!
Cheers!

Oh that's really pink! Will check mine when it finishes the first round charging.

I would say this isn't normal. On amoled Displays white areas appear a bit blueish or grey. But this red/pink looks unnormal
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

no, this doesn't look normal. But the thin red and green outlines are caused by the pentile-matrix, this is normal.

Just download Screen Adjuster and increase blue and green values a bit and your red screen will be gone

That's a v. useful app! It's definitely taken the edge off (green & blue at +5), but I'll still pursue a replacement as the contrast has taken a bit of a hit now.
(I'm such a perfectionist!)

Fondue said:
Hi all,
Picked up my One S on Monday and, so far, in almost every way it's my "perfect" phone - great feel, weight, crazy slick... just lovely.
However (and why is there ALWAYS an Achilles heel?), I'm really not happy about the screen. Ok, it's pentile, but so was my Desire (AMOLED one) and I never had a single problem with that. It's just this one seems so, well, pink! Not just in white balance, but there seems to be too much red everywhere - e.g. text on grey in Tweetdeck has crazy amounts of red fringing (especially noticeable on the yellow too), and the over saturated colours are almost too much (though not much more than my Desire, to be honest).
(Quick comparison of the screen temps attached)
I mean, seriously, that's not normal, right?
Am I the only person who seems to notice red / pink outlines on everything, am I the only person bothered by it, or am I just unlucky with this phone?
I went to Carphone to swap it, but they wouldn't because their manager was out and because I traded down from the X on Monday (flickering screen nightmare), so I had a play on their display model and I convinced myself the screen on that one was better! But, I'd love a second opinion!
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see an difference in the white background yes... but other that that? Nope... it's just you...

Thiesen said:
I see an difference in the white background yes... but other that that? Nope... it's just you...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, when I say "see" I meant on their own One S rather than on my screenshot.

I sometimes notice it being a bit pink when the brightness is set low, have you tired using auto brightness or putting it a bit higher?

djpc said:
I sometimes notice it being a bit pink when the brightness is set low, have you tired using auto brightness or putting it a bit higher?
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Same here, it is pinkish only on low brightness.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

encho said:
Same here, it is pinkish only on low brightness.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium
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Hmm. Other than at 100% brightness, it still seems pinkish. I finally get to persuade CPW to give me a replacement tomorrow...

That's looking odd definitely. Let us know if the replacement is better.
I haven't noticed any issue on mine
sent using HTC1S

mine screen is definitely on the warm side of things (meaning the whites are yellow'ish). seeing how One X has a yellow tint issue (different screen manufacturers involved it seems) and you're playing a screen lottery i wonder if One S is the same. slightly warmer screens is not an issue per se but a strong yellow tint definitely effects the overall brightness and sharpness. i would love to compare different units in store to see if One S with cooler screens actually exist.
the pink tint is a straight up defect, however.

Fondue said:
Hmm. Other than at 100% brightness, it still seems pinkish. I finally get to persuade CPW to give me a replacement tomorrow...
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Click to collapse
This probably won't help you. It won't hurt I guess, but this is something that can be worked out with a software solution. The SGS had something called Voodoo Colors, and I'm assuming that at some point that'll make it to the One S, as it's an AMOLED device as well. The colors changing on low brightness is one of the characteristics of an AMOLED screen.
As a poster above recommended, install that tool and set adjust the values for now. In due time, this'll be worked out. HTC just didnt do a great job with their color profile.

Is anyone else's whites a little yellow/warmer in comparison to the Nexus 4?

Not sure if it's the calibration or a defect.

Never had a 4 but my 32GB white certainly seems to get warm when the screen is on.

Yeyinde said:
Never had a 4 but my 32GB white certainly seems to get warm when the screen is on.
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Sorry, I didn't mean temperature wise. I meant if the colors were a little warm and if the color white seem to have a yellow tint to it. As if there was a very light sephia filter.

Mine is. No where near the Galaxy Nexus levels but it is a pretty big difference from the N4. It's not so bad with apps and web browsing but very noticeable on videos and games with bright colors.

neok44 said:
Mine is. No where near the Galaxy Nexus levels but it is a pretty big difference from the N4. It's not so bad with apps and web browsing but very noticeable on videos and games with bright colors.
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ah ok so it must be a calibration thing. I didn't notice it until I noticed something seemed off on the background of instagram and chrome seemed a ilttle off to me as well.

Hero_Guy said:
ah ok so it must be a calibration thing. I didn't notice it until I noticed something seemed off on the background of instagram and chrome seemed a ilttle off to me as well.
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I put my N4 and N5, right next to each other with hangouts, chrome (google.com, nhc.noaa.gov, amazon.com, facebook.com), facebook, twitter, and the play store.
N5 was easily warmer and colors slightly washed out, especially blues, but no where near as bad as the GNex and not terrible compared to the N4 though a big difference.
With a custom kernel it'll be easy to remedy this though as many of us did, including me, on the Galaxy Nexus.
I also didn't find it that bad either in normal use, unlike the GNex which was almost unbearable for me.

Mine is very warm/yellow too. Very noticeable on white screens.

Yep, side by side with my N4 it is very noticeable... and not in a nice way! Used in isolation I wasn't hugely aware of it, but beside a "proper" white screen it's immediately obvious.

Yep, same here. Now I'm wondering if this is how all N5s are. I know that I went through a few Nexus 10s before finding one with a much colder (i.e., whiter) screen, not sure if it's worth replacing my N5 or if all of them are this way.
I do prefer colder screens, or non-yellowish screens (because I'm not convinced this is a screen temp issue, precisely; shouldn't warmer be more reddish, while colder is more bluish?). As others have mentioned, it's not bad by itself, but put it next to a white screen and it sticks out. Might drive me crazy going back and forth between this N5 and my N10.

Keep in mind that "warmer" color temperatures are actually more accurate. Cold blue might look more like your typical computer monitor, but that's not accurate color.

A fix for the yellow-ish display

I really like the phone and think the screen is fine in most areas...but it's very yellow. The whites aren't really whites and, compared to my HTC One, the difference is striking. Yes, I know the One has an extremely cold screen while the Nexus has a warm screen, but there has to be a happy medium here, right? I think this is clearly just a calibration problem that can be fixed with a software tweak, so does anyone have any ideas? It's literally the only thing I'm not happy about.

jtc276 said:
I really like the phone and think the screen is fine in most areas...but it's very yellow. The whites aren't really whites and, compared to my HTC One, the difference is striking. Yes, I know the One has an extremely cold screen while the Nexus has a warm screen, but there has to be a happy medium here, right? I think this is clearly just a calibration problem that can be fixed with a software tweak, so does anyone have any ideas? It's literally the only thing I'm not happy about.
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Maybe it can be adjusted for in software, but I don't believe this is just a calibration issue. I also don't think it's color temp, precisely, because that should be either bluish cold or reddish warm, not urine yellow (sorry, best way to describe it). I've seen this on many devices over the last few years, from ASUS Transformers to iPads to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. The only device I've bought where I didn't have at least one with a yellow screen was my Nexus 4, and I'm pretty sure I was just lucky the first time out--plenty of people complained about this on their Nexus 4s.
I think it's some kind of manufacturing variability, with the intended design specs (and software calibration) to have truer whites and deeper colors (washed out UI colors go along with the yellow tint). Personally, I can't accept it--the problem also shows itself as a lack of contrast in UI elements, such as the browser address bar against the background gray, or text fields in Hangouts. On the yellowish displays, there's almost no contrast, and so the fields can actually be hard to make out sometimes.
Thing is, if you never have two devices to hold side-by-side, then you may never notice the issue. You'll just think that colors are washed out, because that's more obvious by itself than the off-color whites.
I went through four iPad 3s before getting one with true whites, and more Nexus 7s and Nexus 10s than I'll admit to. I just hate it, personally, and honestly the Nexus 5 hasn't been so great so far that I'll go through the same number to get one that's acceptable. I have a replacement on its way (my audio output is also a bit distorted), and if that one's the same then I might give up on this year's Nexus and get an LG G2 instead.

wynand32 said:
Maybe it can be adjusted for in software, but I don't believe this is just a calibration issue. I also don't think it's color temp, precisely, because that should be either bluish cold or reddish warm, not urine yellow (sorry, best way to describe it). I've seen this on many devices over the last few years, from ASUS Transformers to iPads to the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10. The only device I've bought where I didn't have at least one with a yellow screen was my Nexus 4, and I'm pretty sure I was just lucky the first time out--plenty of people complained about this on their Nexus 4s.
I think it's some kind of manufacturing variability, with the intended design specs (and software calibration) to have truer whites and deeper colors (washed out UI colors go along with the yellow tint). Personally, I can't accept it--the problem also shows itself as a lack of contrast in UI elements, such as the browser address bar against the background gray, or text fields in Hangouts. On the yellowish displays, there's almost no contrast, and so the fields can actually be hard to make out sometimes.
Thing is, if you never have two devices to hold side-by-side, then you may never notice the issue. You'll just think that colors are washed out, because that's more obvious by itself than the off-color whites.
I went through four iPad 3s before getting one with true whites, and more Nexus 7s and Nexus 10s than I'll admit to. I just hate it, personally, and honestly the Nexus 5 hasn't been so great so far that I'll go through the same number to get one that's acceptable. I have a replacement on its way (my audio output is also a bit distorted), and if that one's the same then I might give up on this year's Nexus and get an LG G2 instead.
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Interesting. Yesterday I was actually angry and posted the phone on Swappa. Today I've been much nicer toward the subject. But if it's really due to the manufacturing process, I might just swap it for a Moto X. Either way, I'm not sure. I still need to decide.

jtc276 said:
Interesting. Yesterday I was actually angry and posted the phone on Swappa. Today I've been much nicer toward the subject. But if it's really due to the manufacturing process, I might just swap it for a Moto X. Either way, I'm not sure. I still need to decide.
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Best thing would be to wait for the dev's and see what they come up with. They did great with the N4, so I'm hoping it'll be the same on the N5. I do think the display is incredibly warm. Having it side by side with my N4 is striking.

wynand32 said:
Maybe it can be adjusted for in software, but I don't believe this is just a calibration issue. I also don't think it's color temp, precisely, because that should be either bluish cold or reddish warm, not urine yellow (sorry, best way to describe it)
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A warm white balance is yellowish not red. At low levels my N5 is massively warm next to my N4

MrBelter said:
A warm white balance is yellowish not red. At low levels my N5 is massively warm next to my N4
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Yes, thanks, you're right--color temp does go through yellow as it gets warmer before getting to red. So, thanks for the correction.
That said, it's not a _consistent_ thing, or at least hasn't been in the past with other devices. I have a Nexus 10, for example, that is much colder (with white whites, not blueish, so I'm calling it right in the middle) than many others that I tried out side-by-side. It also seems to get better with given devices as the manufacturing process goes on--for example, it was a problem early in the lifecycle of the iPad 3 but then became consistently over time (if forum complaints about it can be taken as evidence).
So, personally, I think that it's simply very difficult to make consistent LCD panels with these resolutions and at these price points. Perhaps someone like LG does a better job of quality control in making their higher-priced G2 than they do screens for their Nexus 5; I haven't read about this being a problem with the LG G2's screen, which I think is similar technology.
Anyways, it definitely makes an impact on the quality of the experience. I might be much more sensitive to it than others, and some people might actually prefer their screen warmer--although I wonder if they would if they hold it next to a screen that has truer whites. Really, the difference in contrast is what's most striking, to me at least.
---------- Post added at 08:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:00 AM ----------
MrBelter said:
A warm white balance is yellowish not red. At low levels my N5 is massively warm next to my N4
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Oh, and, I think you're right about the brightness levels as well-it does seem to get a touch better when the screen is brighter.

this also happened with the iphone 5s..it was fixed a few weeks later..our phones have only just been made and the glue takes on average 2 to 3 weeks to dry completely and then become transparent..relax

Here's a really good article discussing what's going on here: http://www.eizo.com/global/library/basics/color_temperature_on_an_LCD_monitor/
Look at about 3/4 down the page, they have examples that demonstrate what we're seeing quite nicely. Not only are whites more yellow, but to my eyes colors wash out the warmer the display.

hello00 said:
this also happened with the iphone 5s..it was fixed a few weeks later..our phones have only just been made and the glue takes on average 2 to 3 weeks to dry completely and then become transparent..relax
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This guy is right. Give it a week and it will get better. Not perfect, but it won't be as yellow.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

hello00 said:
this also happened with the iphone 5s..it was fixed a few weeks later..our phones have only just been made and the glue takes on average 2 to 3 weeks to dry completely and then become transparent..relax
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Unfortunately, I don't think this is the same as the glue issue. That's typically only on parts of the screen, and I've seen this too many times on other devices where out of the box one is terribly warmer than another and it never resolves.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

wynand32 said:
Unfortunately, I don't think this is the same as the glue issue. That's typically only on parts of the screen, and I've seen this too many times on other devices where out of the box one is terribly warmer than another and it never resolves.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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You're right , when it's a glue problem usually there's just spots, not a solid yellow tone over the screen, so what can we do? try to exchange the phone, are there nexus 5 with colder screen or are they all so yellow?
I had a galaxy nexus with a terribly yellow screen, let me tell it NEVER got better , even after months of use :crying:

This video shows the difference between the N4 and N5. Wait until it gets to the browser speed comparison, you can see the screen is yellower on the N5 and the UI contrast is less. Note that the apparent difference on mine is much greater, so either this is variation or the video mutes the difference.
http://fullyc.com/watch-speed-test-every-google-nexus-phone-see-wonders-nexus-5/
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

wynand32 said:
Unfortunately, I don't think this is the same as the glue issue. That's typically only on parts of the screen, and I've seen this too many times on other devices where out of the box one is terribly warmer than another and it never resolves.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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other n4 had it and later was fixed..i remember when i had it on mine

hello00 said:
other n4 had it and later was fixed..i remember when i had it on mine
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You mean with new batches of the phone?

hello00 said:
other n4 had it and later was fixed..i remember when i had it on mine
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Fixed by Google or by a custom ROM?

wynand32 said:
Fixed by Google or by a custom ROM?
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both

Chad_Petree said:
You mean with new batches of the phone?
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Probably not. I don't think anything is wrong with the screens of our phones. They're just calibrated wrong by Google or LG.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Comparing my Nexus 5 by eye to my calibrated (sRGB, 6500k white point) monitor, the Nexus 5 has a very slight blue push. The Nexus 4, however, is INCREDIBLY blue. Like 9300k blue. If you're used to the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 will look yellow, but it's the Nexus 4 that is out of whack in this case.

Return it. No yellows here.

caribouxda said:
Return it. No yellows here.
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Could you post pictures comparing it to other phones ? Your laptop maybe ?
Gesendet von meinem Nexus 5 mit Tapatalk

Is your Nexus 5 warmer (more yellow) than your Nexus 4?

If you have a Nexus 4 to compare to your Nexus 5, is your N5 warmer (more yellowish whites) than your N4? If so, is it a little warmer or a lot warmer?
Mine is significantly more yellow, with less contrast, washed out colors, and whites that look like they've been dipped in urine. Trying to find out if there's a good chance of getting a less warm screen via replacement.

Mine is a LOT warmer than my Nexus 4. I'll try to post a side by side picture soon.
In the meantime could you post a pic?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app

It doesn't look as bad as in this picture, but it is the warmest display I have ever seen.
Nexus 4 on the left, Nexus 5 on the right.

My 5 is miles warmer than my 4

MrBelter said:
My 5 is miles warmer than my 4
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My Nexus 5 is nearly perfectly white and when it's side by side with my Nexus 4, it makes the 4 look almost icy blue.

The Nexus 5 is ~6500K in white, which is what its supposed to be. (Thanks for Errica Griffin for the measurements)

I've noticed the warm display too. I'd rather it be cooler. Will the colour temperature be adjustable with a custom kernel?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

it was worse when i got it

DubelBoom said:
The Nexus 5 is ~6500K in white, which is what its supposed to be. (Thanks for Errica Griffin for the measurements)
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Well, I'm assuming that's a sample of 1. If so, then sure, 6500K would be about perfect. I guarantee that mine isn't 6500K, probably closer to 5000K.

hello00 said:
it was worse when i got it
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Are you sure it changed, or is this at a different brightness level? I've noticed that it might seem warmer at lower brightness levels...

wynand32 said:
Are you sure it changed, or is this at a different brightness level? I've noticed that it might seem warmer at lower brightness levels...
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Click to collapse
upload a pix

wynand32 said:
Are you sure it changed, or is this at a different brightness level? I've noticed that it might seem warmer at lower brightness levels...
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Click to collapse
My screen is a lovely neutral white with no harsh coldness or warmness - the same as my calibrated Dell Ultrasharp monitor. I love the screen!
I use it mainly at low brightness too, but at high brightness it doesn't change.
Sounds like some of you have some different batch screen panels... the easiest fix would be to just offer calibration in Android! Must be an easy add-on for Android for Google to code at least!

LaurenceGough said:
My screen is a lovely neutral white with no harsh coldness or warmness - the same as my calibrated Dell Ultrasharp monitor. I love the screen!
I use it mainly at low brightness too, but at high brightness it doesn't change.
Sounds like some of you have some different batch screen panels... the easiest fix would be to just offer calibration in Android! Must be an easy add-on for Android for Google to code at least!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, first, it's encouraging that some folks have screens that seem much less warm than others. There's hope in getting a better one.
As far as calibration goes, ASUS is offering that on their Transformer Pad TF701T. They call it "ASUS Splendid," and it essentially allows adjusting color temp. I'm not surprised, since I saw HUGE variations in color temp when I went through the TF201 fiasco.They ranged from a little cold to incredibly warm (kind of like my Nexus 5). Seems like a smart move--give me the ability to adjust color temp and you'd have many, many more happy people.

It is basically pure yellow when I compared to my HTC One and LG G2. I can say the most accurate is HTC One

I've attached my N5 alongside my G2. It is really bothering me coming from the G2!

I don't have a nexus 4 to compare but between my two Nexus 5's, one has a yellow tint.

Hello guys, recently purchased a N5, and immediately noticed that the color of the screen is kinda yellowish compared to my old N4... I decided to investigate and realized that this seems to be a common problem in several batches produced worldwide. What's puzzling me is that in the case of my device, the yellowing disappears at times during the day (usually between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM)... Do not ask me why, just noticed it... :silly:
Well, as I know that the yellowing is "normal", I wonder if anyone noticed such oscillation colors during certain times of day and if there is any solution for this?
Thanks guys!:good:

Flash Franco kernel and check out color control or use elemental x with cool color mod.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

It's supposed to be less blue than the N4. The N4 has an overly cold color temperature of 8500k. The N5 was tested at around 7000k, 6500k is ideal.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7517/google-nexus-5-review/5
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

thiagox said:
Hello guys, recently purchased a N5, and immediately noticed that the color of the screen is kinda yellowish compared to my old N4... I decided to investigate and realized that this seems to be a common problem in several batches produced worldwide. What's puzzling me is that in the case of my device, the yellowing disappears at times during the day (usually between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM)... Do not ask me why, just noticed it... :silly:
Well, as I know that the yellowing is "normal", I wonder if anyone noticed such oscillation colors during certain times of day and if there is any solution for this?
Thanks guys!:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha I thought that too but thought nah it's in my head. You just made me think maybe it does change through the day...

is there a fix for yellow tint?

hello everyone!
ive been browsing through XDA's nexus5 forums for hours and hours but i feel like my question hasn't really been answered so far. i cant post in the development forum with the faux app thread (i have less than 10posts which are required) so i'm posting in this sub forum.
i got my n5 yesterday and it has yellow tint. the colors look washed out too. question:
has anybody been able to fix his yellow tint with faux app + faux kernel/franco's kernel? so is it only a software issue (bad calibration) or is it a hardware issue which cant be fixed on our side?
everything else seems to be fine so i dont really want to RMA it now and get 3 other faulty RMAs with dead pixels or rattling buttons like some other people on XDA.
thanks in advance!

How yellow are we talking? The Nexus 5s are noticeably more warm than most other phones out there, but they are more accurate when it comes to color reproduction. Unless it's MAJOR, then I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get used to it. Then there's this... which I don't know much about.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2544128

My colors also looked a little more yellow after the update to 4.4.2, can anyone else confirm this ?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Synyster06Gates said:
How yellow are we talking? The Nexus 5s are noticeably more warm than most other phones out there, but they are more accurate when it comes to color reproduction. Unless it's MAJOR, then I wouldn't worry about it. You'll get used to it. Then there's this... which I don't know much about.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2544128
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it's definitely noticeable and quite annoying. the colors also look washed out and the entire display isn't as sharp as it should be (i think this is related to the general color/gamma problem). compared the color to my nexus S and you could directly see the difference. but i would say that ive seen much worse displays on pictures in the defects thread and other threads on here and that's why i'm hoping that it's fixable
yes, that's the app that ive linked in my first post. i'd be very happy if someone who has/had yellow tint and tested this app could post in here :fingers-crossed:

Acud said:
it's definitely noticeable and quite annoying. the colors also look washed out and the entire display isn't as sharp as it should be (i think this is related to the general color/gamma problem). compared the color to my nexus S and you could directly see the difference. but i would say that ive seen much worse displays on pictures in the defects thread and other threads on here and that's why i'm hoping that it's fixable
yes, that's the app that ive linked in my first post. i'd be very happy if someone who has/had yellow tint and tested this app could post in here :fingers-crossed:
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Samsung displays are known to be VERY oversaturated. I came from the S3 and I thought it was a great looking display. When I got my N5 I thought it was okay, nothing great. Now I love it. If I look at the S3/S4 it hurts my eyes it looks so bad!

It seems to be an issue that's affecting a really small subset of devices. The screen on my phone isn't yellow at all - in fact, it's just about perfect. I've read that people have been able to fix it by installing Franco's kernel, which makes sense because my screen gets too blue when I install it. If you make a yellowish display bluer, it should look normal.