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HTC has responded to claims that the black version of its One S smart phone is prone to picking up unsightly silver marks, and has promised that the problem is being addressed, with a fix offered to customers.
“There have been a few isolated reports of this issue,” the Taiwanese company said in a statement sent to CNET UK.
“The finish on the One S was laboratory tested as being at a hardness similar to ceramic. While that’s hard, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to damage.”
The original claims made by folks at the XDA-Developers forum reckoned that the 4.3-inch One S was developing unattractive marks, even when it hadn’t been dropped or bashed, however. HTC’s response does seem to imply that any phones affected by the silvery chipping must have been damaged in some way.
The statement continues: “HTC takes quality very seriously and are providing all customers with an immediate fix and we are implementing some small changes to ensure customers do not experience that issue in the future.”
So what does “immediate fix” mean? The Verge says it’s been told by HTC that it means you can return your One S to the shop you bought it from within 30 days, beyond which the company says it’ll be happy to repair your phone under standard warranty terms. I’m chasing confirmation that this is the case for the UK.
That fix doesn’t sound too immediate to me, but if the issue is limited to a select number of devices rather than being a problem with every One S, returning an affected mobile could be your best option.
HTC doesn’t say it only affects a small number of devices — only that reports of the issue are isolated, which is a subtle but potentially important distinction.
The comment, “we are implementing some small changes to ensure customers do not experience this issue in the future,” hints to me that the chipping could stem from a problem with the phone’s manufacturing process, rather than being as simple as people damaging their phones.
That’s all we know for now, but I’ll let you know if I hear something new. Apart from this unfortunate gripe, we’ve got almost nothing bad to say about the One S. Check out our glowing video review below, and let me know whether your One S is afflicted in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
Image credit: mardon85 on XDA-Developers
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