HTC One (M8): Camera Lens Issue

[Josiah Shoemaker]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I made an account just to thank sillyphillie and Skyway for recommending trying to scratch off the coating, you saved me and alot of other people money.

My m8 lense was scratching horribly, and I didn't understand why. I baby the living hell out of this phone. It is in a commuter case I make sure that it is the only thing in my right pocket (no keys, no change, ect), but it was getting these horrible scratches. I was trying to take a picture of a room in my house today and it was so blurry (its below) that the light from a window was just hazing the whole photo.


So I gave up and started searching and I found this thread, and read all of it. I didn't see any before and after pictures to confirm the scratching off the film theory, so I am making them. IT WORKS To all the people paying, don't. All I did was take my fingernail and scratch it off. I didn't have time to do all of it, I just did the area where the lense actually uses, but if I had time I'd do the rest. Here are the before and after pics.

The lense, scratched to all hell for no reason.


after scratching the coating off. You can see the color of the lense has actually changed.



and a picture of the room after the fix.

 

[blink1me82]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I made an account just to thank sillyphillie and Skyway for recommending trying to scratch off the coating, you saved me and alot of other people money.

My m8 lense was scratching horribly, and I didn't understand why. I baby the living hell out of this phone. It is in a commuter case I make sure that it is the only thing in my right pocket (no keys, no change, ect), but it was getting these horrible scratches. I was trying to take a picture of a room in my house today and it was so blurry (its below) that the light from a window was just hazing the whole photo.
View attachment 118799

So I gave up and started searching and I found this thread, and read all of it. I didn't see any before and after pictures to confirm the scratching off the film theory, so I am making them. IT WORKS To all the people paying, don't. All I did was take my fingernail and scratch it off. I didn't have time to do all of it, I just did the area where the lense actually uses, but if I had time I'd do the rest. Here are the before and after pics.

The lense, scratched to all hell for no reason.
View attachment 118801

after scratching the coating off. You can see the color of the lense has actually changed.
View attachment 118802
View attachment 118803

and a picture of the room after the fix.
View attachment 118804

Wow... what a difference! Thanks for sharing.

 

[ugxvibe]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I made an account just to thank sillyphillie and Skyway for recommending trying to scratch off the coating, you saved me and alot of other people money.

My m8 lense was scratching horribly, and I didn't understand why. I baby the living hell out of this phone. It is in a commuter case I make sure that it is the only thing in my right pocket (no keys, no change, ect), but it was getting these horrible scratches. I was trying to take a picture of a room in my house today and it was so blurry (its below) that the light from a window was just hazing the whole photo.


So I gave up and started searching and I found this thread, and read all of it. I didn't see any before and after pictures to confirm the scratching off the film theory, so I am making them. IT WORKS To all the people paying, don't. All I did was take my fingernail and scratch it off. I didn't have time to do all of it, I just did the area where the lense actually uses, but if I had time I'd do the rest. Here are the before and after pics.

The lense, scratched to all hell for no reason.


after scratching the coating off. You can see the color of the lense has actually changed.


and a picture of the room after the fix.

Looks good, if my replacement lens starts doing it again I will surely get it off myself. I sent mine in knowing full well it was a manufacture problem and I did not want them to see anything that looked like I was messing with it. Fortunately after talking to the right people it got taken care of using the phones manufacture warranty and not Advantage.

 

[Preformer19]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Did you use your HTC Advantage coverage? Or are they doing this free and acknowledging they have a problem?

While they are doing it for "free" (I only have to pay the shipping charge), I asked the customer representative and he stated that if I were to hypothetically crack the screen on the replacement phone they are sending me a week after receiving it, I would not be covered, because I would have already received a manufacturers phone as per the HTC's device swap. It is only a one-time thing, and after this, I would not be covered under HTC's Advantage plan.

 

[Skyway]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I made an account just to thank sillyphillie and Skyway for recommending trying to scratch off the coating, you saved me and alot of other people money.

My m8 lense was scratching horribly, and I didn't understand why. I baby the living hell out of this phone. It is in a commuter case I make sure that it is the only thing in my right pocket (no keys, no change, ect), but it was getting these horrible scratches. I was trying to take a picture of a room in my house today and it was so blurry (its below) that the light from a window was just hazing the whole photo.
View attachment 118799

So I gave up and started searching and I found this thread, and read all of it. I didn't see any before and after pictures to confirm the scratching off the film theory, so I am making them. IT WORKS To all the people paying, don't. All I did was take my fingernail and scratch it off. I didn't have time to do all of it, I just did the area where the lense actually uses, but if I had time I'd do the rest. Here are the before and after pics.

The lense, scratched to all hell for no reason.
View attachment 118801

after scratching the coating off. You can see the color of the lense has actually changed.
View attachment 118802
View attachment 118803

and a picture of the room after the fix.
View attachment 118804

You're welcome! I'm glad I could help and everything worked for you! I would recommend getting a camera lens protector (just like a screen protector except it covers your camera lens) to help protect it.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[artofdesign]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I've updated my first post(thread creator) in effort mainly to save future searchers time.
Thanks to everyone who shared their findings and also to those who shared about interactions with HTC regarding this issue.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

[clborden]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

While they are doing it for "free" (I only have to pay the shipping charge), I asked the customer representative and he stated that if I were to hypothetically crack the screen on the replacement phone they are sending me a week after receiving it, I would not be covered, because I would have already received a manufacturers phone as per the HTC's device swap. It is only a one-time thing, and after this, I would not be covered under HTC's Advantage plan.

Gotcha...could you keep us updated on how you make out with the replacement device? If the new one scratches or not?...especially if it doesn't. It'll seem more like a batch had the issue instead of all of them.

 

[Preformer19]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Gotcha...could you keep us updated on how you make out with the replacement device? If the new one scratches or not?...especially if it doesn't. It'll seem more like a batch had the issue instead of all of them.

I will.

I actually switched the device swap plan from them sending me a new device (and sending mine back when I get the new one) to me sending my device in (and them sending me a new one once they get it), so it may take a couple days.

There's also been confusion as to whether or not this device will be brand new from the manufacturer or whether it will be a manufacturer's refurbished. I've received different answers from the few customer service representatives I've talked to, so it'll be interesting to see what I actually get.

 

[eyecon82]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Just got off the phone with a very informative HTC customer representative.

He gave me three options (for which all are free of charge, phone covered under warranty)...

1) Send the phone in for repairs (leaves me phone-less)
2) Send the phone in, receive a brand spankin' new one...NOT a refurbished one...get charged $20 for shipping (leaves me phone-less)
3) HTC sends a brand spankin' new phone to my house, places hold for cost of phone on my credit card, get charged $30 for shipping (hey...I'm not phone-less!)

I'm thinking option 3.

I'm just glad this is covered. I learned my lesson!

Option 3 is certainly the way to go

Samsung can learn a lot from option 3
-Sent from Tapatalk

 

[Preformer19]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Option 3 is certainly the way to go

Samsung can learn a lot from option 3
-Sent from Tapatalk

I've actually switched to option 2.

Will let you all know how it goes.

 

[Josiah Shoemaker]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I have figured out what causes the lense hazing. The phone getting hot, weakens the protective coating causing it to be easily scratched or haze. I was looking through my gallery and saw that friday, my phone was taking perfectly clear photos, I didn't notice the hazing till Saturday night, the only thing I did Saturday was go on a long car ride. I was playing alot of games and listening to music for a couple hours straight and my phone got really hot, I didnt think anything of it, since i had owned a m7 before the m8, which got really hot too.

So to test my theory, i took a heat gun and heated the front facing camera, which at the time was perfectly clear. Using a infrared thermometer, i measured the lens to be 115-120F. At which point the hazing started to happen. Proving my theory.

I have another theory, part of the reason why almost only people with cases are getting this, is because the case provides insulation, not allowing the phone to properly cool. Idk how to prove that one though.

TLDR: Heat causes the coating on the lens to weaken/haze

 

[eyecon82]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

finally made some news!

Cult of Android - Scratches on your HTC One M8's camera lens? You're not the only one | Cult of Android

HTC One (M8) camera lens reportedly gets scratched easily | TalkAndroid.com

 

[ugxvibe]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Did someone here write that Cult of Android article? They used my photo, my scratches are copywritten.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[eyecon82]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Did someone here write that Cult of Android article? They used my photo, my scratches are copywritten.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

i believe once you post a photo to this site, and any forum really, the site gains access to your copyrighted photo....in the TOS

 

[ugxvibe]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

I was kidding

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[Kathryn Miranda]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Why in the world would you pay anything when you just spent $700 to buy the product, and it has a 1yr warranty, right? Issues like this is just unacceptable for a brand new device! I don't care if it's only $30 for shipping, that's not cool, they should cover the costs 100%. I see lots of people complaining these days about customer service & quality issues, we need to complain louder. My husband and I are getting our M8's tomorrow, I can't wait to grill t-mobile about the lens problem before I even turn on my device. I wish I would have seen this post a few days ago when I was in the store ordering my phone, the guy who came in with a scratched lens would have been informed by me.Thank you everyone on this post for sharing!

Just got off the phone with a very informative HTC customer representative.

He gave me three options (for which all are free of charge, phone covered under warranty)...

1) Send the phone in for repairs (leaves me phone-less)
2) Send the phone in, receive a brand spankin' new one...NOT a refurbished one...get charged $20 for shipping (leaves me phone-less)
3) HTC sends a brand spankin' new phone to my house, places hold for cost of phone on my credit card, get charged $30 for shipping (hey...I'm not phone-less!)

I'm thinking option 3.

I'm just glad this is covered. I learned my lesson!

 

[ugxvibe]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Just to be clear, in my case I didn't pay a dime. HTC paid shipping both ways and covered the lens under warranty. Luckily, or sadly, I had my old Thunderbolt to use in the meantime.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[isdaako]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Just to be clear, in my case I didn't pay a dime. HTC paid shipping both ways and covered the lens under warranty. Luckily, or sadly, I had my old Thunderbolt to use in the meantime.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

But, you had the power of Twitter?

 

[ugxvibe]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Yes, but hopefully might plight may have changed the way they look at other phones that come in with the same problem.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[John Keogh]

Re: HTC One (M8): Camera lens cover issue

Before and after i polished the glass covering the lens ..