My current phone is a Nexus 6P.
I picked this phone for one all-important reason: It is a “pure Android” phone, directly supported by Google. Which means that instead of being at the manufacturer’s mercy when it comes to updates, I receive monthly security updates from Google. In this day and age, this is a deciding factor for me.
I got the phone in September. Sometime in the winter, I noticed that a speck appeared in photographs taken by the phone’s main camera.
Its appearance suggests that it is a small dust particle stuck between the camera visor and the camera itself, or inside the camera optics perhaps. Others apparently encountered the same issue. Some were able to shake the phone until the speck vanished. I tried to do the same but to no avail. Obviously I do not want to damage or destroy the phone.
I was trying to decide whether or not to live with it. A friend of mine suggested that I should contact the manufacturer since the phone is under warranty. I decided to do just that. Here is the exchange of e-mails that followed:
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2017 10:24 PM
To: ‘SupportCanada@huawei.com’ <SupportCanada@huawei.com>
Subject: Nexus 6P warranty issue
Greetings,
I obtained a Nexus 6P from Rogers Canada in September 2016.
A few months ago, I noticed that its camera developed a speck (see attached, lower right corner; the picture is of a uniformly illuminated white sheet of paper). Researching online, I found out that it is not an uncommon problem, and may be due to a loose dust particle inside the camera. Some people had luck shaking the speck lose. I tried gently tapping/shaking the phone, to no avail.
I also learned that this issue may be covered under warranty.
Please enlighten me if this is the case and, if so, how the warranty process works.
Sincerely,
Viktor Toth
From: Huawei Device Support [mailto:supportcanada@mail01.huawei.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 2:41 PM
To: Viktor T. Toth
Subject: Nexus 6P black spot
Dear Mr. Toth, receive a warm greeting.
We widely appreciate the information you provided us, and gladly inform you that on the attachment you can find information concerning your inquiry.
We are at your service.
Best regards.
C.B.W.
From: Viktor T. Toth
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 3:17 PM
To: ‘Huawei Device Support’ <supportcanada@mail01.huawei.com>
Subject: RE: Nexus 6P black spot
Dear Huawei support,
I thank you for your response but I find it quite unacceptable. If you had looked at the image that I sent to you, you would have seen that the “impurity spot” is actually about 100 pixels in diameter and very prominently noticeable in every picture that I take (attached enlarged, cropped image should also appear below):
If this is an acceptable impurity to you, I pity your customers. (This a crop from an actual photo of a white sheet of paper taken by the phone; I did not enlarge or manipulate it in any way.)
I also wonder if you perhaps misunderstood my inquiry and thought that I was referring to the display of the phone, as opposed to its main camera.
I’ll probably learn to live with this speck or attempt a repair. Your response as well as what I read online about your Canadian warranty support gives me little confidence that I can seek help from you.
However, I thank you for reminding me that when it comes to my next phone purchase, I should take into account the manufacturer’s support policy as well as the quality and capabilities of the device when I make my decision. The Nexus 6P may be a premium quality device, but your support perhaps isn’t.
Sincerely,
From: Huawei Device Support [mailto:supportcanada@mail01.huawei.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 6:55 PM
To: Viktor T. Toth
Subject: Huawei Mail Support
Dear Mr. Toth.
We appreciate your preference, and deeply regret any inconvenience that you are experiencing with your Huawei device, however in order to correct this situation, in the attached file you will find a detailed answer to your question.
We are at your service.
Best regards.
C.B.W.
From: Viktor T. Toth
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 8.02 PM
To: ‘Huawei Device Support’ <supportcanada@mail01.huawei.com>
Subject: RE: Huawei Mail Support
I have not received an attachment in your response to my second inquiry.
Sincerely,
From: Huawei Device Support [mailto:supportcanada@mail01.huawei.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 12:43 PM
To: Viktor T. Toth
Subject: Huawei Mail Support
Dear Mr. Toth, receive a warm greeting.
We widely appreciate the information you provided us, and gladly inform you that on the attachment you can find information concerning your inquiry.
We are at your service.
Best regards.
C.B.W.
Somehow, in light of this exchange, I do not feel particularly confident that it is a good idea to send in my phone for repair.
FYI, Huawei: The long-distance prefix in North America is 1, not 001.