[MikamiEamon]

So, if you have seen all these photo...
You will know, Nokia will need a smaller camera unit, so that they can make the hole on the frame smaller and not to occupy whole space between the display and the edge...
They need to re-engineer on the whole display module to place each components at proper place to provide enough space for sealing it tightly.

[HaibaneReki]

when it's unbearable, I'll just open it, clean and then when assembled seal it with some invisible glue.. Most parts are available online and not that pricey. Like a whole digitizer for 70 bucks. Not so bad. Removes the scratches too..

[JammyGitz]

Mine is now completely covered, you can barely see the lens. I will try blowing it with an airline

Front camera picture of some strip lights https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

UPDATE: Blew the seal between the screen and case with an airline and it got about half or maybe 2/3 of the dust out. New pic: https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

A clear difference

Blowing the headphone jack had no effect by the way, only the screen seal

[unstoppablekem]

Mine is now completely covered, you can barely see the lens. I will try blowing it with an airline

Front camera picture of some strip lights https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

UPDATE: Blew the seal between the screen and case with an airline and it got about half or maybe 2/3 of the dust out. New pic: https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

A clear difference

Blowing the headphone jack had no effect by the way, only the screen seal

I'll try it when I get home.

[unstoppablekem]

Mine is now completely covered, you can barely see the lens. I will try blowing it with an airline

Front camera picture of some strip lights https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

UPDATE: Blew the seal between the screen and case with an airline and it got about half or maybe 2/3 of the dust out. New pic: https://skydrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror

A clear difference

Blowing the headphone jack had no effect by the way, only the screen seal

yep, it worked.

[MikamiEamon]

Dear users, dear readers..
I am considering sending my Lumia 920 back to Nokia Care Center for a replacement or fixing.

But I still doubt whether some newer batches of production have got this issue fixed?

Just my guess that some users who didn't discover the dust under the front camera is because they didn't check the front camera under the bright light or the seam that on top edge of front camera is smaller and dust doesn't easily get in.

According to the disassembly photos as posted earlier, the display top edge above front camera has not enough space to be sealed tightly with the black-color plastic bezel.

Today, I cut a small piece of foil, thinner than one millimeter, and insert into the tiny seam above the camera, it actually can get under the display glass above the camera. The rest of area on the top edge is sealed. Only the front camera area.

Actually, some type of soft sealant/glue which can be pushed into this tiny gap will fix this issue permanently.
Maybe I should find a proper material to fix it myself.

Basically, if cut a tiny piece of transparent scotch tape and push it into the seam by using the foil, it might work. I will try and find a procedure to do that.

Because I like this phone much and it doesn't have any other hardware issues, except this dust under FFC.

[mr_808]

Does this affect the picture quality at all? I have the same problem with mine and I see don't see it interfering with my pictures. Then again, this is a really low res camera and I don't use it for anything other than video chat. Personally, I don't think this even needs a fix. Is it frustrating? Absolutely. Welcome to owning a Lumia 920. It could just be the best love hate relationship you'll ever be in.

[MikamiEamon]

Actually, my mood is ok. Do not feel frustration.

As it seems to be a design flaw, I much more like Nokia to make a proper statement to acknowledge this.

Dedication to the details make all the good design.

Going back and forth to exchange the phone for no actual fixing is like fooling your customers.

[eeewing]

I've had this issue since the day I got the phone, and didn't think much of it...until the dust and debris started messing with the functionality of my proximity sensor. Still, I could quickly clean it all out using a can of air, and thought (like most of you) the problem was just an inherent design flaw.

On a whim, I stopped into an AT&T Device Support Center yesterday to inquire about the issue. The lady I worked with said the issue was *not* normal, and took the time with me to compare my phone against their floor models. As it turned out, mine has a (small but) visible gap on the right side of the earpiece, which is letting the dust in...the floor models did not (and did not have any dust at all in front of the FFC). The representative ordered a replacement phone for me, which I should have within the next few days.

Two of my co-workers also have the Lumia 920 (one since November, one for about a month) and neither have had a problem at all with dust getting under the screen. Thus, I have to believe the issue -- while it sure seems to be widespread -- is an individual phone defect as opposed to a design flaw. I sure hope so, anyway...!

[congusano]

I've had this issue since the day I got the phone, and didn't think much of it...until the dust and debris started messing with the functionality of my proximity sensor. Still, I could quickly clean it all out using a can of air, and thought (like most of you) the problem was just an inherent design flaw.

On a whim, I stopped into an AT&T Device Support Center yesterday to inquire about the issue. The lady I worked with said the issue was *not* normal, and took the time with me to compare my phone against their floor models. As it turned out, mine has a (small but) visible gap on the right side of the earpiece, which is letting the dust in...the floor models did not (and did not have any dust at all in front of the FFC). The representative ordered a replacement phone for me, which I should have within the next few days.

Two of my co-workers also have the Lumia 920 (one since November, one for about a month) and neither have had a problem at all with dust getting under the screen. Thus, I have to believe the issue -- while it sure seems to be widespread -- is an individual phone defect as opposed to a design flaw. I sure hope so, anyway...!

What gap do you speak of? my ffc is loaded with dust and I can't see, even under magnifying glasses any visible gap that lets the dust in. Is there a picture of where this gap is you can provide, even if it doesn't have the gap, just to show me the location?

[unstoppablekem]

What gap do you speak of? my ffc is loaded with dust and I can't see, even under magnifying glasses any visible gap that lets the dust in. Is there a picture of where this gap is you can provide, even if it doesn't have the gap, just to show me the location?

Between the glass and the polycarbonate (near the camera).

[congusano]

Between the glass and the polycarbonate (near the camera).

In that area you describe, there is nothing right there that looks any different from the entire bezel around the glass of the entire camera on my phone, and the camera is littered with dust.

[unstoppablekem]

In that area you describe, there is nothing right there that looks any different from the entire bezel around the glass of the entire camera on my phone, and the camera is littered with dust.

Trust me, blow there with a compressed air can.

[eeewing]

What gap do you speak of? my ffc is loaded with dust and I can't see, even under magnifying glasses any visible gap that lets the dust in. Is there a picture of where this gap is you can provide, even if it doesn't have the gap, just to show me the location?

I probably won't be able to post a pic until I get home later, but the area in question is inside the cutout for the earhole, down where the glass meets the speaker grill/body. It's difficult to see without a pen light, but if I hold my phone angled away from me at approx. 75-80 degrees and look into that junction, there is a visible gap maybe 1/3 mm in size. It's very small -- enough to let dust in, but not lint -- and it's not present on the other side of the earpiece. It is also not present on two other phones that I checked (in addition to the two that AT&T had in-store as demo units). I have no gaps at all around the outer perimeter of the glass, as some folks have said they do. The gap being where it is, it makes perfect sense why aiming a can of compressed air down there will make short work of clearing the dust back out...or at least blowing it somewhere else where it can't be seen.

[Planet X]

I just got my phone back from repair as I could not stand it anymore. The repair bon says they have replaced the display unit. I really hope that it won't come back.The repair took 6 days.

[Kilauea91]

I had found a way to solve dust in FFC problem. But it may not apply to everyone whose phone also plagued by this.

Yes, I can confirm there is a gap between the case and screen, with a layer of black rubber bump supposedly to seal the gap but obviously didn't do too well.
It's really hard to see the hair thin gap without proper lighting or magnifying glass. However, If you look into the gap, you can clearly see the stopper wall of
polycarbonate case behind it. Mine is easier to tell since it is yellow.

Ever since first getting the phone in mid-Oct last year, I had suffered this recurring problem and gotten tired of blowing compressed air into the gap to clear the dust from
time to time. Like some people said, I too don't really care about dust getting into FFC, what really annoyed me is the blackout screen during call as the dust had
hindered the proximity senor. Didn't want to go through the hassle of getting the phone replaced, here is what I did:

After blowing off the dust one last time, I did a micro-surgery to the phone by using a needle threader as a tool to apply some translucent silicon sealer to seal the gap.
I am happy to report that over 5 weeks has passed and have never seen any new speck of dust in the FFC, nor did I see proximity sensor malfunction during call.

It's a pain to do the micro-surgery, but with proper tools, I think it's worth the effort. I did it with great care and use minimal amount of sealant as possible, so you
can't tell by appearance. Do it at your own risk and YMMV.

[MikamiEamon]

The lady I worked with said the issue was *not* normal, and took the time with me to compare my phone against their floor models. As it turned out, mine has a (small but) visible gap on the right side of the earpiece, which is letting the dust in...the floor models did not (and did not have any dust at all in front of the FFC). The representative ordered a replacement phone for me, which I should have within the next few days.

...!

This is a great news, it seems there are some productions really giving better assembly. I might try to drop by service center.
However, I think your observation isn't on the correct entrance of dust. My dust obviously come in from the top edge, not from left side (ear piece).

[MikamiEamon]

I just got my phone back from repair as I could not stand it anymore. The repair bon says they have replaced the display unit. I really hope that it won't come back.The repair took 6 days.

they replace the display unit which is very correct. If the replacement come with better seal around the front camera that should cure the dust issue for good.

I think you should bring a can of baby powder then spread it along the seam on top edge to see if the seam above FFC is sealed tightly or not... (hahahaha, sorry this test is too extreme)

Hope they will do well.

[MikamiEamon]

Guys, I hope you will be generous to share some updates after you got your Lumia replaced or fixed for the front camera dust issue.
If some of you really get the issue fixed, I would also consider to send my phone to Nokia, if problem still occurs after their surgery, then I should do surgery by myself.

[ImmortalWarrior]

Anyone know of a place in southern Ontario that does the repairs?

[eeewing]

However, I think your observation isn't on the correct entrance of dust. My dust obviously come in from the top edge, not from left side (ear piece).

It well may be that the top edge is a defect on some phones, as well, but mine is definitely coming in where stated...the top edge of my phone is airtight (as evidenced by the fact I cannot clear the dust back out while aiming compressed air at the top edge of the phone).

[eeewing]

Just a quick follow-up in case anyone is interested:

I received my replacement Lumia 920 from AT&T on Friday, Feb. 1. After five days with the new phone, I can confirm that there is NO DUST working its way under the glass. I have been carrying the phone in my pants pocket (like I normally do) and have not been treating the device with kiddie gloves...there is plenty of dust getting on the device, just not in it. My own experience, therefore, leads me to believe that those experiencing this issue do have a faulty device.

FWIW, there are a few cosmetic differences between this phone and my original one -- perhaps the newer batches of phones got the kinks worked out? At any rate, the AT&T logo on this phone is the "globe" only, as described here. Also, the color of the LEDs which light up the capacitive buttons is a little different...a very slight greenish/yellowish hue as opposed to bright white. No big deal with either of those things. I should also note that the phone shipped to me with Portico pre-installed.

All-in-all, I'm a pretty happy camper now. :-)

[MikamiEamon]

Wow, thanks a lot for update.
I will also go back to service center to claim the defect.

[AgentBetlog]

After blowing off the dust one last time, I did a micro-surgery to the phone by using a needle threader as a tool to apply some translucent silicon sealer to seal the gap.
I am happy to report that over 5 weeks has passed and have never seen any new speck of dust in the FFC, nor did I see proximity sensor malfunction during call.

It's a pain to do the micro-surgery, but with proper tools, I think it's worth the effort. I did it with great care and use minimal amount of sealant as possible, so you
can't tell by appearance. Do it at your own risk and YMMV.

Nice. I'm planning on doing this myself. Question - how much of the top did you apply the silicone to? Did you go across the whole top gap or just the section immediately above the FCC? Also, I'm thinking of going with black silicone... with the clear silicone, can you see the application?

[Kilauea91]

Nice. I'm planning on doing this myself. Question - how much of the top did you apply the silicone to? Did you go across the whole top gap or just the section immediately above the FCC? Also, I'm thinking of going with black silicone... with the clear silicone, can you see the application?

I am attaching a few pictures for your reference. Sorry for the crappy pics from my crappy camera.

Silicone was only applied to the area above the FFC and proximity sensor, where I could visually tell there is a gap under magnifying glass. It was done by a few passes
and each time with very little silicone gel carefully applied to the gap with a needle threader. Even after this is done, there is still a groove in between the black
rubber seal and digitizer, but enough to seal the opening to prevent dust from going in. If you can find silicone seal in black color, that would probably be better.
The clear gel works for me and you won't notice it's there at all. Over the time, mine has collected lots of dust in the groove anyway, but none in the FFC or P-sensor.
I hope this helps.