Update: The user with the affected Galaxy S22 Ultra has reported to us that Samsung has replaced the screen for free even though their phone was out of warranty period. As per its screen replacement policy, Samsung also replaced the battery for free.
A few days ago, Samsung started offering free screen replacement to Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Note 20 devices facing display issues. Now, even Galaxy S22 seems to have been affected by a similar problem.
Some of our readers have reached out to us, informing us about a severe issue with their Galaxy S22 Ultra display. According to them, a specific portion of the phone's display turns white, permanently or semi-permanently. In other words, this section of the screen remains white rather than displaying the content. This white patch appears on the left-hand side of the front-facing camera, rendering it unusable. Unfortunately, this problem also brings a few other issues.
Most phones affected by this issue also display green lines on the right-hand side of the screen. The display panels suffering from either of these issues also seem to be flickering. These three problems make it hard for people to use their Galaxy S22 Ultra normally. Interestingly, all of these problems seem to go away when the display's refresh rate is dialed down to 60Hz. However, these issues crop up immediately after the refresh rate is turned back to 120Hz (or when the users select the “Adaptive” mode).
According to some, they noticed this issue after installing the One UI 5.1 update. Others claim the problem popped up once they installed the June 2023 security patch. These issues don't seem to be related to physical damage to the screen, as every user who is facing these problems claims that they haven't dropped their Galaxy S22 Ultra or that the display of the phone wasn't physically damaged in any way. The images they've shared on social media also show that their device hasn't been damaged physically.
Samsung is refusing to repair affected out-of-warranty Galaxy S22 phones for free
When these users contacted Samsung, they were asked to visit an authorized service center. According to various reports, Samsung replaced the displays for free for the phones under warranty. However, in almost every case, the company refused to repair/replace the screen free to those devices that are out of warranty period. The service centers reportedly asked people with out-of-warranty phones to pay the full price for the screen replacement, which costs upwards of $250.
Considering that many people are experiencing the same issues on their Galaxy S22 Ultra, it seems to be a widespread problem. More importantly, it seems like a manufacturing or QA defect. In such cases, Samsung should ideally recall all the affected devices and replace the displays free of cost, even if the phones are out of warranty. Since these issues don't seem to be caused by the mishandling of the device, Samsung should take full responsibility and help out its customers.
Most people expect smartphones to last at least two to three years before developing hardware issues. The Galaxy S22 Ultra is a high-end flagship smartphone, and people expect such devices to last even longer. When these phones develop problems so soon, it leaves a bad taste in the users' mouths, pushing them away from the brand for good. Apple devices have also had design and manufacturing defects, and it too denied people repairing those devices for free. We hope Samsung doesn't go the same way.
This tweet is from one of our readers who reached out about the issue. Many people facing the same issues on their Galaxy S22 Ultra have posted images of their affected devices. Others have raised the issue on Samsung's community forum (1, 2, 3). If you are also experiencing the same display issues on your Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, let us know in the comments section below. We hope Samsung acknowledges these problems and comes up with a reasonable solution.
Thanks for the tip, Muneeb!
