SINGAPORE: The Consumer Association of Singapore (CASE) has said that out of 49 complaints it received about lines appearing on phone screens in the last three years, all but one involved Samsung phones.
Netizens in Singapore began highlighting this issue some time ago, growing alarmed over lines suddenly appearing on their Samsung phones.
The lines ran from the top to the bottom of their phone screens, and were mostly coloured green. They usually occurred after a software update.
Some reported that Samsung would assist them with free or inexpensive repairs, but many others said that the company said it would cost more than S$300 to fix the issue, and rather than shell out this amount, they learned to live with it.
In severe cases, some phone screens had multiple and multicoloured lines on them.
A number of netizens have said that, because of the green lines, they no longer wanted to buy Samsung phones.
According to a report in CNA, CASE received four complaints regarding the issue in 2022, 14 in 2023, and 31 so far this year. Forty-eight involved Samsung phones and one involved a phone from OnePlus.
Six consumers have asked CASE for assistance with negotiating on their behalf for the issue to be resolved.
CNA added that the Galaxy S21 line of Samsung phones appears to be affected the most by the issue, especially Galaxy S21 Ultra and S21 FE units. However, green lines have also been known to appear on Galaxy A73, Galaxy M21, Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Z Flip 3 phones.
However, a spokesperson for Samsung told CNA: “Product quality continues to be one of our top priorities.”
Samsung offers screen replacement in India
Meanwhile, in India, the tech giant has extended an offer to replace the screens on Galaxy devices with green line issues on the condition that the phones have not sustained any liquid or physical damage.
Samsung originally offered the replacement in April after phone users reported the issue following a software update. The offer was set to expire on Apr 30.
However, reports say that as more Galaxy users complained their phones had the same problem, the offer was extended to Sept 30.
And now, the offer has been extended yet again to Dec 31.
Interestingly, OnePlus in India also offered a lifetime screen warranty on affected devices way back in August 2023. /TISG