TL;DR
- A user documented the appearance of the dreaded “green line” issue on their Galaxy S21 FE’s AMOLED display during a One UI 6.1 software update.
- Despite thousands of affected users across multiple device lines, Samsung does not have a transparent policy for addressing these known green-line screen defects.
For years, green line issues have plagued AMOLED displays across flagship and mid-range phones. Some OEMs like OnePlus offer a lifetime display warranty against green line issues in certain markets, but most other OEMs have left the consumer to fend for themselves. The problem is that the green line appears on the device without the user’s fault, usually around an update. While we have seen many, many, many photos of the green line issue so far, we now have a video recording of the green line appearing on a device while an update is being applied.
Reddit user kingshukroy01 (spotted by Sammobile) stuck to One UI 6 on their Samsung Galaxy S21 FE for fear of getting a green line when they apply the impending One UI 6.1 update. Note that this One UI 6.1 update rolled out in May 2024 for the S21 FE, so the user has been avoiding the update for over a year already, despite One UI’s update installation reminders every day! Fed up with the reminders, the user finally installed the One UI 6.1 update. Guess what happened next?
Since the user feared the worst, they recorded a video of the device update process. Unfortunately, their worst fear materialized, and the phone gradually got a green line on the display during the update process.
Unfortunately for the user, Samsung does not have a publicly informed, on-the-record policy for handling green line issues. The user approached Samsung’s service center, where they were told they needed to produce a purchase invoice for their two-and-a-half-year-old device, which they don’t have. So it is unclear if the user will get any relief for an issue recorded to come with a software update through no fault of their own.
It’s a ridiculous situation all around, one that makes you lose faith in AMOLED displays as a whole, and certainly doesn’t inspire confidence in Samsung for your next smartphone purchase.
We’ve contacted Samsung India for more information on the company’s policy for dealing with green line issues and what steps it has taken to prevent the problem from cropping up on newer smartphones. We’ll keep you updated if and when we learn more.
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