The Galaxy S8 is now shipping to fans living in Samsung’s home country of South Korea. It’s yet to launch in any other regions worldwide so it’s up to South Koreans to identify any early issues with the phone.
In the case of some customers, finding a problem hasn’t been too hard. A sizeable number of devices appear to be leaving the factory with a distinctive red sheen on the display. The colour varies in shade between a bright pink to a darker purple. In all instances, it’s immediately noticeable, particularly when reading on white backgrounds.
The extent of the issue isn’t clear. Photos of allegedly defective handsets have been uploaded to multiple social media sites. “Galaxy S8 Red Screen” became a trending search term on Korean search engine Naver, suggesting that the problem may not be confined to a few limited instances.
It isn’t yet clear what’s causing the red tint. As Engadget reports, Samsung’s new deep red AMOLED display is the most probable culprit. The S8 debuts a new form of AMOLED panel that has two pixel types: red-green and blue-green. Because there are two green sub-pixels, Samsung has reportedly amplified each red one to make it look stronger in contrast. It’s possible a defect here is causing the colour balance to swing the other way, creating a red tint.
Some owners have reportedly resolved the problem by adjusting the colour tint using software controls but not everyone has succeeded. In a statement given to ZDNet, Samsung however denied there’s a manufacturing problem. It told users that the “Colour balance” slider in the Display settings menu can be used to alter the screen’s tint “if needed.”
“All Samsung phones undergo thorough testing to meet our high level of quality standards. The Infinity Display on the Galaxy S8 and S8+ has applied Super AMOLED and provides rich and expressive colors, enabling users to enjoy a clearer and more vivid viewing experience,” said Samsung. “The Galaxy S8 was built with an adaptive display that optimizes the color range, saturation, and sharpness depending on the environment.”
While Samsung insists it’s not a hardware fault, the company is admitting some phones are shipping with abnormally red-tinted displays. It hasn’t yet said whether it’s looking into reports that some handsets are so strongly discoloured that the colour balance slider cannot resolve the issue. The fact that multiple devices seem to be leaving the factory without an optimum colour balance being set suggests Samsung’s testing procedures don’t measure the tint of the panel.
The red displays are the second issue to encumber the Galaxy S8 since launch. Samsung has previously announced that Bixby, its headline digital assistant feature, will not support voice input when the phone goes on sale in English-speaking countries. The company has also caused controversy by deliberately preventing owners from remapping the Bixby button.
