Samsung is preparing to roll out a software update for its new Galaxy S8 model just days after its release.
Customers who received Samsung’s new flagship phone were less than happy to find that their devices displayed a peculiar red tinge.
Selected consumers who pre-ordered the Galaxy S8 were the first to get their hands on the phone – and were quick to raise the alarm about the unusual glitch.
South Korean customers were the first to get their hands on the Galaxy S8. Some have found that their devices displayed a peculiar red tinge.The fault is believed to be the result of the design of the Super AMOLED screens. Samsung says that the problem can be easily corrected, by switching off automated colour balance and adjusting this manually.It is not yet clear whether this solution has worked for everyone affected.
Now electronics giant Samsung will this week offer an unusually early software update.
The launch of the device is a key step for the South Korean tech firm as it seeks to move on from last year’s humiliating withdrawal of the Galaxy Note 7 over exploding batteries – a controversy that hammered the firm’s once-stellar reputation.
The Galaxy S8 started over-the-counter sales in the US and its home market but South Korean users who pre-ordered the phones complained their screens displayed a reddish hue.
Online images of their phones went viral on social media but Samsung denied a hardware flaw and maintained that users could manually adjust the colour range according to their preferences.
As more users voiced doubts, Samsung said Monday that a software update would fix the problem by allowing them to readjust colours over a wider range than normal.
‘Samsung… has decided to release a software update starting from this week which will provide consumers with a further enhanced ability to adjust the colour setting to their preference,’ the company said in a statement.
The fault is believed to be the result of the design of the Super AMOLED screens.
They use two types of joint pixels, red-green and blue-green – according to reports in Endgaget.
August 2, 2016 – Samsung unveils the Galaxy Note 7 at a New York media event. September 8, 2016 – U. S. Federal Aviation Administration advises passengers to not turn on or charge Note 7 smartphones aboard aircraft or stow them in plane cargo.September 9, 2016 – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urges Galaxy Note 7 users to stop using their phone.September 15, 2016 – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission formally announces recall of about 1 million Note 7 phones. October 6, 2016 – A Southwest Airlines plane in the United States evacuated due to smoke from a Note 7 device on board. October 10, 2016 – Samsung says it is adjusting Note 7 shipments for inspections, quality control due to more phones catching fire.October 11, 2016 – Samsung asks customers to stop using all Note 7 smartphones, halts production, sales and exchanges of the device globally.April 12, 2017 – Samsung delayed the launch of its Bixby voice assistant with the roll out of the Galaxy S8 April 18, 2017 – Samsung ships Galaxy S8 to customers in South Korea with faulty screens, which display a peculiar red tinge.
Because both contain an element of green, Samsung strengthened the red component in an attempt to balance the colour out.
But it seems that they may have overcompensated, with the red colour shining through more strongly.
Disgruntled fans quickly took to social media to vent their frustration, with ‘Samsung red screen’ quickly becoming a trending topic.
Twitter user thaqiphilosophy said: ‘I wasn’t a big fan of Samsung until they released Samsung S8.
‘But then there are complaints about red hue screen.’
‘User Kris added: ‘I am gonna stick with my iPhone for now, samsung has been having lots of problems.’
Samsung – the world’s largest maker of smartphones – has pinned its hopes on the Galaxy S8 to compete against arch-rival Apple’s iPhone after last year’s Note 7 disaster.
The recall debacle cost Samsung billions of dollars in lost profits and hammered its global credibility, forcing it to apologise to consumers and postpone the S8 launch.
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