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Galaxy S5 screen delaminating after only 16 months

Maybe this isn't a very common problem because I can find very little information on it. Nothing in the Verizon forums, but a few posts in the web. Anyway, I have a Galaxy S5 black that's 16 months old and the screen is starting to delaminate. It LOOKS just like a plastic screen protector starting to peel off, but then I peeled off the screen protector and it's the glass on the screen itself coming unglued from whatever it's mounted to.

I called Samsung and they say it's out of warranty (they said warranty had expired sometime in July 2015, and I bought the phone in April 2014, so that was more than a year) and they'll do nothing for free. Guy wouldn't even give me an estimate for repair, just said I could send it in and it would take 2 weeks.

I let him know that this doesn't make me want to buy another Samsung product. It's been a pretty darned good phone, but if the screen is going to self-destruct after a year and a half that makes it a useless piece of junk after only 16 months. Not such a good phone after all.

Comments

bearone21

where was it kept, pocket, purse....any protective case??

B33

As bear mentioned were was your phone mostly set when you were not using it, Pocket or similar was it possibly stored in your Vehicle for a few hours if anywhere in Direct sunlight it could cause the Screen to detach the screen is held usually by a strong Double sided tape or a silicone type Glue but if gets warm enough the screen could lift just enough that Dirt or similar could enter and once it Does the screen will continue to lift.. but there are solutions to Fix it you can send it in or if Verizon determines it exchangeable you could get a Certified good as new one..

kaebfly

With it not being covered under warranty (makes sense...it's past the 1 year warranty) then you might want to check locally for phone repair places. Their prices may be better than what the manufacturer may charge. Things happen so it's possible that this doesn't make it a bad phone...there are a number of things that may have contributed to this occurring.

sdsteve

After looking at it more carefully, it does look like I damaged it by dropping it. I bought a case FROM VERIZON when I first got the phone. Nice plastic case for the phone, plus another plastic holster that the phone in case slides into. Well, that nice plastic case DOES NOT COVER the corners of the phone on the front side next to the glass. I can see that the phone landed on those corners a time or two when it dropped, and while there was no immediate damage apparent, I suspect that the plastic phone case flexed and bumped the screen along the edge, causing it to start coming apart. Fortunately the phone is still usable and the delamination hasn't yet infringed ont he viewable area.

But lesson learned, I guess. Don't trust Verizon to sell a case that's worth a shit, for one thing. And I didn't bother buying insurance because that's a ripoff. I paid about $150 into it at around $10 a month on my previous phone, a Droid Bionic, and when the cheap plastic volume switch fell out of the phone (just from normal use, no abuse), they wanted about $100 deductible to fix it.

kaebfly

Insurance feels like a rip off...until you actually need it. I don't get insurance but I self insure so if necessary I can afford to pay full retail to purchase a replacement. I have only needed to replace a phone once after a car accident so for me, paying Verizon monthly for insurance would be a waste of money. For others though it is a life saver and much cheaper than paying several hundred dollars up front for a new phone. It's a personal choice but definitely something worth considering if you tend to have mishaps with phones often.

As far as cases...not all cases protect so it's one of those things you have to research and think about what you need. If you buy a case and know that it doesn't cover all edges or have a ledge to help lessen screen damage then you can't be surprised when damage occurs in those areas. Verizon sells cases that better protect devices along with those that are more aesthetic than they are fully protective. The more protective it is though usually means the more bulky it is. That can be a turn off for some people.

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