The Galaxy S24 Ultra display issue is worryingly common

When you spend $1,300 or more on a flagship Android phone, your expectations are likely to be high. You might assume that, as long as you take care of it, it will look and perform as advertised for at least a few years. That’s what made a particular Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra display issue so difficult to fathom for those who reported the problem online.

Having owned the device for less than a year, some users reported ugly smudges on the screen that couldn’t be wiped away. It’s certainly a concern for those affected, so we wanted to find out if it’s a widespread thing or just a few isolated cases.

As we laid out in our original story, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra display issue centers around premature wear and tear of the phone’s protective oleophobic coating. While wear on oleophobic coatings is expected over time, the user images on social media showed that this coating had deteriorated significantly in less than 12 months, giving the screen a persistent oily and dirty appearance. This issue also appeared to include pseudo-scratches embedded in the coating, though the underlying display remains intact. These complaints cast a shadow on what is otherwise a standout display featuring advanced anti-reflective technology.

We ran a poll to learn about your experiences with your Galaxy S24 Ultra display, and the results aren’t ideal for Samsung.

How has the display on your Galaxy S24 Ultra held up so far?

Of the poll respondents who owned a Galaxy S24 Ultra, almost half (47%) said the display was as good and clear as on day one. That’s great, but you’d also hope that would often be the case, especially as some of those people may not have bought it right at launch and only owned the phone for just a few months. 22% of readers reported seeing a few smudges and scratches, but not as bad as the online reports.

The more concerning statistic from Samsung’s point of view is that just over 30% of respondents said their Galaxy S24 Ultra display was as bad or worse than those in the social media images. It may not be the majority, but it’s certainly enough to suggest that it’s quite a common occurrence.

The comments on our original article also largely reflect this frustration. Reader Chris Souder told us, “My S24 Ultra started showing these smudges within the first three months” and that he’d added a screen protector thereafter. This solution is regularly cited in the comments section, but it is not one that will be satisfactory for many people. There’s also some discussion on whether the cleaning solutions being used by some owners could be the cause of the protective coating wearing out at an accelerated rate.

With the Galaxy S25 series expected to debut in a matter of weeks, prospective buyers of the next-generation flagships will hope for some assurance from Samsung that they won’t face similar problems.