yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] goldlocke:
@OP: This is called screen tearing. Plz change the thread subject accordingly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_tearing

It is an underlying hardware issue - probably caused by low refresh- or turn-on rates of the subpixels. Of course it can be improved by software tweaks, but not eliminated completely.

My i9505 had it too - I returned it therefore. Mine was horrible on low screen brightness. :(

This is present in most AMOLED pentile displays, but not that bad like in the SGS4.

---------- Post added at 02:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:59 PM ----------

SAMMOBILE claims that xxxxxxxxBMEA fixes the tearing/smearing issues! Plz install and confirm. thx.

http://www.sammobile.com/2013/06/06...y-s4-brings-enhancements-and-stability-fixes/
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Luxxdroid:
Good job by Samsung smearing is gone with the latest firmware "I9505XXUBMEA" :)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] okty2k:
had someone annoyed by this bug installed the new FW and confirm the problem is solved?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] caylith:
I heard from someone on a german forum that the smearing is still there in the tapatalk app.

Maybe the smearing is just fixed by a dirty tweak in the system Apps...
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jumpinghooligans:
It would be really cool if someone could confirm this. Maybe my phone is exceptionally bad but this screen issue is a real dealbreaker for me and my 14 day return window ends tomorrow. The Screen Adjuster method fixes it a little but I still get ghosting or smearing when scrolling text and it's super distracting to me.

Can anyone confirm that this firmware update indeed fixes the purple smearing/screen ghosting issue?

Kinda ridiculous no one mentioned this in reviews.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] caylith:
I will flash the new firmware in a moment and report back.

---------- Post added at 09:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 PM ----------

The smearing really improved quite a bit especially the color effect but there is still some unsharpness when scrolling.

I think it is on the right way. I hope Samsung finds other ways to improve but maybe thats the best it will be.

Nevertheless i think it is really acceptable.

The rest of the screen is so gorgeous so this complaint is rather small.

Definitely not a reason to

not

buy this phone anymore.

Edit:

Ok i have to revoke my statement:

The smearing is still the same in third-party apps

.

I tried it with the Reddit News App and it is still showing extreme smearing.

So my first assumption was correct: Samsung just did some changes with the system apps and did not fix the problem the at the root.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] F4bioo:
This method only replaces the black background in the settings leaving a fund degrade the Android HOLO and solves the problem of stains in contacts and others...
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
I think its hardware, when I enabled 'dark aokp' there was still a gohsting with the settings and other applications.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Obagleyfreer:
I think it's safe to say that Samsung haven't actually fixed this issue at all.

They have simply covered up the effects in Touchwiz.

Every app, game or movie still suffers from it.

It's simply a limitation of the AMOLED not being able to turn on certain pixels fast enough, in my opinion.

We still need answers Samsung, and as far as I'm concerned a flagship phone should not have issues like this.

The S4 shouldn't of been released. In my opinion it was rushed to market and hasn't had the appropriate testing or QC checks done.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Spix:
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_update_brings_move_to_sd_hdr_video_capture-news-6170.php

"There are two screen related changes - a smearing issue during scrolling has been resolved and there's a new Increase legibility feature."
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] omias:
then....... is this issue about hardware ?....:mad: now im dissapointed, I have the octa core, Im thinking change my S4 for htc one :(

Im not trolling or something, simply Im dissapointed....I spent 650 fkn dollars :eek:

My problems: Gallery freezing (only if i use sd external card to store pics and vids)

EDIT: Sd ploblem is solved !!! (sd corrupted)

Problem 2: Smearing and pixelation on grey colors (menus, games and movies) :rolleyes:

Sorry for my english..... I dont like to use the google translator
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renton82:
Just do it! the screen is wonderful compared to GS4, no lag, impressive!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
I'm probably going to try swap to a HTC one. This, I feel is unacceptable.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] maranello69:
that would be a silly move, i bet you'll regret doing it

i too was upset at first, but after reading more about this issue, i understood that this new display is a large step forward for technology and we need to adjust a little until it will get solved, there's nothing better atm

in the mean time, i start to ignored it and it doesn't bother me anymore
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
Yea, I hate it when there are 2 gorgeous phones on the market, but I do feel the S4 is more valuable than the One.

The smudging hasn't effected my daily use, so I guess you're right.

I'll have to stick with this till the bitter end. :)

Thanks for that.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renosj:
Agree with you. What about watching movies, smearing doesnt bother you?When I focus on,I can see smearing in my SG2 as well, but ignore it,no problem when watching movies.But if SG4 is much worse....
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] goldlocke:
The smearing on the SGN is wayyyyy better than on the SGS4! Same manufacturer - older tech on the SGN. Where exactely is the "large step forward for technology" here? lol

Have my SGS4 already returned especially because of that. I am now back on my SGN till the HTC One in black is available here.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DireStraits87:
Smearing Issue

Will the smearing issue be fixed in future firmware updates i mean not only in system apps but also in third party apps ?! is it possible ?!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renosj:
dont think so, its not possible to change 3.party app graphics :).Maybe they will use the same solution which is possible to achieve with Screen Adjuster(free app, reduces contrast, or add boost RBG to value 5- try it,you will see)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
Personally I haven;t watched any films on my S4. I don't think it would be that noticeable. :)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renosj:
Thanks for reply, you are Aussie? My wife loves AU:).We have visited AU 4times.Could you please post some camera samples in full-res from your SG4?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
Oh yes! "Another shrimp on the barbie!". Thats great to hear! Australia is a wonderful place! :)

Here are those photos you wanted!

Panoramic:

Panoramic 1

Pic Naughts n Crosses

Pic - Leaves

Pic - Pinecone

There you go! :)

---------- Post added at 09:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:11 AM ----------

I've also asked in the Vodafone communities, they have said that:

So I guess its a problem.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] squabbi:
I guess it's how you use it. and also how noticeable it is.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renosj:
Thanks for images, nice! For now, you can use this smearing fix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOQ91ujRFxU
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rahulsuneja:
Opening the keyboard in portrait mode shows the worst. Keys on the left (top of the screen) are more red/purple and keys on the right (bottom of the screen) tend to be paler! I used to have this problem on my Nokia C7 back in 2011. No resolution ever provided. Had to live with it. 50-60% customers had it. And about 50% of them had it the worst. Their phones just didn't show gray gradients at all. All you could see was pink/purple.!
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] RaininHanoi:
Definitely, this reminds me of N8/C7 Purple tint issue, anyway this smearing only happens on black (pixel-off) backgrounds and honestly it doesn't bother me, its more like a side effect of having complete black levels annnd this thing is happening to every S4 while I remember that the first batch of N8/C7 had perfect gradients/screen.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rahulsuneja:
What I am saying is.. That this is a generic hardware shortcoming or drawback & that there is no possible solution to it with a firmware upgrade. This kind of problem was not there in the S2 or S3 or any other Note series because by default their RGB is set to a bit Greenish/Yellowish. Put your S4 against any other Galaxy S series and you will know what I'm talking about. As for the smearing in videos, it is always going to be the same with all AMOLEDs.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] EvoRocker:
Can someone please test something for me? It seems the top and bottom half of my phone are at a different brightness or something along those lines, whatever it is it's causing the screen to display things differently on each half albeit not by very much.

The place I notice this the most is on Chrome's new tab page. I attached a picture with a yellow line I drew in to show for me where I can see the halves meet and differentiate. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just my S4? Would really like some feedback so I can return my phone if it's an isolated issue... I also have the purple smearing.

This effect goes away at max brightness, but I run lowest brightness whenever possible and that's when it's most evident.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rdy2go:
Smearing issue seems to be hardware related, infamous Pentile strikes back.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DanteSSS333:
I got it too, but its really hard to notice it at normal circumstances. Could be firmware or hardware, but tbh, I dont care about it anyway since I never use lowest brightness while staring at the new tab page in Chrome xD
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
I have this Issue too. On a screenshot it will not notice. I returned the unit and get another and it does the same. Today I went there and they said to wait until the firmware update, to check if its a software problem. I hope this gets resolved after the update.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] EvoRocker:
Are you with Verizon?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Nope, Sprint.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Obagleyfreer:
That look to me like a definite hardware problem.

Not only is one half of your screen brighter, it's green!!!

Common tint problem on defective AMOLED displays.

Send it back for replacement :)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
my s4 screen only has the smearing issue other then that its great it doesnt have 2 different colors for top and bottom like the other guy with the chrome browser
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] EvoRocker:
so should I get mine replaced?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Ok Thanks. I'll go for another replacement.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bosstazem:
GUYS! I just installed Omega rom v5 base on XXUBMEA version and.. The smearing is gone! Even I adjust the screen to minimum brightness. And test some pitchblack pictures and the screen is still true black. Really cool and those screen flicker when open keyboard is gone too! Now my S4 is really perfect now. CHEERS!! really happy now :D:thumbup:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DanteSSS333:
Yeah, but its still there in non-stock apps ...
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jumpinghooligans:
Did you just check the smearing in settings? Most people are reporting that the MEA firmware only really modified the settings apk leaving 3rd party apps (Reddit Sync and the Light Flow notification settings screen (go to GMail labels and scroll up and down) are the worst for me) with the same smearing that exists now.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Shocker580:
I can sadly confirm this..

The smearing disappear only in all pages of phone (all menu and configuration) but still exactly like before in all 3rd apps.

Inviato dal mio GT-I9505 con Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] renosj:
Yes, as I said, use app Screen Adjuster and set RBG +5 or Contrast -10
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] omias:
I installed MEA stock rom

I noticed:

* screen flicker when open keyboard is gone :good:

* Camera app open fast, and no more resets. :good:

* Smearing still in 3rd apps, movies, games :(
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] omar-tdm:
the problem it solve when install MEA stock room
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Raad76:
Hey,, so what happend , did the smearing go or Is it still there?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Obagleyfreer:
Purple smearing issue is definitely still there on MEA firmware, Samsung have just covered it up in settings menu.

But if you open stock gallery for example it's still there.

I have a lot of grey images and black images in my screenshots folder and if I scroll up and down you can see it really badly.

IMO unless the screen doesn't display pure black by turning off pixels it will always be there.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Ok, Went to the store and after arguing with the manager for like 1 hour, He didn't want to accept this is a HW problem. He keeps saying that 98% of phone problems is Software related. He will replace my phone one more time... It will be here at Thursday. Lets hope this doesn't have this issue.. I took a video of the problem and showed to him, he said theres nothing wrong with my phone, that's normal .... :eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb7EZTPi_eA&feature=youtube_gdata_player
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] EvoRocker:
They'd only offer me a warranty refurb because I was 4 days passed the 14 day exchange window... :\ Still have mine and thinking I'll just keep it.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Yep they did the same to me. First time was Overheating Problem, phone got replaced, now this one with a display issue. I just can't live with this problem, it looks bad for a Flagship phone. Maybe I'm exagerating but I keep thinking I paid the price for a New(100 percent working phone) not a damaged one. I can accept a refurb only if it works like it should. Hope you can resolve this too.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] edduart:
I just tried an app right now "screen adjuster" if I set it to show more green and blue I get perfect blue, also no smearing bars. As I thought it's just a RGB wrong settings? If yes It can be easily solved by firmware.

Enviado de meu GT-I9500 usando o Tapatalk 2
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Ok got a Replacemente phone today. This one looks perfect. The screen now looks even. Finally I'm happy with my phone.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DireStraits87:
Hi

So The Problem Will Never be Fixed Totally Even With Firmware Updates, So Why We Can not Sue Samsung For The Display Smearing Issue ?

The Korean Company Should Give Our Money Back To Us Why Not ?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rdy2go:
+1
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rezbin:
GT-I9500

Build: JDQ39.I9500XXUAMDK

Purchased about 2 weeks ago, and does not exhibit any of the issues outlined in this thread.

:confused:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DireStraits87:
I wanna take my phone to guarantee but first i must know my phone has been rooted till now or not ... how can i understand that ? tnx please help
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] goldlocke:
So...is that issue still here with the Google Play Edition ROMs? thx.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] the_gunners:
my i9500's screen got problem with direct sunlight, it is flickering. Especially when taking photos or open application with white background.

Anyone have solution for that ? or it's a hardware fault ?

TIA
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] slig:
Hmm looks like maaany ppl here buy their GS4 to watch dark greys and chromium new tab page on minimal backlight in dark room... That's... quite a new way of using smartphone... :) Mine also has some irregularities of backlight but haven't even noticed them until read this thread... Looks like overdose XDA could be harmful :p Anyway I'll not watch dark grays on daily basis :)

Seriously, each generation of amoleds have similar issues. It's just their characteristics and probably the cause why they haven't reach bigger screens. I personally prefer amoled over lcd even with that little flaws.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Jay_Sat:
totally agree :good:
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] timo74:
[MENTION=2454456]the_gunners[/MENTION]

About flickering under sunlight , the problem is only with AUTO brightness (display) settings ?

or also display manual brightness settings ?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] riderzecter:
black text blur when scroll on white background

hi guys, just bought S4 two days ago and i did not have flickering or purple smearing problem. my phone already on MEA firmware out of the box

but yesterday i start installing app like whatsapp, line and i notice that when u have a white background and black text (all color actually, but the balck is the most) and u scroll, the text become blur or like leaving a trail (or this is what they called smearing?). this happen in line, WA, imdb, browsing google and all app / website with white background

I go to SC and the unit they have got same problem. I go to some samsung shop to try and compare, but their S4 doesn't have internet connection (I can't try without internet because all samsung default menu is white on black background). So i tether my connection and try google,and the phone have same problem. Later i post this problem on my local forum, and after closer look, some members post that they also have this issue. so, i relieved that this not only happen on my phone

my question is, if this happen with all S4 why i can't find anything in here or google?

i googled " galaxy s4 black text lur on white background " but the one that appear is the smearing / flickering issue

did any of you have this issue? or this issue is my country specific?

actually i just found 1 article that mention this issue but is in galaxy S2

the link is http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1081517

edit

i found an article mentioning this issue on blogspot

the link is http://gadgetconsumer.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-samsung-galaxy-s4-and-its-flaws.html

i quote from there

can it be fixed?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Levus:
Mine had purple tint on the lower side of the display. It was clearly visible on grey pictures and it annoyed me a lot. A technician came to my house to replace the screen. The new screen had purpleish tint on the top of the screen in the notification area. Luckily he had another new screen with him so he replaced it again.

That screen is perfect. So anybody has this uneven color problem please don't hesitate. It's a screen defect and after the replacement the phone will be perfect.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] keltsi95:
Totally agree.They kept saying it was a Software problem but I didn't agree with them so they gave me another replacement. This one came perfectly. Thank God I don't have this issue anymore. It was a pain....

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:19 PM ----------

So your saying You're Ok paying for a $600 phone and knowing that your device has a 1080p HD display but defective? Mine was not a little flaw. It was noticeable and looked really bad for a Flagship phone.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] slig:
I'm saying that everything depends on how much it's visible and if it interferes with normal usage. In the past I was fighting with many similar issues on many devices and came to conclusion that it's not worth an effort. Every technology has it's issues - ex. lcd tn changes colours depending on view angle. This also could be considered as flaw, but LCDs are very common and people got used to it.

Irregularities on solid grays are characteristic to amoled technology, and IMHO replacing phone several times just because display isn't 100% perfect in extreme conditions is a little bit paranoid. My current GS4 is almost perfect but it was just luck. If there would be some minor flaws I'd probably leave it that way. Of course clearly visible flaws, dead pixels etc. are defects that have to be repaired/replaced.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] manu44:
So any resolution for this.. I have updated to the Latest Version and the Issue is still there

Should i get the Phone replaced Or wait for a New Version OF Software?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] plasmastate:
Sorry to bust your bubble but this is how the amoled will work on s4. Just like lcds have horrible blacks, amoleds also have other limitations. When pure black is displayed, the leds turn off completely to save battery but as soon as the portion of that black screen needs to display something, the leds have to turn on and the time it takes those leds to turn on is a little longer which causes smearing with blacks. I hope it helped.

Edit: the rdason we dont have this issue on s3 or note 2 is because the leds didntly completely turn off when displaying black. They only go to a very low power state.

You can test it yourself on a note or s3 in total darkness with a jet black bg and appreciate the awesome blacks of the s4.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
I would have to send my phone to a repair center, which will take three weeks and the chance that they will notice the problem will be minimal. The store where I bought mine does not swap phones..
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Pard0ned:
You've both actually put my mind at ease, I've some issues on my screen in grays (both gradient and solid).

Thanks. :)
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gonsa:
I've got this smearing issue too.. it's a bit annoying when scrolling while reading texts.

i'm affraid that i replace it and they give me another one with the same issue.

i'm thinking of waiting like 10 months, wait for newer S4 batches to be built and then go to the store and replace it.
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Mandeep148:
Is pink tint is an issue? :(

I have this issue since I m using galaxy line smartphones...

Mine have pink tint on bottom.. which not looks so bad or not annoy me.. but listening that my device is defected which really annoy sound.

I have pink tint which looks like 4-5% opacity not noticable much.. yes it looks only in 0% brightness.. + on grey background too.. I m really unlucky if my device faulty.. I m really sad.. :(

I really spent my hard earned cash on this faulty device?

Is that sn issue?

I made a thread on it..

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2349481

If u have time then also check.. :(
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Mittaa:
Nobody have a totally perfect screen :eek:

Depending on viewing angle we all have kind of tint or unequally distributed light/color. It's part of the Amoled Screen technology.

But on some screen this pink tint issue is just too much and most people would agree that screen is faulty.

Hard to say if this is the case for you.

Did you compare your screen with other S4 screens?
[Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] kamranhaghighi:
Sadly:( that makes me so mad specially as I payed sooo much for this its also same on any launcher game or.. it have been better on ubmf3 or something update bit it still is