yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
It's sickening because you pay so much, and expect there to be at least SOME quality

I'll call Sprint tomorrow and see if I can get the deductible credited after reading about it being a widespread defect, and the fact that the repair tech wouldn't even look at it closely before blaming me
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Shoulon:
I fear this happening. Especially since the S4 seems to have a fish eye effect when looking at things from the screen off as a reflection
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] neemot:
Did you go to corporate locations or preferred retailer
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] mikejones13:
Mine broke from a 1 foot fall on a dirt road. Sprint wouldnt even look at it paid $150. Got the first replacment and it was all jacked up. Got the 2nd replacment and its all good now. When the screen broke I was so pissed. First broken screen since the treo 600.... Told my wife as soon as a good replacement is in my hands I was gonna spike the broken phone..... Well touch screen still works lol after two13 ft falls
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Corporate. All the repair centers here are corporate stores
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
See that's different, I'd own up to breaking the glass after dropping it, but the amoled UNDER the glass cracked in my pocket
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] smarcin:
What brand/model case do you have? Now, I'm spooked. I've never cracked a screen. I've had Windows PC phones: the 6600, Mogul, original Touch, Touch Pro, Touch Pro 2, and Treo 700wx. Then Android phones: Hero, OG Evo, and Evo 3D. I've always had them in cases. The Windows phones had pouch cases. The Treo had a silicone case. The Evos both had the Best Buy Platinum cases which are Seidios. Most of them I used without screen protectors. Never a broken or cracked screen.

My S4 has a Casemate case on it. It's a 2 layer case: silicone with polycarbonate shell. I also have a 3M anti-glare screen protector on it. I wonder if this is enough? I often put my S4 in my jeans pocket, though sometimes I put it case and all into a sort of pouch in my purse if I don't have a pocket in my slacks or skirt.

Those of you that have had S IIIs and Note IIs, were there any defects with those screens? Thanks.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
I've never had a phone do this and I've had pretty much every generation of touch screen device starting from the mogul, and I've NEVER had this happen. Sure I've shattered the glass on a few, but that was from severe drops. I have a clear plastic/rubber case and HD screen protector. The only activity I was doing was squatting up and down cutting appliance boxes open. I didn't hit against anything. The AMOLED should not break beneath the glass, even if the phone were to be flexed from being in your pocket.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] E The Magnificent:
I'm glad I ran across this thread good info

I love the 90s good times
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
I honestly don't think the screens are breaking from just sitting nicely in pockets and purses. Over flexing in pockets makes sense. Its a big long wide thin phone. But its not just breaking for no reason. Just not buying it sorry.

This was discussed before about edge to edge displays on big phones. Maybe some sort of cushions can be used to reduce this effect if its is truly the cause.

A corporate repair store is suppose to replace the screen. In my experience I've seen some corp repair stores are just bad and say no we can't but then I've called sprint and gotten supervisors on the phone and handed the phone to a store manager and all of a sudden the story changes and its then repaired.

Side note... I do not see a fisheye effect on my screen or girlfriends Verizon phone. Maybe the ones that do have a issue and are prone to breaking easier? Idk.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
I've owned 8+ large screen touch phones, that have been dropped, bumped, flexed, etc WITHOUT a case that haven't broken. Now this one in a case, never dropped, never hit, or bumped, suddenly the lcd cracks under the glass? Yeah, call me crazy, but that shouldn't happen. Especially on a flagship $650 device.

And to further explain the damage the crack was vertical about a half inch, right along the power button under the white frame. There is no physical damage, no dings, scratches, NOTHING to the phone.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
Idk man. I wonder if you got 1000 phones and placed them all on a table and over the next 3 months leave them alone, how many would be broken at the end? Apparently a lot.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
I'm not saying it's breaking on its own, but obviously a phone should be able to be carried in someone's pocket without the lcd cracking. I'm pretty sure that's where majority of devices are carried everyday. As I said before I've never had this happen with any other device, and apparently there's quite a few others having the same issue with this specific device
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Highway 55:
You got a lemon. It's as simple as that. If this was a major issue it would be all over the internets. I work construction, I would bet that I have put this device through more abuse in a month and a half than most people do in a 2 year contract period...
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
Honestly I agree 100%. It just doesn't make any sense if its sitting in your pocket and not taking any abuse. People talk about tight jeans and stuff and if that's the case then no kidding its going to break with tight jeans.

Still yet, if its happening like you say then this is just a case of a few thousand out of 20 million phones is well within the acceptable % levels.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] gharlane00:
In your pants pocket parallel to your leg there should not be a problem. If it is turned the other way and you sit down that is going to be a lot of stress. The vast number of hard shell cases on the market for phones are there for a reason. A high end phone is a big investment especially outside of the US. Carry a naked smart phone at your own risk.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] xxxicu812:
I'm curious, do all the other stories of cracked LCD's match as far as at the same place, 1/2" vertical along side power button? If so, you might have a good case.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] troyboytn:
Guys, of course there will be lemons.... the point in all this is that SA Shady or anyone else that has this happen to their phone "should" be covered under Samsung's warranty when an internal part is broken and there is no other evidence of damage to the phone.Sure, the phone is thin, but if Samsung wants to design them that way they should also be sure that they will be safe when carried in a pocket (no matter how tight that pocket may be) as that is probably where 75% of all people will carry theirs. I use a case, as most people probably do, but a case shouldn't be needed to protect the phone in one's pocket for god's sake.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] wotandsdwys:
We're all forgetting the real issue here. And that's skinny jeans and the consequences of said pants. :)
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Highway 55:
I will agree with this. However, I doubt that Samsung will ever cover these types of problems. They will do anything they can to prove the device was mis-handled.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
And I was wearing cargo shorts. So it had plenty of moving room. The other pic they posted, looked like it cracked in the same spot.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Some others were cracked in different places, but with the same story, had it in their pocket, pulled it out and it was cracked
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
I agree that Samsung should replace some of these. If the amoled screen but not the gorilla glass is breaking in the same spot every time then that might be a issue.

I don't think we should have to use a case but I also don't think we should expect it to be indestructible either.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Yea, I certainly know it's not indestructible, I've dropped and broken several S2's, but WITH a case and screen protector I'd expect it to at least survive my pocket
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Truitt.Jack:
There is no GSM variant of the GS4. They are all the same; same radios and all. Minus the GT-I9500 with its Exynos 5 octa core. But still the same radios in that version.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] troyboytn:
Ummm, not true. Misinformation on your part. Sprint and Verizon as well as some smaller U.S. carriers, some Japanese and some Indian models have CDMA radios but also GSM and LTE radios. The other "varients (AT&T, T-Mobile and all other international) are GSM/LTE only...no CDMA. They are not even remotely the same. ;)
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] shizkoff777:
I'm just going to say this .The very first day I got mine I dropped it on concrete face down no case, no screen protector.my screen is perfectly fine the only damage was a couple of nicks on the silver bevel.Keep in mind that it fell a good 3 to 4 ft
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] troyboytn:
Makes me feel a bit better
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
I was under the impression that ALL US phones have both CDMA and GSM. I might be wrong but I think I read somewhere a tear down showed they are the same. Maybe not.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] robogoflow:
Hey sorry to hear that but thankfully you guys had insurance.

I never had insurance but now im going to get it.

I just bought the phone like 6 days ago on a upgrade.

Can i still add insurance and if so how long do i have.

I want to add after my first bill which has activations fees.

Also. Would a tempered glass help keep the screen stiff?

I know you said the lcd screens but what side do you think the pressure can crack it? pushing from the back forward or front to back?

[Edit]

Just wanted to say that every phone has people complaining about its flaws, but coming from a sprint gnex this phone is awesome. Battery life is outstanding. All day with sync, heavy videos, games and gps with decent screen brightness. I like the flat rectangle shape, really good camera + crisp screen. Air view is a conversation starter everywhere. My gnex needed a battery switch twice and one charge on a custom rom with ak kernel to get through the day with dark display. I'll will still buy this phone over anything else out right now.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] amwworks:
You have 30 days from the purchase of the phone to add insurance

Sent from my toilet
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] tokejones:
This definitely happened to me i had a crack in the middle of my s4 under the glass. I was outside of my 13 days I made such a fuss calling customer support and raising all types of hell in 3 different stores they just replaced the phone and gave me a free battery. I even had Sammy ready to fix the phone free of charge just didn't know what I'd do for a phone when I sent it to them.

If this happens to you just never give up, call and harass cust serv, threaten to port your number away, if one corp store doesn't help you go to another, and if its a Corp store ask for the regional manager

Btw one of the techs told me this is a problem with the motherboard but I dunno just know how to get results from sprint
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
This is exactly what you should do. Make them fix it. I don't give up either. I make them fix it or replace the phone completely. I've had them give me a loaner.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Alright. I'll raise some hell. Cause it's complete bull****
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] robogoflow:
Raise hell but also try to protect because im pretty sure sammy or sprint is going to start saying no by your 3rd device. Try to switch to htc one. Its well built and almost the same specs.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
Try to switch? Lol ya go ahead and drop that thing and see how it fairs. Aluminum dents and causes the boards and stuff inside to get smashed and pushed into each other. Plastic has memory and goes back to original state. Metal does not. Short drops plastic fairs better. Drops from higher up and its fair game.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
I'm ALWAYS careful, and that's why this is so frustrating. And no thanks. I don't care for HTC at all
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] sputnik767:
Perhaps the pressure was more than you you think. And the screen protector isn't going to do anything against direct pressure. I have carried all of my phones in my pocket with the screen facing my thigh, and even when I've inadvertently pressed my phone against a hard surface with quite a bit of pressure, I've never had a screen issue with phones going back to the Evo, S2, S3, and the S4.

I apologize for being blunt, but this is not a manufacturer defect or Sprint's problem. This is a user problem and don't expect Sprint to come to your rescue here. Glass is fragile, and if it broke, you applied enough pressure to break it. We are all careful, but sometimes bad things still happen. Just be happy you can replace the phone for $150 instead of $600.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Lelouche:
Kind of like how people brick their phones trying to root and then bring it into a corporate store to replace.. It wasn't the phone's fault, but the user's.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Didn't break the glass, and I'm pretty sure getting in and out of my car isn't enough pressure to crack the LCD.

Yes, I've owned every generation of galaxy s, evo 3d, nexus s, all carried in my pocket caseless, NEVER had the screen under the glass beak
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
I wouldn't be making a big deal out of it if it was blatantly my fault.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
I've slept on the floor with my s4 in my back pocket laying on my back and its not cracked. Its fell off my bed many times with no case and its fine. Ive sept all night with it in my front pocket in bed and no cracks. I just think its all within the %'s.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
Yes, but I would still say it's a defect
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] sputnik767:
Glass doesn't break on it's own. Maybe you didn't notice the incident, but that doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Since I can safely assume that the phone did not break it's own glass, something you did was responsible. And user error is not covered by warranty. Like I said, you're lucky you can replace the phone for $150. I sympathize with you, really, I do. It sucks to have this happen. But the problem still lies with something you did. Do you carry your phone with the screen facing your thigh or the outside? Do you or did you carry anything else in your pocket? If you have something in your pocket, even the pressure of your pants tightening around your device when you are sitting down can produce enough force to push whatever else is in your pocket to break the screen. It is a very thin piece of glass.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] ashton4life:
Best Buy....no deductible and no questions!! $9.99 a month. Lost or stolen is not covered but everything else is. Go check it out! I'm pretty sure you have to buy the phone from them though. I paid $149 with 2 year contract with Sprint.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] 00mred00:
But from what I am understanding the glass did not break, the internal lcd broke.

I have seen a number of older phones do this, HTC and Samsung but have no idea why they do it. I can say I haven't seen any s4's come in that have done it yet.

Also note that with the newer phones and policies Sprint does less and less screen repairs in store, typically not having parts or even tear down training which I am pretty certain has not occured for the s4 yet anyway.

The policy is pretty cut and dry ...less than 1 inch, less than 2. Anything other than that is labeled irreparable and must be handled through ASURION insurance claim process.

I definitely would be on the phone with Samsung until they provide a solution.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] tokejones:
I was under the impression that the lcd cracked under the glass as well which is what happened to me but sprint replaced mine with little resistance, and I dunno about sprint techs not knowing how to replace the screens on the s4 because I'm actually on my gs4 #3 the home button on the replacement didn't work half the time so I took that one back and they offered to replace the screen or just give me a new phone I opted for the new phone

Again I'm just persistent and won't take no for an answer if I were you dude I'd go into a corp store and ask for the regional mgr info
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] BlackWolf757:
coming from someone who was actually a Sprint tech not too long ago...I can tell you that any physical damage done to a device is NOT covered in the store. It sucks but that's the way it is (apparently it costs the company too much for a replacement screen). Physical damage consists of screen cracks, broken charging ports (unless specified as a known issue), and any damage done to the housing or components. I believe this is the same across all carriers.

If people are getting their phones replaced, it's because the people who work there really don't give a crap and do it anyway (because s*** will hit the fan once the warehouse gets the phone back and they see a physically damaged device because now the company will not get money back for the device...only if it had a real defect and no damage).

Judging from the way the phone is built...it's pretty hard to crack the inside display before the outside. Phone could have easily been pressed against something while in your pocket and you may not have realized it (we are only human..no one is perfect). I have taken apart 3 galaxy s4's and you would have to really press hard against the glass to really crack the LCD underneath...especially if it's in a case. I pressed against the screen a few times and you don't even see the warped effect when you usually press against an LCD screen (which means the LCD is not exactly close to the glass).

Oh and btw...almost everything is replaceable on the device (screen, components, even the charging port which is good to know).
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] sputnik767:
Still glass though, right? All the more evidence that he probably had something in his pocket that pressed against his screen when his pants stretched. Since there is virtually zero chance that this is a manufacturer defect, Samsung is not obligated to fix anything , and neither is Sprint.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] cas8180:
I have read most of this entire thread. And I find all of it quite alarming after watching the s4 stress video posted on YouTube by Samsung. But then again the silver bezel started cracking on my s3 one day for no reason. Never dropped or anything and always kept in a case. That's why I jumped on the s4 cause after watching the stress test video I thought for sure this edition had to have much higher build quality
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] Esoteric68:
I think this is definitely more exception than norm, or either I'm very lucky because, thanks to a new kitten, my S4 has hit the floor numerous times (both in and out of case) without any physical damage. Mind you I realize I'm probably pushing it and need to find a way to keep kitten from phone but so far I've been incredibly impressed with the durability of the S4.

I bought a few wallet style cases for when I don't feel like carrying a purse and I have noticed that the built in snap-style case is a really tight fit so I use them sparingly, just in case but they are handy when just running out for a quick errand or have hands full of pets in the pet store.

I feel for those who are experiencing this issue and am keeping fingers crossed that I don't have it happen to my phone.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] SAShady:
My phone is in my pocket by itself. As I said, I've had numerous touch phones over the years, doing the same thing in the same pockets. NEVER had the inside LCD crack
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] tft:
i had my s4 since day one and occasionally put it in my pocket while being totally careful about not leaning on anything to cause any pressure on the phone, and i always face the screen towards my leg/body.. i even dropped it once on cement from about 3 ft height and it didn't break.. granted i had a skin on the phone.

a phone inside a pocket will not just crack unless person carrying it in pocket did something to cause it to crack. i don't buy this one bit... not saying the phone didn't break in your pocket, but there had to been some pressure on it to stress it to the point it gave and broke.. the bigger and thinner they make these phones the more careful people have to be with them..
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] im0rtalz:
As the OP stated phone was in pocket. It's one thing when the actual glass breaks, but if the glass is fine and lcd on the bottom breaks that to me a manufacturing defect.

Example here
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] ashton4life:
I agree...how can you prove the phone was twisted or flexed to the point of damaging the internals? If there is no external evidence of this then how is it not a defect? "yes sir the phone is not under warranty because you tapped the button too hard and the inside broke under the glass!!" DAHHHHHHH

Like I said in my previous post, BestBuy blows away the Sprint or Samsung insurance (if any). I know its too late for some but for those that are going to buy a phone go there first and check it out!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] sputnik767:
Depending on the amount of force, direction of force, and differences in materials of the 2 different types of glass, it is very much possible to break the LCD and not the external glass. This does not automatically signify a manufacturing defect in any way.
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] eskomo:
Gorilla Glass 3 is pretty strong. Maybe strong enough to withstand the abuse you put on your screen but maybe the abuse was too much for the lcd. Maybe the abuse was too much for even the previous versions of Gorilla Glass. Maybe you just think that the glass should break before the LCD. Maybe it should but maybe its a good thing that it doesn't. Maybe, just maybe, this is not a problem with the phone itself and its a testament to how good Gorilla Glass is. Maybe because its withstanding the pressure, the LCD can't and breaks instead, causing people to think its a weakness when its just the top glass being strong.

This is all just a bunch of maybes. Maybe I'll change my view on this someday. Maybe.

Sent from my SGS4. Go Blue!! Buck the Fuc keyes!!
[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 General] ashton4life:
Ok guys all your hypothesis are fine and dandy but how can you prove the phone was abused by the owner with out any external damage or evidence on the outside? That is like saying I dropped the phone though there is no evidence of damage on it to back it.