So, you’re an eager Android fanatic. After widely positive reviews, you pre-order the sparkly new Samsung Galaxy S24 to stay at the front of the pack. You sit tight and – eventually – the phone arrives. Everything is right with the world. Or, is it? “Is it just me,” you think, “or is there something fuzzy about the display?”
Unfortunately (or, fortunately, if you like others to share in your misery) it’s not just you. The new Samsung S24 series seems to have shipped with a frustrating display issue that limits the crisp, vivid color profile of the screen, leaving early-bird buyers underwhelmed and annoyed. The problem revolves around the color profile accessed through the settings panel, which reportedly appears washed out compared to previous Samsung models.
The display issue doesn’t appear to be a universal problem and seems to have gone undetected through reviews of the devices (including our Samsung S24 Ultra review). However, now, more than a handful of threads on Samsung’s forums and Reddit indicate that it’s not an isolated problem. “On my S24 Ultra the vivid and natural [display options] look exactly the same,” said one user. “Same with my S24 Plus, dull and dim,” agreed another, while yet further commenters complained of the “flat and dull colors.” Ouch. While minor bugs aren’t rare when a new phone first launches, it’s certainly not what you want having just purchased a next-gen, top-of-the-range model.
Thankfully, it looks like help is on the way. Again on Reddit, a user has posted a screenshot of their conversation with a Samsung chat support representative on its online support system. The Samsung rep acknowledges the issue and promises that an upcoming software update will restore vividness. So, it sounds like the team at Samsung HQ was already aware of the problem, though Samsung hasn’t yet provided a specific timeframe for the fix. It will most likely be a priority though, as the ability to toggle between vivid and natural color modes has long been a hallmark feature of Samsung phones.
As it stands there’s not yet an obvious solution that you can implement yourself if your device is impacted by the flaw, which highlights the reality that even flagship phone launches aren’t immune to early bugs (although they have become less severe over the years).
If you’ve got an S24, you’ll need our guide to the best Samsung S24 cases. Or, see our picks for the best gaming phones on the market, and our list of the best mobile games.