Why You Can Trust CNET Galaxy S9 screen not responding? Here's how to let Samsung know
Some people are reporting that the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus won't respond to their touch.
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The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus have scarcely been on sale for a week and already some Galaxy S9 owners are reporting dead zones.
Numerous complaints on the official Samsung forums and all over Reddit (here, here and here) describe how portions of the screen won't respond to touch input. Samsung has said it's responding to the issue.
Some people have been posting videos and GIFs of their faulty phones; take a look below to see what they're dealing with.
In the video we can see a long vertical bar across the phone's screen that won't register touch. Other people are reporting dead zones in the top or the bottom of the screen, so it doesn't seem like the problem is limited to one area. It's unclear if this is a widespread issue or one that affects a small number of phones.
"At Samsung, customer satisfaction is core to our business and we aim to deliver the best possible experience. We are looking into a limited number of reports of Galaxy S9/S9+ touchscreen responsiveness issues. We are working with affected customers and investigating," a Samsung spokesperson said.
"We encourage any customer with questions to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG."
Some people have tried fixing the problem by turning up the screen's touch sensitivity or doing a factory reset, according to Android Police. Others have returned their phones to Samsung to get a replacement. The screen issues would be covered under Samsung's standard 1-year warranty for device workmanship.
Since the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus don't have physical home or navigation buttons, the touchscreen is the way to navigate the phones. A touchscreen that acts up is a black mark against an otherwise high performing phone.
Samsung can't afford another scandal with a popular phone. The scandal of recalling the Galaxy Note 7 -- twice -- and stripping the phone from store shelves is surely still a fresh enough memory in Samsung's collective conscious to sting.
The Galaxy S9 isn't the only phone in recent history to run into screen issues. Google's Pixel 2 XL amassed enough worrying problems with its display that buyers should beware.
CNET hasn't run into this issue on its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus review units.
First published, March 22 at 2:25 p.m. PT.
Update, 7:17 p.m. PT: Adds comment from Samsung.
