KEY POINTS

  • Some Galaxy Note 9 users have complained of problems with the device
  • The problems started after Note 9 devices received the March security update
  • The device display overheats then turns yellow or yellowish-green

Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 received heaps of praise when it was released nearly two years ago – even recently by some reviewers – but now, some users are complaining of a fatal issue that is plaguing the handset.

Some Galaxy Note 9 users claim that their handsets suffer from overheating issues that can cause the display to turn yellow or yellowish-green. According to one of the users who posted in Samsung's online forums and Reddit (spotted by Notebook Check), the issue started happening after the device received the March Security update.

The Redditor said that “a lot of users” reached out to Samsung to complain about the problem, expecting that the company would help them out since the problem was caused by the update. Instead of receiving help, however, users were simply given the usual responses such as “reset your device.” These instructions, especially the aforementioned, did not work, the Redditor said.

The Redditor also noted that Galaxy Note 9 users who experienced the same issue after updating their devices have formed a Telegram group where they can discuss the problem.

Galaxy Note 9
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 made an appearance at IFA 2018. Reuters/Christian Mang

According to conversations in the group, Samsung is asking affected users to pay to have the displays on their devices replaced with a new one. The replacement display panel would cost nearly a third of the device's total price (about $250, as per Notebook Check), which is a huge amount considering the device's age – it hasn't even reached two years yet since being released in August 2018.

The Redditor also added that Samsung seems to “deliberately” try to “suppress the issue” ahead of the release of its upcoming handsets during the Unpacked event next month.

“When I tweeted to them about the problems that I was facing, Samsung support asked me to DM. When I refused, because the problem needed to be public, they just spit out the link to find a nearest service centre. And then they deleted those tweets. I have had no response since,” the Redditor wrote.

Based on these complaints, it's easy to understand that those who are using a Galaxy Note 9 should avoid getting the March Security Update to prevent their phones from breaking. Fans better wait for a fix in the future, if ever the company decides to release one.