Screen Burn In

[mikec8785]

I just got a used phone off of eBay that I activated today. I started using the phone and noticed there is some pretty bad burn in (see screenshots). Is there any way to make this go away? If not then I may just send it back to the seller because it wasn't identified at all in the auction.

 

[radgatt]

Do you know if you have your phone on auto brightness or not? I only notice it with the auto brightness. It could only be me but that's the only time I see the burn in.

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[dcastillo]

Somebody intelligent feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but true screen burn in would not be seen in a screenshot, since a screenshot capture is what is being sent to the screen not what you are actually seeing on the screen.

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[Nakrohtap]

Somebody intelligent feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but true screen burn in would not be seen in a screenshot, since a screenshot capture is what is being sent to the screen not what you are actually seeing on the screen.

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Those were my thoughts exactly.

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[mikec8785]

Somebody intelligent feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but true screen burn in would not be seen in a screenshot, since a screenshot capture is what is being sent to the screen not what you are actually seeing on the screen.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

What would be the problem here then? Is this something wrong with the software? I flashed back to factory using the stock images when I first received it.

Edit: After looking at the screenshots I posted you can't see what I'm talking about so it truly is screen burn in based on your comment.

Is there any way to fix burn in other than replacing the screen?

 

[mikec8785]

Do you know if you have your phone on auto brightness or not? I only notice it with the auto brightness. It could only be me but that's the only time I see the burn in.

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I tried turning brightness down all the way and I still see the burn in. It's a burn in of what looks to be a keyboard, but it's not the stock keyboard and it's not Swiftkey either.

 

[Nakrohtap]

I am guessing whoever had that phone before did a lot of texting and had the screen at 100% brightness. Also, it's very difficult to cause burn-in unless you turn your screen timeout up really high to force your screen to stay on. My guess is they realized their mistake and is using your money to get a new phone at a reduced price. Not sure if insurance would cover that. But, again, you would just need to report it as missing instead. I can't believe someone would knowingly sell a tainted phone and not tell the buyer.

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[mikec8785]

I am guessing whoever had that phone before did a lot of texting and had the screen at 100% brightness. Also, it's very difficult to cause burn-in unless you turn your screen timeout up really high to force your screen to stay on. My guess is they realized their mistake and is using your money to get a new phone at a reduced price. Not sure if insurance would cover that. But, again, you would just need to report it as missing instead. I can't believe someone would knowingly sell a tainted phone and not tell the buyer.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums

It's very frustrating that this happened but I'm just glad I bought on eBay and paid through PayPal so I can get my money back. This was a great deal too with tons of accessories (now I know why). The seller allows returns so hopefully the process goes smoothly.

I guess now I know another thing to look for when buying used.

 

[dcastillo]

But, again, you would just need to report it as missing instead. I can't believe someone would knowingly sell a tainted phone and not tell the buyer.

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So you cant believe someone would sell a tainted phone, but your telling him to just lie to insurance?

 

[Nakrohtap]

So you cant believe someone would sell a tainted phone, but your telling him to just lie to insurance?

A claim is a claim. If you break your phone or lose it, you need to file a claim. The point is... Don't pass your garbage onto someone else. It's that simple.

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[Mr.Gadget]

Yeah, I'd send it back if you can. If you do an insurance claim, I think it might cost you some more money, right? When I buy (and sell) on eBay, I try to be very careful to be detailed in what I want and what I have to sell. Even with buyer protection, it is really time consuming to send it all back, wait for a refund, then buy again.
Have you tried the Marketplace here?

 

[mikec8785]

Yeah, I'd send it back if you can. If you do an insurance claim, I think it might cost you some more money, right? When I buy (and sell) on eBay, I try to be very careful to be detailed in what I want and what I have to sell. Even with buyer protection, it is really time consuming to send it all back, wait for a refund, then buy again.
Have you tried the Marketplace here?

The seller is allowing me to send it back. I put it in the mail today and now it's the waiting game for him to receive the phone, make sure it works/ESN is still good, and then process refund. This is actually the first experience I've had on eBay where the item was different than described so I can't complain too much.

I have checked the Marketplace but everything I saw was always sold before I could respond. I ended up finding a guy on Craigslist last night who had to get rid of the phone quickly for cash and he sold it to me for $200 with a spare battery/charging stand and the phone was only a few weeks old. I threw in my old BB Storm for him. So, in the end it all worked out.

 

[ConTejas]

Yeah, defintely return it to the eBay seller. Unfortunately, it may involve filing a claim etc. but hopefully the seller is legit and easy to deal with. Just curious. How cheap was it w/ accessories? You know the old if it's too good to be true saying...

To those talking about insurance, who the heck would insure a used phone bought off of eBay? Get a clue


edit: Apparenly I took forever to write that lol. Glad it worked out. You're coming from a BB Storm...wow what an upgrade the gNex will be for you. I had the agony of using one for a few months.

 

[mikec8785]

Yeah, defintely return it to the eBay seller. Unfortunately, it may involve filing a claim etc. but hopefully the seller is legit and easy to deal with. Just curious. How cheap was it w/ accessories? You know the old if it's too good to be true saying...

To those talking about insurance, who the heck would insure a used phone bought off of eBay? Get a clue


Apparenly I took forever to write that lol. Glad it worked out. You're coming from a BB Storm...wow what an upgrade the gNex will be for you. I had the agony of using one for a few months.

It was $299.99 for the phone, two cases, three standard batteries, one extended battery, and two Samsung battery chargers/stands. The seller is acting like he had no idea the screen had burn in, so I'm wondering if he is just a reseller or what.

I think when they are talking about insurance they mean Asurion insurance through Verizon. The insurance seems to stay with the account, regardless of changing phones. However, I don't think that would be a claim I could file but who knows.

 

[TonyGd]

I've had my VZW GNx for 10 months now, and I can clearly see the signs of a significant screen burn-in, especially in the date/calendar area, but also at the icon location. The yellow spots are easy to see at the lowest screen brightness setting. My wife's GNx was bought 2 weeks later, but its screen is brighter, more blueish-white than mine, which has a yellowish tinge, and has no sign of burn-in. The difference is that my phone's screen is all day on, sitting and recharging in a cradle on my office desk. It could also be a different batch of AMOLEDs, who knows. Frankly, I am not surprised by the burin-in in current AMOLEDs screens as the technology is still very new, and when you realize you deal with millions of tiny discrete organic/polymer light emitting diodes when just only few years ago would only work a few hours under absolute oxygen-free conditions at a liquid nitrogen temperature, then you have to accept that the technology is still very new and not quite perfected. Wikipedia (AMOLED - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) clearly states that "The organic materials used in AMOLED displays are prone to degradation over a period of time, resulting in color shifts as one color fades faster than another, image persistence or burn-in." I'm rather surprised that my wife's screen does not show any signs of burn-in than that mine does... You have to have realistic expectations.