I noticed a problem that I hadn’t realized could actually become an issue. For a long time, I thought, “Oh, that’s just a funny grease spot,” but after a while I realized that the shape and location are always exactly the same.
For this picture, I cleaned the display and then intentionally smeared some grease on the affected area with my fingers to make the spot more visible. If you run your finger over it, you can feel that the surface is slightly rougher than the rest of the display. Because of this, I’ve come to the conclusion that the display coating may be damaged in that area.
What do you think I should do? I’ve already been using the phone for quite some time, so sending it in for repair is obviously not a great option right now. On the other hand, I also feel it’s too early to pay for a display replacement out of pocket. What would you do in my situation?
Of course, normal wear and tear is always possible, but I honestly can’t explain how this specific spot could have been caused by misuse. The phone has been handled normally, never cleaned with abrasive materials or harsh chemicals, and it hasn’t been exposed to anything unusual.
What makes me think this is a coating issue is that:
the spot always appears in exactly the same shape and location,
it becomes especially visible with fingerprints or grease,
and the surface texture in that area feels slightly rougher than the surrounding glass.
That’s why I’m wondering whether this could be a defect or premature wear of the oleophobic coating rather than normal dirt or smudging.
I haven’t experienced this on my FP6, but I have the official FP screen protector. As a first step, I’d probably try to first thoroughly clean the display with isopropyl alcohol and then possibly install a glass screen protector on top of it (you msy first try with a cheap one for the proof of concept). I wonder if that area would still be visible or not. At least that would solve the surface feel. In the meantime, you may contact FP support and ask if a display replacement under warranty would be possible if they send you a replacement screen and you install it yourself.
@kilou@OldRoutard
Isopropyl alcohol is perfectly fine for cleaning glass. In diluted form, alcohol is very commonly used in cleaners for all kinds of surfaces, from displays to eyeglass lenses.
@kilou Thanks for your very creative suggestions. I think I’ll start by letting the Support know about this this thread, even though I find the idea with the film/glass exciting.
Very strange. I have an FP6 and no screen protection. Same “grease” mark and the exact same spot. Isopropyl alcohol, even pure, is of no use. Gonna try with concentrated sulphuric acid.
Just kidding.
