So, you’ve been using your Galaxy S24 or S24+ for the past two years, and you’re starting to notice that the screen smudges more easily. You’re not imagining things. Your phone’s display really has become more susceptible to fingerprints.
How do I know? As a Galaxy S24+ user myself, I’m in the same boat as you, assuming you’ve been using your phone without a screen protector.
It’s not that the screen is constantly greasy,but it does feel harder to keep clean and fingerprint-free than it used to. So what’s going on?
In short, no, Samsung’s S24 displays aren’t defective. And yes, there’s a reason for this and even a few potential fixes.
Why is this happening?
The culprit is the oleophobic coating. This factory-applied layer helps the display repel oils and makes fingerprints easier to wipe off.
The catch is that oleophobic coatings don’t last forever. Their lifespan is usually around two years at most. unless you crack the screen, the glass itself will always outlive the coating on top of it.
As that oil-repellent layer wears down, the display becomes easier to smudge, harder to clean, and less pleasant to use. Swiping can even start to feel slightly sticky.
Although annoying, this is normal and expected in the smartphone world. The issue is not limited to Samsung phones. Oleophobic coatings wear off across the entire smartphone industry, and two years is about what you can expect.
