Samsung’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra—the swan song of the iconic Note series—is back in the spotlight, but not for the reasons fans would hope. A growing number of users are reporting a green (or sometimes pink) line running vertically across the display, a frustrating issue that seems to have resurfaced recently.
The problem isn’t new. Similar vertical line issues have plagued several of Samsung’s AMOLED-equipped flagships over the years, including the Galaxy S20, S21, S22, S23, and even the recently launched S24 series. In fact, Samsung offered a free replacement to some Note 20 Ultra users affected by this issue back in 2023.
But what’s causing this strange display issue? So far, no smartphone brand has clearly addressed the root cause. However, it often seems to appear after a software update. While the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has already received its final OS upgrade (Android 13), it’s still on a quarterly security update cycle—and it did get one just last month. In fact, a Galaxy S21 FE user recently shared a video of the green line appearing while installing the update, lending weight to claims that the issue may be software-triggered, or at least exacerbated by it.
Many affected users also confirmed their phones had no significant physical damage—no drops, no water exposure—just a screen that suddenly developed a green or pink line out of nowhere.
Despite the growing complaints, Samsung has yet to officially acknowledge the root cause. NotebookCheck speculates that the issue may stem from aging AMOLED sub-pixels or problems with the display driver IC, both of which could be pushed over the edge by a software update.
While Samsung has offered free one-time screen replacements for certain affected devices in the past, the Note 20 Ultra’s age and its position outside of the company’s four-year support policy likely leave it ineligible. To make matters worse, the repair program often comes with strict conditions—such as no physical damage—meaning many users could be left footing the bill for what seems to be a manufacturer-driven fault.
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