something about lines and weird stuff
I’m sharing this because more and more I feel like what I’ve been doing might be related to why I haven’t gotten any screen lines yet (fingers crossed it stays that way). If it helps even one person avoid it, even better 🙂
I’ve had my phone since about a month after launch, so it’s around 3 years old now. I’ve used it as both my personal and work phone thanks to dual SIM, so it definitely hasn’t been sitting idle in a drawer. I’m on my third case and I’ve lost count of screen protectors, but it’s been at least five.
That said, from day one I’ve followed a few habits that might have helped me avoid the screen line issue so far:
First, I almost never use max brightness, except briefly under direct sunlight. For at least half of its lifetime, I’ve used reduced brightness and dark themes with black backgrounds, mainly to make it last longer.
I also never leave it in the sun for long and try to avoid overheating. Wireless charging is pretty bad for heat unless you have a ventilated charger like I do in my car, with AC airflow behind it, especially in summer. Slow charging whenever possible, it generates less heat.
But the most important thing, and the one that will probably sound ridiculous to many people:
With every "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed”, I put the phone in the fridge for 5–10 minutes first. Then I "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed” it while it’s still cool, sometimes even with a fan blowing on it in a dry place to avoid condensation during the "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed”. This is important because condensation is obviously not great for electronics. A couple of times I’ve even put it in a sealed bag in the fridge and let it "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed” inside.
Some people might laugh at this, and fair enough 😄 but I have this theory that these phones, with their very bright displays, can basically “burn themselves” if the screen and processor are pushed hard for long periods (as happens during "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed”). Seeing so many cases where lines appear right after an "the forbidden process that must not be named or the post gets removed” or after heavy use… I’m honestly starting to think that this little “just in case” routine of mine might not be that crazy after all.
Clearly this seems like a design issue, and manufacturers don’t appear too concerned as long as it happens outside warranty. But it does make sense that a flex cable, chips, or an OLED panel could get damaged above certain temperatures, especially after years of use and repeated heating cycles.
Let me know what you think of my slightly absurd idea 😉
Sorry for mentioning the “forbidden process that must not be named” so much, but to post this I had to remove a lot of things because the moderation bot barely lets anything through, and the last bit about the “forbidden process that must not be named” honestly just made me laugh 😄