What To Do Next When a Pixel Defect Remains

First, be sure it’s real and permanent

Before you start a return, rule out the easy explanations. Clean the screen — a lot of “dead pixels” are dust. Re-run the Dead Pixel Test at native resolution and 100% zoom, in a dark room, and try the Stuck Pixel Fixer for a couple of long sessions if the defect is a stuck (colored) pixel. Only a spot that stays fixed through cleaning, color changes and cycling is a genuine, permanent defect worth escalating.

How to document a defect for a claim

The single most important thing to understand: a screenshot cannot capture a physical pixel defect. A screenshot records the image the computer sent to the screen, not what the panel physically did with it, so a dead pixel never appears in one. To document a real defect you must photograph the physical screen with a second device.

• Use another phone or camera to photograph the screen showing a solid field that makes the defect visible (white for dead pixels, black for bright/stuck pixels and bleed).
• Get a sharp close-up of the defect, plus a wider shot showing it in context on the panel.
• Note the position — our result card records each defect’s X/Y percentage, which is useful to include.
• Record the date, and keep your proof of purchase and the exact model/serial.

What to give support when you contact them

• Proof of purchase and purchase date.
• Model and serial number.
• Your photographs of the physical screen.
• A clear description: how many defects, where, and what type (dead, stuck, bright, bleed, or a dead line).
• The steps you already tried (cleaning, cycling, retesting).

How dead-pixel policies generally work

This is general industry context, not the policy of any specific company — always check the actual terms for your product and region.

• Many manufacturers publish a bright-dot / dark-dot allowance: a panel is only considered defective once it has more than a stated number of stuck-on (bright) or dead (dark) pixels. A single dead pixel often does not meet the threshold.
• Some brands and premium lines advertise a zero-bright-dot or zero-dead-pixel guarantee — usually the ones most worth invoking.
• A dead line of pixels almost always exceeds any allowance and is treated as a clear defect.
• Consumer-protection law in your country may give you rights beyond the manufacturer’s stated policy, especially for a product that was faulty at purchase.

Consumer rights vs. manufacturer policy

A manufacturer’s pixel policy and your legal rights as a consumer are two different things. The policy is the company’s own threshold for what it will replace; consumer-protection law may entitle you to a remedy for a product that wasn’t of acceptable quality when sold, even if it falls under the manufacturer’s pixel allowance. If a retailer points only to the manufacturer’s policy, it’s worth checking your local consumer-rights rules separately. We deliberately don’t maintain a database of specific brand terms here — those change often, and acting on out-of-date terms could cost you a valid claim. Always read the current policy for your exact product.