Screen Damage

December 2, 2012 3:15 PM

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Screen Question: So I was dumb!! I was outside doing some random stuff in the backyard...Had my phone then decided to rinse off the back porch w/ water. Well i set down my phone and forgotten about it, and after i finished rinsing off the patio i realized my phone had got wet. There was water mostly just on the screen and probably had been sitting there for five minutes or less. I dried it, and then dried it more, took of the cover and it was a little wet on the inside but not bad. Everything is working fine, my main question is, could this have damaged the AMOLED screen at all?
posted by flipmiester99 to Technology (7 answers total)

It's unlikely you damaged anything permanently. Put it in a bag of rice for a day or two to help it dry out on the inside, it should be fine.
posted by zug at 3:25 PM on December 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

Phones use very low voltages and amps, so water won't break it instantly, but it might do something after a few days. Putting it inside some rice for a day with the battery out would make sure that it'll be fine.
posted by NotSoSiniSter at 3:55 PM on December 2, 2012

I submerged my Galaxy Nexus in pool water for a good 5 or 10 minutes before realizing it was in my pocket. I then took several hours to scare up some rice with which to dry it out. The camera died and it drains its battery faster now, but it is otherwise fine, including the screen, which is as good as ever.

Out of an abundance of caution, I would third the day or two of rice suggestion.
posted by wierdo at 4:14 PM on December 2, 2012 [1 favorite]

not sure how much of a difference rice makes but leaving it with the battery out for a day or so certainly wouldn't hurt.

Water doesn't generally damage the screen; it usually damages internal electronics. So what you would get is not turning on, failing to connect, having weird glitches, microphone not working, speaker not working - something like that. I think these phones are actually surprisingly water-tight compared to the old ones, though, so it wouldn't surprise me if you didn't have any long-term problems.
posted by Lady Li at 7:11 PM on December 2, 2012

I've found the similar screen on my GSII near indestructible - probably among the least of your worries.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 8:15 PM on December 2, 2012

I dropped my Galaxy Nexus into the Atlantic Ocean as it made its way up my driveway during Hurricane Sandy. I didn't find it until the next morning, covered in mud, and still wet. I'm not sure exactly how long it actually spent underwater, but it was at least a few hours. Anyway, I'm typing this from that same phone, which works just fine after having sat in a bag of rice for a day and being cleaned up internally with some isopropyl alcohol. I think your phone will be just fine.
posted by Venadium at 3:54 AM on December 3, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses.
posted by flipmiester99 at 6:43 PM on December 3, 2012