Samsung's recently released Galaxy Buds 3 Pro was withdrawn from the market due to significant quality problems. Now, the company's latest high-end watch, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, is encountering a paint peeling issue. This information comes from a Reddit user named bimmerb0ii.
The user received his pre-ordered Galaxy Watch Ultra (grey model) on the 19th of this month and reportedly wore it even while sleeping. Only after a few days when he took it off for charging did he notice that the paint was already peeling off at the back of the watch above the bottom left screw. You can see it in the image above. He also mentioned that he avoided the gym and had been ‘babying’ the product since he got it. So it’s unclear why the paint started peeling off within such a short period.
Only the Titanium Gray Model Seems to Have the Issue
This issue, however, seems to be limited to the grey color option. The white and silver options apparently only have paint on the bezel and partly on the sides.
Fortunately, bimmerb0ii had a chat with Samsung Text Support. The company asked the user to visit an authorized service center. According to the user, the authorized service center he visited didn’t have any replacement parts for the Galaxy Watch Ultra (at least at that time). So they advised the user to call Samsung for a replacement.
Replacement Process
Upon calling 1800SAMSUNG, he had to wait around 30 minutes due to the high volume of calls. Then the agent reportedly offered him $22 to keep the watch. Upon preferring a replacement, the whole process only got more complicated. You can see the steps he noted below.
- Return the defective Watch Ultra for a refund. (Take note he got this at a discount since he preordered this together with the Galaxy Z Fold 6). A prepaid shipping label was emailed to him. The refund will take around two weeks to be credited back to his account.
- Purchase a new Galaxy Watch Ultra using the link the agent sent him. At this point, he had already paid for another order of the Watch Ultra at full price. Not the preorder price since the promo is finished.
- Wait for Samsung to issue his refund for the defective Watch Ultra.
- Once refunded, he will need to contact the company again to get another refund (they will price match his original pre-order price).