Many Android users ask us this question all the time. If you have a battered Galaxy Note9 and it has stopped working normally after dropping it, learn what to do about it below.
Problem: What to do if Galaxy Galaxy Note9 has physical damage and no longer work properly
Hello! I have a Samsung Galaxy Note9. It is a hand-me-down from a friend. I have AT&T but the phone is from Verizon. AT&T was able to change the settings so that it worked with my carrier. I’ve only had the phone since August, but I started experiencing some weird things with the screen. Despite having a case (clearly without enough protection), my clumsy self would drop it and part of the top of the phone screen started developing an air bubble. It hasn’t gone much past the SAMSUNG logo at the top and has not come in contact with the LED screen. I noticed on days that it would rain, my screen would glitch out. It would show bars of green and sometimes half of the screen would turn into a bunch of random colors and distortions of what was actually there. Sometimes the whole screen, even. But it was still responsive to my touch and would unlock at the swipe of my password. There was one or two times when it blacked out completely (and I think it was after being dropped), but it would come back after a little while.
Recently, my phone dropped on my keys- right where my screen protector didn’t cover. The top near the camera shattered. Right above the N. It wasn’t the end of the world since it’s not an LCD, but I started noticing an outline of the LED screen at the top. Today it fell off of my bathroom counter. I don’t know how it happened, I have terrible luck with these things. This is maybe my 7th or 9th phone. I swear I’m about to switch to a Blackberry.
I picked it up and the screen flickered some green bars then went black. I guess a part of me knew it was over. I’ve tried putting it on the charger- nothing. Friends have called me- two rings and voicemail. Pressed all of the buttons and held the power and home button. Nothing. The LED indicator is a solid blue and has been for a few hours now. What’s even weirder is that it does a short buzz every 30 seconds or so. It’s evenly spaced, I think. I just haven’t counted. If phones could turn into zombies, and zombies had a heartbeat, that’s what it would sound like (I resort to humor when I’m overwhelmed, I’m sorry). I left it on wireless charging for a while but it just got ridiculously overheated. I’m letting it die at the moment. It isn’t too hot now. Is it worth salvaging? Should I bother trying to get it fixed if the secret power-on methods don’t work? Do you have any idea what is wrong with it? Is it possible water damage? Why would it give out now? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!
Solution: Let’s be clear with one fact here: smartphones are fragile and break easily if dropped. While some devices may not suffer hardware damage after an accidental drop, repeatedly dropping one, like in your case, may result to problems. Based on your descriptions above, the problem you’re experiencing now is consistent with bad hardware. Given the history of your device, there’s no doubt that your Galaxy Note9 must have a hardware problem.
The answer to your questions if the device is worth salvaging, it depends on what you want to get out of the device in the first place. Most of the time, users may want to recover irreplaceable photos or videos. If that is your case, then it’s definitely worth salvaging. To do that, you want to see if the phone becomes normal again after replacing the screen. If hardware damage is isolated to the screen and the motherboard is intact, then a screen replacement may be a good option for you. Make sure that you let a professional check the hardware first so you’ll get expert opinion.
Do you have any idea what is wrong with it? There’s no doubt bad hardware is the culprit. If you doubt that though, we recommend that you factory reset the device. This will revert all software settings to their known, working factory state. If your Note9 continue to show the symptoms of problems above after a factory wipe, that’s a clear sign that bad hardware is to blame.
Follow these steps to factory reset your device:
- If possible, create a backup of your data.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Is it possible water damage? The Galaxy Note9 is water resistant. It should be able to work fine even if takes occasional splashes (non-pressurised water). However, if it’s been repeatedly dropped or damaged, it’s possible that water-resistance protection may be compromized at this time. So yeah, it’s possible that it may be water damaged if you let it get exposed to liquid recently.
Why would it give out now? Your Note9 works because of a complex but synchronized functions working together. Damaging the hardware can potentially cause some components to stop working properly or not at all, causing problems to the harmony of different systems. There’s really no way to tell when a smartphone stops working because it’s been damaged. Taking all the lack of care it receives from you, its hardware must have reached its failing point at this time. Electronics will continue to work as long as it’s able to. If the screen has stopped working altogether, that’s probably because it can no longer function due to the severity of the damage. The same goes true for the other components and the motherboard in general. Given the beating your phone gets at this time, it’s best if you allow a technician check if physically so a full hardware diagnostics can be performed.