Home » How To » Samsung TV White Spots on Screen: QUICK & EASY FIX! (2024)

Samsung TV White Spots on Screen: QUICK & EASY FIX! (2024)

Samsung TVs have led the global smart TVs market share for more than 15 years, with a number of great smart TV series having excellent picture quality, elegant design and great performance.

However, like every other TV, they develop faults one of which is when there are bright white spots on Samsung TV screen. 

Samsung TV white spots on screen

In this guide, I am going to explain why you are seeing white spots on your Samsung TV screen. With that knowledge in mind, I will then show you 3 proven ways to fix the issue.

Without any further ado, let’s dive right in!

Why Samsung TV Has White Spots on Screen

There are two main reasons why white spots show on TV screens:

  • Dislodged LED diffuser lenses
  • Defective or dead pixel

1. Dislodged LED Diffuser Lens

When a Samsung TV has a white spot on the screen, it is usually due to a dislodged LED diffuser lens.

The LED diffuser lenses cover the bright LED light bulbs where they serve to diffuse the light from the bulbs uniformly across the TV screen. When they fall off, white light from the LED light bulbs shine directly through the screen.

The white light shining directly through the screen is seen as a white spot on the screen and is known as “orb”. Often, when this happens, more than one diffuser lens is dislodged and a number of bright spots are noticed on the screen.

Let me explain a little bit more.

TVs have a backlight in the display panel which has white LED light bulbs equally spaced a few inches apart on equally spaced strips. Each light is covered with a diffuser lens, which diffuses the light equally in all directions to create a uniform bright light from all the bulbs.

dislodged diffuser lenses on Samsung TV

These lenses are held to the backlight panel with an adhesive. Eventually, the adhesive can dry out or disintegrate causing one or more diffuser lenses to become dislodged.

They may also become dislodged from impact or moisture in air. In the absence of the diffuser lenses, white lights from the LED bulbs shine directly through the TV screen.

If the white spots you have on your Samsung TV screen are circular and about 0.5-2 inches in diameter, then this is most likely the issue.

In addition, if you move the TV around, you should hear the sound of the lenses moving around inside the TV panel which confirms that this is the case.

2. Defective Pixels

LCD TVs have hundreds of thousands of pixels, and can be more than 2 million of pixels on wider TV screens. For example, if the size of your smart TV screen is 1920 x 1080, then there are 1,920 X 1,080 (=2,073,600 pixels) on the TV.

Although, there are different types of defective pixels, what you have in the case of white spots on TV screens is the hot pixel (or bright dot defect).

This happens when pixels whose transistors are “off” are stuck “on”, allowing light to pass through which creates a bright white pixel that is always on.

white dots on TV screen

Finally, if the white spots are very tiny (about the size of a period), then you may have a faulty logic or main board.

It could also be the T-Con board, although these are less frequently associated with bright spots or dots on TV screens and more associated about vertical or  horizontal lines across screen among other display distortions like blue tint on screen or purple tints on Samsung TV screen.

That said, let’s look at how to fix a Samsung TV with white spots on screen.

How to Fix Samsung TV with White Spots on Screen

Depending on the reason and the situation causing the white spots on your Samsung TV screen, you may need to reattach dislodged LED diffuser lenses or replace the whole backlight array (LED strips).

Finally, if you have a hot or stuck pixel, you can also fix that as well.

Fix #1 – Reattach Dislodged LED Diffuser Lenses

To fix a Samsung TV with white spots on the screen, you need to reattach the dropped LED diffuser lenses back on the LED lights.

To do this, you will need to open up the back of the TV and access the display panel.

If you are a comfortable with a screwdriver, you can fix this yourself in a few hours as long as you are careful and take cautions.

Repairing dislodged lenses require opening the TV and disassembling the display play which is quite a delicate part.

However, the step-by-step procedures below should guide you in reattaching the lenses and fix white spots on your Samsung TV screen.

In addition, I have also attached a video at the end for visual demonstration which you can watch after going through the step-by-step instructions below.

Step 1: Disassembling the TV

  • First, turn off the TV and unplug it from the power outlet.
  • Remove all screws on the back cover and remove the back cover
  • Unscrew and remove attached plates.
  • Unplug the speaker (makes it easier to reach the diffusers later)
  • Unclip any ribbon cable attached to the borders of the TV
  • Unscrew the edges
  • Remove the front border
  • Carefully lift the screen. While doing this, make sure that you do not bend the screen or place pressure on it to avoid breaking it (I recommend that you use suction cups, so that the whole screen is lifted uniformly)
  • Remove additional border pieces (4 frames) holding the other screen layer
  • Now, carefully remove the other screen layer
  • Now, you should be seeing the backlight panel and some fallen diffusers

dislodged diffuser lenses on Samsung TV display panel

Step 2: Reattaching Dislodged Lenses

For this stage, you need a glue that stays clear when dry. I highly recommend the b7000 or b9000 glue.

  • First, take note of the legs on the diffuser. You need them to be properly aligned into the holes when you place the diffuser over the LED light
  • Now, apply some of the glue gently on the lenses

apply glue on LED reflector lens

  • Place them carefully back in position.

place LED reflectors back over LED light bulbs

  • Leave it open for 30 minutes to dry up properly (or wait for the recommended drying time of the glue used)

NOTE: Other LED reflectors might fall off during the process, or at least you may notice that they are loose. In that case, you want to apply some glues on them too.

  • After the waiting time is over, you can then proceed to reassemble the TV again.

Step 3: Reassembling the TV

Just like during disassembly, you need to be careful during the reassembly process. The screen needs to be perfectly aligned when placed and you need to be careful too to avoid breaking or damaging the screen as it’s very delicate.

The whole reassembly process is just the reverse of the disassembly process.

Below is a video showing visual demonstration of all the 3 steps. Of course, you can also find more related videos on YouTube before you begin. 


Fix #2 – Replace the Whole Backlight Array or LED Strips

In some cases, the reason why the original bond disintegrates is because the LED array is old and at the end of its life.

In that case, the backlight might fail at anytime and reattaching the dislodged diffuser lenses will only fix it temporarily (although this is not always the case).

You may also notice brown spots under the lenses which is another indication that the LED array is old and getting to the end of its life.

In such cases, you may need to replace the whole backlight array which is a more permanent fix.

However, if you’ve not been using your TV for a long time, this should not be the case and the first fix should be more than sufficient.

In addition, if you use the wrong type of glue, it might burn the plastic lens eventually which will take you back to seeing white spots on your Samsung TV screen.

You can simply order the backlight array for your Samsung TV model online and replace it as a whole. In the absence of other issues, this will extend the TV life for a few more years. Depending on the size of the TV screen, it should cost around $50.

Once you have the replacement, the video below should guide you through the process of fixing it.


Fix #3 – Removing Defective or Hot Pixels

Like I explained earlier, a hot pixel is a defective pixel which remains constantly on, rather than cycling on and off like other pixels do.

When this happens, the pixel can show up as a bright white dot and this happens even on recent Samsung tizen OS smart TVs.

While it is often confused with a dead pixel, the latter is actually stuck in the “off” position and hence shows up as a small black dot on the screen.

That said, below are some proven suggestions to fix hot pixels on screen:

  • Try waiting it out first. Sometimes, hot or stuck pixels can disappear on their own with time. However, there is no specific duration for how long this might take (if it will work)
  • Next, rub the stuck pixel with a damp cloth or a pointy but soft item (like rubber or eraser). While doing this, make sure you don’t put too much pressure on the pixel and also don’t put pressure anywhere else on the screen to avoid triggering more stuck pixels on your screen. Also, make sure you do this while the TV is turned on. If it is a case of stuck or hot pixel, this might fix it for you.

Also, while both of these are proven ways to fix the issue, there is no guarantee that it will work for you if the damage is a physical one.

Samsung TV White Spot Repair Cost

In most cases, to fix a Samsung TV with white spots or dots on screen, the dislodged diffuser lenses need to be reattached or you need to replace the whole backlight array.

Reattaching the diffuser lenses should cost around $50, while replacing the whole backlight array should cost around $100 for the replacement array plus service charge.

You can do this at trusted repair service centers if you no longer have warranty. However, if you still have warranty on your Samsung TV, your best bet is to contact Samsung directly for a fix under warranty.

However, if the whole screen is being fixed, you may be quoted between $500 – $1,650 as seen here on Samsung website.

That is all for now on the Samsung TV with white bright spots on screen topic. If you found this guide helpful, kindly drop a comment below.

Leave a Comment