pro1x My Pro¹ X is now almost useless with a display that only sometimes works

[JECE 24]

For the last several weeks I've had serious problems with the display of my Pro¹ X. Right now the display only works when the keyboard is slightly ajar, which makes the phone almost useless.

The problems started about a month ago and I think that they were triggered by the interaction between Android Auto and whatever customized software the Pro¹ X has to force landscape mode when the keyboard slides out. Initially, all I noticed is that when the keyboard slides out, the display on Android Auto switches to portrait mode. Later I noticed that after disconnecting from Android Auto, the phone would lock itself and switch the screen off every time that I opened or closed the keyboard. Restarting the phone every time I disconnected Android Auto fixed that problem.

Then the serious display issues started. The display issues come in at least two different types, but either way the phone becomes unusable. One type is that the display is dark with what I can only describe as mostly green pixie dust spreading around the display until the display fades into a bright white screen. Another type is that the screen turns white and black bars rapidly race past the display lengthwise in a spectacle should have a seizure warning. (In addition, I sometimes, but very rarely, also saw a less serious display issue that overlaid the display with a yellow tint, but otherwise left the display usable.)

For the first few days, the display issues were unpredictable. Sometimes they would only happen when the keyboard was slid out. Sometimes they would only happen when the keyboard was closed. Then the phone worked without any display issues for a couple weeks with the keyboard closed. I didn't dare open the keyboard in case the display issues returned. (When the phone worked with the keyboard closed, switching between landscape mode and portrait mode by tilting the phone caused no issues.) Unfortunately, the display issues did return Tuesday afternoon and started happening both with the keyboard slid out and the keyboard closed. Then for a few days I would only get display issues with the keyboard closed, but the phone worked without display issues when the keyboard was extended. I returned my rental car on Friday.

Since yesterday, as I mentioned in my second sentence, the display now only works when the keyboard is slightly ajar. Not only that, but when it is slightly ajar and in landscape mode, the padlock icon indicates that the phone is locked when it actually isn't locked. (The display is since yesterday occasionally temporarily stable with the keyboard extended, but this functionality is now rare and cannot be counted on.) My phone is therefore now of course almost impossible to work with.

Any ideas on how to fix these display issues?

Edited November 14, 2022 by JECE
Added parenthetical about occasional occurrence of display tinted yellow

[Hook 3,043]

You could always check the display ribbon cable, but this sounds more serious than ribbon cable issues. I would honestly be opening a warranty repair trouble ticket with FxTec. But hopefully the more technical people on this forum can tell you something.

[JECE 24]

10 hours ago, Hook said:

I would honestly be opening a warranty repair trouble ticket with FxTec.

That consists in what, exactly? Sending them an e-mail?

[Hook 3,043]

43 minutes ago, JECE said:

That consists in what, exactly? Sending them an e-mail?

Yes.  They will ask some questions, probably ask for pics and then tell you how to send it. I expect they have all the parts they need, but they will tell you.

My limited (n=2) experience with their customer service (I am in US) has been very good.

[JECE 24]

1 minute ago, Hook said:

Yes.  They will ask some questions, probably ask for pics and then tell you how to send it. I expect they have all the parts they need, but they will tell you.

My limited (n=2) experience with their customer service (I am in US) has been very good.

In your experience, have they been able to deal with complex issues? As in, should I raise my old complaints about the faulty speaker on the device that I mentioned before? I'm referring to this thread:

 

[claude0001 1,352]

5 hours ago, JECE said:

As in, should I raise my old complaints about the faulty speaker on the device that I mentioned before?

Without knowing how well they are prepared for handling mixed tickets, my gut feeling is it is probably better not mix.

The tapping-sound problem with the bottom speaker has been reported by several users (including myself) in another thread and there are hints this may be a firmware/software problem they are working on. @Casey promised to take home our reports and come back to us once more is known.

[Noob 158]

20 hours ago, JECE said:

Then the serious display issues started. The display issues come in at least two different types, but either way the phone becomes unusable. One type is that the display is dark with what I can only describe as mostly green pixie dust spreading around the display until the display fades into a bright white screen.

I had this, only I think it was a fade to black.   In my case, it happened a little while after a sharp drop cracked the screen at a particular point on the edge.    

Assuming you haven't dropped it, I'd say it should be something to get fixed under warranty as others have said.  But I'd also suggest you enable debug mode on the phone before the screen deteriorates further, and install scrcpy.  At least then you can use the phone through the computer and back up data before you're ready to send it in for repairs.

[JECE 24]

22 minutes ago, Noob said:

I had this, only I think it was a fade to black.   In my case, it happened a little while after a sharp drop cracked the screen at a particular point on the edge.    

Assuming you haven't dropped it, I'd say it should be something to get fixed under warranty as others have said.  But I'd also suggest you enable debug mode on the phone before the screen deteriorates further, and install scrcpy.  At least then you can use the phone through the computer and back up data before you're ready to send it in for repairs.

No drop or screen crack in my case

By "enable debug mode", do you mean anything more than flipping the "USB debugging" switch?

Does scrcpy have an APK, or is it solely to be installed on my computer?

[JECE 24]

3 hours ago, JECE said:

No drop or screen crack in my case

By "enable debug mode", do you mean anything more than flipping the "USB debugging" switch?

Does scrcpy have an APK, or is it solely to be installed on my computer?

Never mind, I got scrcpy to work!

Edited November 14, 2022 by JECE
Replacing "it" with "scrcpy"

[Noob 158]

18 hours ago, JECE said:

Never mind, I got scrcpy to work!

Good to hear, hope you find it as useful as I did.

For anyone else's reference, yeah just flip the "USB debugging" switch.  And there's no APK, this is an executable running on your computer that uses ADB.

[JECE 24]

One thing that I will flag, for anyone else who may be following along, is that you probably shouldn't use scrcpy for hours on end. At least in my case it overheated my Pro¹ X so much that it automatically shut itself off.