Samsung to update software over 'red screen' smartphone

Electronics giant Samsung will this week offer an unusually early software update for its newly-released Galaxy S8 phone, it said Monday after some consumers complained of red-tinted screens.

The launch of the device is a key step for the South Korean tech firm as it seeks to move on from last year's humiliating withdrawal of the Galaxy Note 7 over exploding batteries, which hammered the firm's once-stellar reputation.

The Galaxy S8 started over-the-counter sales in the US and its home market but South Korean users who pre-ordered the phones complained their screens displayed an unusually reddish hue.

Online images of their phones went viral on social media but Samsung denied a hardware flaw and maintained that users could manually adjust the colour range according to their preferences.

As more users voiced doubts, Samsung said Monday that a software update would fix the problem by allowing them to readjust colours over a wider range than at present.

"Samsung... has decided to release a software update starting from this week which will provide consumers with a further enhanced ability to adjust the colour setting to their preference," it said in a statement.

Samsung -- the world's largest maker of smartphones -- has pinned its hopes on the Galaxy S8 to compete against archrival Apple's iPhone after last year's Note 7 disaster.

The recall debacle cost Samsung billions of dollars in lost profits and hammered its global credibility, forcing it to apologise to consumers and postpone the S8 launch.