Samsung faces complaints over Galaxy phones showing shorter warranty periods in India

Samsung sells its smartphones in India with a one-year warranty. However, some people who have purchased brand-new Galaxy phones in the country have complained that when they set up their devices and check the warranty details in the Samsung Members app, the warranty period shown is less than a year. This has raised concerns about whether these devices were registered or activated before being sold as new.

The complaints appear to have increased since Amazon's Great Indian Festival and Flipkart's Big Billion Days sales kicked off on October 8, 2026. During these sales, several Galaxy smartphones are available with significant discounts and other benefits, boosting their sales.

One such customer, Raj, claims to have purchased Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra from Amazon seller Dawntech Etel on October 8, 2026. Based on the purchase date, the phone's warranty should remain valid until October 7, 2027. However, after setting up the device, Raj found that its warranty expiry date was listed as June 30, 2027, about three months earlier than expected. This led him to allege that the phone was a pre-activated unit sold as new.

Samsung responded to Raj, stating that there was no need to worry because the warranty is applicable from the date of purchase, as mentioned on the invoice, rather than the expiry date displayed in the Samsung Members app. The company also said that this applies irrespective of the device's pre-activation status, suggesting that the same policy applies to all customers facing this issue.

However, Samsung did not explain why the phone showed a shorter warranty period in the first place, whether this was due to the device being registered or activated before the sale, or why such a discrepancy occurred. While the company's response suggests that customers can rely on the purchase date mentioned on their invoices for warranty coverage, it would be helpful if Samsung explained why this discrepancy occurs and clarified whether it indicates prior activation or registration of the devices.