Samsung G80SD - How I Removed the Matte Anti-Glare Coating (WET PAPER METHOD)

pics https://imgur.com/gallery/how-to-make-mirror-pVwGEaN

I kept reading how risky attempting to remove the matte AG coating off monitors is, but whenever I read or watched anyone do it, they all said it was simple and relatively easy. So I channeled my ADHD and got out of my bed at 12:30 at night and decided I was going to go to sleep at 6AM.

Did it take balls? This is a 1,000 euro monitor and I was fully prepared to fuck this up and live with my decisions. I wanted a glossy monitor, and if this thing wasn't going to be it, I was buying another that was. If you arent completely happy with the matte finish, and you can't return/exchange/sell it, you should seriously consider this as an option.

Do not try this if you feel extremely anxious about the process, or you're not prepared to lose the warranty. Matte or glossy, this screen is beautiful and I'm convinced many people who own it will enjoy it out of the box. However, if you have any DIY skills at all, if you've put a PC together or whatever else, have confidence you can do this too. If you think matte is the work of the devil, then just remove it.

What I used

  • Spray bottle with warm water
  • Kitchen paper towel
  • Microfiber cloth / t-shirts
  • Sharp kitchen knife
  • Cups of coffee and youtube videos of cute dogs

How I did it

I placed it down on its back without the stand, and covered the entire screen with two layers of kitchen paper towels. I then sprayed warm water across the paper ensuring it was wet but not soaking in water. I used a light book to gently press down each part of the paper to make sure there was contact evenly across the screen. I waited four hours, every hour I checking to make sure it was still wet. Once or twice I sprayed a bit more water.

When I finally tried to find the edge of the coating and peal it up, I couldn't get it. I couldn't even find where it met the screen. I decided to leave it another hour. The second attempt was no easier, so I just said fuck it and used a knife to part the edge of the coating from the bottom left corner. I held the knife almost at the tip of the blade to control it easily.

I very slowly and very gently picked at the corner. It took some patience, but a tiny corner kind of turned plastic-y and I knew I had it then. I was able to slide the tip of the knife under the coating and lift up enough to grab it with my fingers. Note, I have small hands, this part will take longer if you have man-hands.

The coating goes right up to the silver bezel - that is, it also covers the black that boarders the edge of whats displayed. If anyone wants I can take a pic of the exact spot.

The coating itself was very well glued down. I have to say, it did not want to come off. I made sure to only apply force at the very part I was trying to separate, spreading my fingers on the monitor to spread the force, and working my way around more stubborn parts. For example, there was one section near the start I almost left until the very end, instead working around the edges of the screen and coming back towards it at the end. I did it in a firm controlled way, rather than pulling at it or jerking it, if that makes sense. When I got the knack of it, removing the rest was straightforward.

Cleaning off the adhesive is a pain in the ass. It took way longer than pulling off the coating! I used warm water and a microfibre cloth. It seemed to just spread it around. On someones suggestion in Youtube comments I used olive oil on a cloth, so I tried that too. No idea if it helped. Eventually I got frustrated and grabbed a tshirt and surprisingly it immediately started to look better. I used two and made sure to not us the same part more than once. It still had some wipe marks, but I left it a few minutes and then turned it on, I cant see any of it anymore. In a few days I'll clean it again with isopropyl alchohol just in case.

What I would do differently

I've seen this done to laptop screens, and it just pealed off. Either the adhesive is stronger on the G80SD, or more likely I didn't allow enough water to seep through the coating. If I were to do this again, I would use 3 - 4 layers of toilet paper instead of kitchen paper towel. I believe it was holding too much of the moisture. Additionally, I would make sure the room was quite warm and the double check the water was warm every time I used it.

End result - Wow

I hope at least one person reads this and finds the confidence to give it a go. I waited two weeks of using it, I should've done it day one. I'm so confident in doing this, I would have no issue buying a matte monitor or laptop in the future and doing it again.

I'm very happy. It feels like I just got an entirely new monitor. I knew it would change the perceived black level and it did. Ive seen some people here say the greyish-blacks are mainly due to it being QD-OLED - that is 100% false. The raised blacks are almost unnoticeable now, even in a bright room. Yes, there are sometimes crazy reflections, but I don't notice them unless I try. I don't get eye strain.

What I wasn't prepared for was how crystal clear and sharp the monitor would look. It's difficult to describe. EVery time I turn this on I get that Wow factor. There are times I'm watching something in 4k and I get distract by how beautiful it is. People say, well, to address the blacks just use the matte display in a dark room! Nope, it's still grainy-blurry. You couldn't pay me to use a matte display ever again. I'm convinced unless matte coatings significantly improve to the point they're not perceptible, they'll disappear completely from OLED monitors intended for the home. Samsung Electronics were smoking some strong stuff when they designed this thing.

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(I should've taken more pictures to document the process. Or even recorded a video, but talking on camera is 100 times more nerve wracking than potentially destroying a monitor.)

Quick thank you to u/iiMayo who did the same thing. I wouldn't have wanted to be the first to try it on this monitor.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OLED_Gaming/comments/1e85nk4/i_hate_anti_glare_so_i_removed_mine_g80sd/