can lcd screen on iphone be fixed manufacturer

Use our “Get an Estimate” tool to review potential costs if you get service directly from Apple. The prices shown here are only for screen repair. If your iPhone needs other service, you’ll pay additional costs.

If you go to another service provider, they can set their own fees, so ask them for an estimate. For service covered by AppleCare+, your fee per incident will be the same regardless of which service provider you choose.

Your country or region offers AppleCare+ for this product. Screen repair (front) is eligible for coverage with a fee by using an incident of accidental damage from handling that comes with your AppleCare+ plan.

The Apple Limited Warranty covers your iPhone and the Apple-branded accessories that come in the box with your product against manufacturing issues for one year from the date you bought them. Apple-branded accessories purchased separately are covered by the Apple Limited Warranty for Accessories. This includes adapters, spare cables, wireless chargers, or cases.

Depending on the issue, you might also have coverage with AppleCare+. Terms and Conditions apply, including fees. Feature availability and options may vary by country or region.

We guarantee our service, including replacement parts, for 90 days or the remaining term of your Apple warranty or AppleCare plan, whichever is longer. This is in addition to your rights provided by consumer law.

Replacement equipment that Apple provides as part of the repair or replacement service may contain new or previously used genuine Apple parts that have been tested and pass Apple functional requirements.

Your product is eligible for a battery replacement at no additional cost if you have AppleCare+ and your product"s battery holds less than 80 percent of its original capacity.

Use our “Get an Estimate” tool to review potential costs if you get service directly from Apple. If you go to another service provider, they can set their own fees, so ask them for an estimate. For service covered by AppleCare+, your fee per incident will be the same regardless of which service provider you choose. We"ll inspect your product when we receive it. If additional damage is found, you could pay an additional fee.

The current out-of-warranty battery service fee will apply until the end of February 2023. Effective March 1, 2023, the out-of-warranty battery service fee will be increased by $ 20 for all iPhone models prior to iPhone 14.

Your country or region offers AppleCare+ for this product. AppleCare+ includes battery service coverage, which means your battery can be replaced at no charge if we test your product and its battery retains less than 80% of its original capacity.

The Apple Limited Warranty covers your iPhone and the Apple-branded accessories that come in the box with your product against manufacturing issues for one year from the date you bought them. Apple-branded accessories purchased separately are covered by the Apple Limited Warranty for Accessories. This includes adapters, spare cables, wireless chargers, or cases.

Depending on the issue, you might also have coverage with AppleCare+. Terms and Conditions apply, including fees. Feature availability and options may vary by country or region.

We guarantee our service, including replacement parts, for 90 days or the remaining term of your Apple warranty or AppleCare plan, whichever is longer. This is in addition to your rights provided by consumer law.

Replacement equipment that Apple provides as part of the repair or replacement service may contain new or previously used genuine Apple parts that have been tested and pass Apple functional requirements.

For most customers, visiting a professional repair provider with certified technicians who use genuine Apple parts is the safest and most reliable way to get a repair. These providers include Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers, and Independent Repair Providers, who have access to genuine Apple parts.* Repairs performed by untrained individuals using nongenuine parts might affect the safety of the device or functionality of the display. Apple displays are designed to fit precisely within the device. Additionally, repairs that don"t properly replace screws or cowlings might leave behind loose parts that could damage the battery, cause overheating, or result in injury.

Depending on your location, you can get your iPhone display replaced—in or out of warranty—by visiting an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, or by shipping your iPhone to an Apple Repair Center. Genuine Apple parts are also available for out-of-warranty repairs from Independent Repair Providers or through Self Service Repair.*

The iPhone display is engineered together with iOS software for optimal performance and quality. A nongenuine display might cause compatibility or performance issues. For example, an issue might arise after an iOS software update that contains display updates.

* Independent Repair Providers have access to genuine Apple parts, tools, training, service guides, diagnostics, and resources. Repairs by Independent Repair Providers are not covered by Apple"s warranty or AppleCare plans, but might be covered by the provider"s own repair warranty. Self Service Repair provides access to genuine Apple parts, tools, and repair manuals so that customers experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices can perform their own out-of-warranty repair. Self Service Repair is currently available in certain countries or regions for specific iPhone models introduced in 2021 or later. To view repair manuals and order parts for eligible models, go to the Self Service Repair page.

Use our “Get an Estimate” tool to review potential costs if you get service directly from Apple. If you go to another service provider, they can set their own fees, so ask them for an estimate. For service covered by AppleCare+, your fee per incident will be the same regardless of which service provider you choose. We"ll inspect your product when we receive it. If additional damage is found, you could pay an additional fee.

The Apple Limited Warranty covers your Apple Display and the Apple-branded accessories that come in the box with your product against manufacturing issues for one year from the date you bought them. Apple-branded accessories purchased separately are covered by the Apple Limited Warranty for Accessories. This includes adapters and spare cables.

Depending on the issue, you might also have coverage with AppleCare+. Terms and Conditions apply, including fees. Feature availability and options may vary by country or region.

If your situation isn’t covered, you’ll pay a fee. If the issue with your Apple Display is ineligible for service, you might pay the full replacement value.

We guarantee our service, including replacement parts, for 90 days or the remaining term of your Apple warranty or AppleCare plan, whichever is longer. This is in addition to your rights provided by consumer law.

Replacement equipment that Apple provides as part of the repair or replacement service may contain new or previously used genuine Apple parts that have been tested and pass Apple functional requirements.

Have a broken iPhone screen? Here are three iPhone screen repair options and how much each costs, plus a breakdown of whether you should fix it or sell it.

NOTE: If your iPhone is still under warranty, check with Apple to see if you can get your screen fixed for free. Here’s Apple’s warranty coverage checker.

You can replace your own iPhone screen with a little tech savvy and a bit of patience. The repair requires disassembly, however, so you shouldn’t attempt this fix if you’re not comfortable doing that.

Your best bet is to buy a complete screen assembly, which is a much easier repair than replacing just the front glass or digitizer. Expect to pay between $45 and $280 for a new iPhone screen, depending on your model, where you buy parts and whether you buy a standard LCD or premium OLED screen. Toolkits start at $5 if you don’t already have the necessary tools.

WARNING: This can be a difficult repair, especially if you aren’t experienced. Understand the risk of additional damage that could void any warranties and insurance policies.Rather buy a new iPhone? Save with these iPhone deals

The process differs slightly by model, but generally involves these steps:Use a hair dryer, heat gun or iOpener tool to heat the front glass and soften the underlying adhesive

You can find detailed step-by-step instructions on sites like iFixit and YouTube. Here are some example videos for the iPhone 12, iPhone 11 and iPhone X.

Don’t want to fix your own iPhone screen? You can opt for professional repair instead. Local repair shops can often replace your screen in a few hours, either in-store or at your location. Online mail-in repair services take longer, but they’re good options if you don’t have a local repair store.

Expect to pay between $119 and $520 for professional iPhone screen replacement, depending on your model and repair shop. Note that Apple’s own repair service tops out at $329 for out-of-warranty screen repair. Apple also uses OEM (original equipment manufacturer parts), while many repair shops use less expensive aftermarket parts.

Mail-in repair services like iFixYouri and My Broken Phone typically charge between $100 and $200, but they don’t always list pricing for every repair on their websites. Sometimes, it’s because they haven’t updated their service offering lately, especially if newer devices aren’t listed. Other times, they can make the repair, but it’s too uncommon to stock parts.

In some cases, the repair is difficult and likely to damage the device, so it’s not profitable for the company to offer it. Or, the required parts are so expensive it’s not worth fixing. Either way, if the repair you need isn’t listed on a repair shop’s website, it’s a good idea to contact them anyway to see if they offer it.

It’s a good idea to ask about warranties on parts and labor before you choose a repair company. You should also inquire about your service tech’s experience, credentials and quality of parts.Interested in a refurbished iPhone 12? See where to get it for less

Do you have iPhone insurance? If so, you can file a claim directly with your insurance company, who might offer a choice between mail-in, in-store or on-location repair services. Some companies will overnight a refurbished replacement iPhone rather than repair and return yours.

Expect to pay a deductible ranging between $29 and $149, depending on your model and insurance company. Here are some example iPhone screen repair deductibles.InsureriPhone Screen Replacement Deductible

Should you fix your iPhone screen or sell it broken? You can base your decision on how much your iPhone is worth broken versus repaired, especially if you plan to upgrade soon.

For example, at the time of this writing, an iPhone X 64GB on the Verizon network was worth $255 in good condition. Here’s a breakdown of its net value after different repair options.

Next, compare the net value after repair to what your iPhone is worth in broken condition. At the time of this writing, a broken iPhone X 64GB on the Verizon network was worth $110.

As the table shows, our example iPhone will have significantly more value if you repair it yourself or file an insurance claim through AppleCare+ or Verizon.

However, SquareTrade insurance leaves a net value of $4 less than the phone is worth broken, while out-of-warranty Apple repair leaves a net value of $134 less, which means you’d lose money by going with those repair options.

The independent repair shop option leaves a net value of just $26 more than selling it broken, which might make you question whether repair is worth the hassle.

Of course, your decision depends not only on the value, but also how long you plan to keep your iPhone. If you intend to hold on to it for a few years, it’s cheaper to repair it than to buy a new iPhone.

If you plan to upgrade soon and trade in your old phone, however, it’s worth comparing your options to see whether you’ll get more value after repair or selling it as-is.

There are several issues that could cause your iPhone to not power on. Finding a repair shop that can offer a comprehensive diagnostic service is key. That’s why at uBreakiFix, our diagnostic services are completely free. Even if your phone won’t turn on, we have you covered. One of the most common iPhone issues is LCD damage. If the LCD is damaged from a drop or you are experiencing a hardware malfunction, it will look like your iPhone is not powering on.

Another common issue is a damaged or dirty charging port. Dirt and grime can get lodged in your charging port and can cause your phone not to charge. Has your phone’s battery life been less than great? We offer a quick and easy iPhone battery replacement service.

Accidents happen! Cracked screen are inevitable and when it happens you need a reliable repair shop that will provide a high quality and convenient repair. If your screen is broken, you have two main iPhone screen repair options: Glass or LCD repair. The front glass protects the screen and can break on its own. The LCD display controls what you see, and a broken one can look like pixelated lines or just a blank screen. No matter the model of iPhone you have we can fix all screens. iPhone screen replacements are one of the most common repairs we see in our stores.

Replacing an iPhone battery is a quick and easy fix! Our battery replacement service starts with a full diagnostic to see if it’s the battery or some other underlying problem. Over time, batteries naturally tend to degrade and the older your model the more prone the battery is to die. We can help you get the charge back in your iPhone. We have the highest quality batteries available in stock and waiting for you at your local store.

If you have dropped your iPhone in water, the first step is to get your phone to a repair professional as soon as possible. Corrosion can set in and cause circuits to short out, leaving you with very few repair options. We can run a complete water damage diagnostic to see how far along the damage is and if we can get your iPhone back from its watery grave.

A malfunctioning iPhone speaker is typically a software or a hardware issue. When diagnosing your phones sound issues, we first look at the software to make sure it is not due to a faulty app or some type of update issue. Software issues are quick to fix and are typically free under our diagnostics service. Hardware issues are more serious, but our techs are experts at fixing these too. In some cases, you may need a speaker replacement. If your speaker is damaged, it may stop working. We can replace your iPhone speakers the same day you bring it in and for a price that won’t break the bank. Come in for a free diagnostic!

Most of the time, fixing a slow iPhone could be as simple as freeing up space on your device. Keeping hundreds of photos, videos and downloaded files can cause your phone to be slow and deleting these will speed things up. Apps can also be a major culprit of slowing your iPhone down. We suggest removing any apps that could be running "background services" or tracking your location when you’re not using it. If you think you could still use some help optimizing your iPhone, bring it in for a free diagnostic. Our techs are ready to help speed up your iPhone.

This article was co-authored by Linh Le and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Linh Le is a Certified Mobile Repair Specialist and the Owner of SC Mobile Repairs in San Clemente, California. With more than 12 years of experience, he specializes in smartphone, tablet, and smartwatch hardware repair. Linh has an iTech Mobile Device Repair Certification and an iOS Certification. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Franciscan University of Steubenville.

A broken iPhone screen is no fun. After all, we use our phones for almost everything. If the touch response isn’t working, using your phone can be difficult, and it might not be possible to use it at all. This can make it hard to keep up with friends, plan your day, and even do your job.

There are several reasons your iPhone touchscreen could stop working. One of the most common reasons is physical damage. If your screen stopped working after it hit something, the damage is most likely physical.

Damage from excessive heat is actually quite common. Those who use a car vent clip for their iPhones are likely to experience heat damage if they turn the heat on. Many might not realize that the vent is even on since they don’t feel it, but the iPhone could get damaged in the process.

If your iPhone was exposed to salt water before it stopped working, then that was most likely the cause of the damage. Salt water is corrosive and, while your phone might have been fine right away, the damage could continue to progress for weeks after exposure.

The iPhone actually has two parts to its screen. The top part is the digitizer and the part underneath is the LCD screen. The digitizer is the touchscreen and the LCD screen displays the contents of your iPhone.

When your digitizer isn’t working, your iPhone touch response won’t work properly. Meaning you’ll see your screen, but you won’t be able to interact with it correctly. Sometimes, only part of your screen will work, or it will take extra pressure to tap something.

If your LCD screen is out, your iPhone won’t turn on at all and you won’t see anything on your screen. Alternatively, your screen will be blurry or fuzzy or will have some sort of visible damage.

If there’s a problem with your digitizer, there are a few fixes you can try before taking your iPhone to a repair shop. However, if it’s the LCD, you’ll need to start searching for repairs straight away.

Some users might have activated certain accessibility settings that can interfere with how the touchscreen works. The most common culprit is Touch Accommodations. If enabled, your iPhone screen will seem buggy and you’ll have a difficult time navigating the touchscreen.

Alternatively, you can click the Side button three times and this will disable it on most newer devices. For older devices, you may need to tap the Home button three times.

If turning your iPhone off and on again doesn’t do anything, you’ll need to do a factory reset. Be sure to back up your iPhone before moving forward. If you can use your screen in some way, navigate to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.

If you can’t navigate here, you’ll need to plug your iPhone into a computer to perform a factory reset. After resetting, in rare cases, your touchscreen will work again.

If you do choose to get your iPhone repaired, you’ll most likely need to do this anyway. This ensures that the technician won’t be able to access your personal data. They may also need to test Face ID to make sure the repair worked and will need the phone to be unlocked to do so, which means you’re better off erasing all your data first.

If your iPhone is under warranty, you’ll want to get Apple to take a look at it as soon as possible. Visit the Apple website to figure out if you have a warranty. If you have AppleCare+, your repair will be deeply discounted.

If you aren’t under warranty and don’t have AppleCare+, you can still use the above link to find authorized repair shops near you. Apple-recognized repair shops are the best place to go to get your device repaired. However, they can be expensive.

If your phone is an older model or you’re on a budget, consider exploring other repair alternatives. Screen repair shops and kiosks are popular, and some of them do a great job for a fraction of the price. However, you might not get the best repair.

You can also attempt the repair yourself, but if you make a mistake you could do more damage. If you want to try it yourself, you can buy iPhone screens online and most of them include a DIY toolkit.

If your iPhone isn’t working but you need to access certain files, you can still do that. To do so, you’ll need to activate Voice Control. This can be helpful for backing up and restoring your iPhone.

To do this, your phone screen will need to at least partially work. If so, try to make your way to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control and turn that on.

If Siri’s enabled, you can enable Voice Control by saying “Hey Siri, turn on Voice Control.” Once enabled, you can access your iPhone without using the touchscreen.

If your iPhone stopped responding to touch after damage, heat, or salt water exposure, a repair is likely needed. However, a user might have activated Touch Accommodations, which could be the culprit. There are also rare cases where a software problem can cause the touchscreen to work and a factory reset could solve the problem.

No matter what happened to your iPhone screen, it’s important to get your device functional again. After all, we use our phone for everything nowadays, and not being able to use it can change how we engage in daily life.

iFixit has been offering OLED screens for those who would like to tackle repairs on their own. Those go for around $100 less than what Apple charges for an official screen replacement but now, it’s started offering LCD replacement for iPhone X, XS, and XS Max. It’s an interesting downgrade from OLED but some on a budget with DIY interest might find it’s a great option.

Apple’s screen repair costs jumped considerably with the arrival of the iPhone X. At this point, it costs between $279 and $329 to get an OLED on the X, XS, and 11 Pro.

we’re now offering an LCD screen option for the iPhone X, XS, and XS Max. These LCDs (and their Fix Kits) are less than half the price of the OLED models we sell. They’re a little darker (about 50 nits worth), the resolution is a little lower, and the colors and contrast ratio won’t be quite the same.

But you might remember that, until a couple years ago, most phones had LCD displays, including phones you probably loved. Apple notably stuck with LCD displays while Samsung was experimenting with early OLED, and Apple still uses LCDs in its iPhone 8 and XR models.

Indeed, it’s like turning your X or XS into a XR, display-wise anyway. iFixit’s new LCD options run $75 for the X, $85 for the XS, and then jump up to $165 for the XS Max.

iFixit highlights “these LCD replacements are hand-tested in the USA to our rigorous quality standards, and we back them up with a lifetime warranty.”

JUMP! ®, JUMP on Demand®, and Trade-In devices with damage will be assessed at a lower value or require a fee. See your program terms & conditions for details.

The warehouse will check the device condition when we receive it. If it’s damaged, you may receive a reduced trade-in value or be required to pay a fee on your bill statement. (Prepaid customers will have the defective device shipped back instead.)

When inspecting a screen, remove any screen protectors and cases first. Tilt the device under good lighting conditions and inspect it at multiple angles. Screen damage includes hairline cracks that are difficult to see.

Mobile devices have a Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) to show if the device has contacted any liquids. The indicator is white when it"s new, and it turns pink or red when it contacts water.

iPhone® X and above do not have a visible LDI. If you cannot identify your LDI on an iPhone X or above, we ask you to confirm the device has not been exposed to liquid.

Wearables like Apple & Samsung watches often don"t have visible LDIs. Check for moisture under the display screen, as well as corrosion, discoloration, and fuzzy growth on the charging connection.

If the device does not fully turn on and load the home screen or if it cannot stay on without being connected to a charger, it"s considered not able to turn on.

No matter how careful you are, accidents happen. Screen damage and liquid damage are not covered under the warranty, so T-Mobile can"t exchange devices with this damage. But, we don’t want you to be stuck with a broken phone, so you have two options to replace or repair your damaged device:

Before visiting a T-Mobile Store, please file a claim with Assurant, our Protection and Repair vendor. This will expedite your repair process and minimize your time in the store. Below are two convenient ways to file a claim.

Once the claim is filed, be sure to schedule an Assurant Repair appointment at one of our T-Mobile Device Service Locations via the text message or confirmation email sent from Assurant.

For newer models, you will get a display message after repair, regardless of what screen we fit. This is because screens are serialised. This shows up an an "Unknown Part" in service history. More info here.

We only fit compatible screens for older models: iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 5C, SE, 6, 6 Plus, 6S & 6S Plus. This is because compatible screens are very similar to original, and therefore better value. Also, both supply and demand for old original displays is very low.

Why We Offer Both OptionsWhilst we"d prefer to only fit OEM and original parts, replacement OEM screens can be expensive to buy, and so a repair is not within everyone"s budget.

Whilst most repair centres will only offer copy screens (and perhaps tell you that they"re original); and Apple only offer their own original screens; we like to give our customers the choice.

The screens are manufactured to the same specification as the original, or are original LCD’s/OLED"s (display panels) that have been refurbished with brand new OEM-quality glass and touchscreen, so it looks and works just like the original part. In most cases, we refurbish original displays.

Display quality and resolution is not quite as good. For LCD screens, these components utilise a medium brightness backlight, as opposed to a high brightness backlight.

For models that use OLED screens; iPhone X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, 12 series, 13 series and 14 series; we offer one or two compatible options:

HQ Non-OEM (Compatible OLED)LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. OLED is a newer, more advanced technology which offers superior quality and performance to LCD. OLED screens have better contrast, higher brightness, fuller viewing angle, wider colour range and faster refresh rates.

Aftermarket manufacturers have created an LCD that is compatible with iPhone"s that use OLED screens. The display quality is not as good as an OLED screen. LCD screens consumer more power, so battery life may be slightly lower. An LCD screen is the cheapest available option.We use Soft OLED screens, which are significantly better quality than Hard OLED versions. They fit into the frame properly and are more durable. The overall quality and functionality of these screens are close to original screens, yet not as expensive.

Mandy, ETS is obviously a company that you are connected to and this could easily be taken for spam. I think we can make an exception at this time since you are asking a good market research question that may be useful to many.

Having checked out your video, I personally will not use the aftermarket screen as a replacement for my X. It just doesn"t have what I expect for a $1000 USD phone. I recognize that $300 USD for a replacement is hefty but the aftermarket screen does not appear to have the quality that I would expect for my phone.

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.

“Original” screens are those containing LCDs manufactured for Apple. “Copy” screens are compatible replacements entirely designed and manufactured by third-party companies not associated with Apple.

LCD display panel can have poorer resolution (i.e. looks “coarser”), worse brightness, contrast and vibrancy and reduced refresh rate amongst other problems.

Changes in specification from original can result in battery and performance issues. Certain badly-engineered screens could even damage the backlight circuitry.

Customers who bring their iPhones to us for a screen repair are offered two choices of replacement- an original or a “copy” screen. The most common response is “Is there a difference- and which one would you recommend?”

Originals are those screens containing LCDs that were manufactured for Apple. So-called “copy” screens are compatible replacements, but designed and manufactured entirely independently by third-party companies, typically in China.

Our answer is simple- the original screen is the one we’d go for ourselves, every time. Some people think we make more money on them, but this isn’t the case. We recommend originals because they’re far higher quality and the price difference is fairly small.

We’d rather only fit original screens. The only reason we don’t is that many people will shop around and choose purely on price. As such, we need to offer the cheaper copy screens to remain competitive and avoid losing these customers. In some cases, they didn’t even know there was a difference in the first place- especially since it’s not in some shops’ interest to draw people’s attention to the issue!

This may well be the worst copy screen we’ve ever come across. As a result, the unfortunate customer has ended up paying twice to have their screen replaced- we’re sure that had they been properly informed, they would have chosen an original in the first place.

While the difference in price between copies and originals can vary across devices, it’s generally around £10 – £14 extra to have an original screen fitted. This really isn’t a lot considering the improved quality and reliability.

We compare our prices to our competitors- and we know that we come out of it favourably. While we have to offer copy screens to remain competitive, we always advise customers to go for the original.

When you’ve spent- directly or indirectly- several hundred pounds for an iPhone with a Retina display, it doesn’t make sense to replace it with a lower-quality screen that can make a £400 phone look like a £40 one! Not only that, but you’re likely to have fewer issues, and a longer-lasting screen.

There’s nothing stopping any random person without training or experience opening up a smartphone repair shop. As a result, the industry is full of companies with little skill or experience who are only interested in getting hold of your money and installing the cheapest parts they can find.

Many- if not most- don’t even acknowledge the existence of copy screens, let alone explain the difference to the customer. Hardly in their interest to do so if they only fit cheap, low-quality copies. Some of them can hardly be blamed- they know so little, they’re not even clear on the differences between OEM, non-OEM and copy displays themselves! Others can be more deliberately misleading… and some outright lie.

Generally, these shops are looking for the cheapest price on replacement screens.. When offered a copy at a half or a third of a price of the original, they’re going to go for that. That might be fine if they offered the customer a cheaper price- what we disagree with is selling “supermarket beans” (i.e. the copy screens) at “Heinz beans” prices!

Heading towards the “blatantly fraudulent”, we’re aware of companies that shamelessly fit copy screens while claiming them to be original. Worse, they’ll take your broken original screen and sell that to a recycler for more than they paid for your copy!

Obtained or manufactured “off the clock” via the same production line that produced them for Apple- in some cases, from the stockpile of parts that didn’t meet Apple’s standards, or

Apple tightened up their supply chain around 2015, which reduced the number of screens available for repairs and increased their price dramatically. A lot of companies went bankrupt, and Chinese manufacturers responded by making their own “copy” screens from scratch. At first, these weren’t much cheaper than the Apple ones, but the price soon fell.

We should be clear that- despite the name- “copy” screens aren’t direct copies of the Apple originals. Rather, they’re compatible replacements that have been designed from scratch and- as a result- vary in some respects that have an effect on usability and quality.

One of the most important differences between an original and a “copy” screen is how the digitizer (touch sensor) is designed. Apple has it manufactured as part of the LCD itself, whereas the copies have it on the glass.

Although there are only a small number of manufacturers of the bare LCDs themselves, these are then bought by countless other companies who add the remaining components needed to turn these into a complete working screen. As a result, you could easily end up with an LCD from the best “copy” manufacturer, but the digitizer/touch (as part of the separately-manufactured glass) from the worst.

There are countless digitizers out there, and you can only take the supplier’s word that the quality is good. Many ship good ones at first, then switch to cheaper parts to make more profit. This is particularly bad with the iPhone 6S and 6S+, since Apple moved the chips responsible for touch processing onto the LCD itself. As a result, you’re not just getting a copy screen- you’re getting copy chips too.

The performance specification (power drain, etc.) of most copy screens isn’t identical to the originals. As a result, they can drain the battery more quickly and mislead the operating system which was optimised for the original screen design.

It’s even possible that this mismatch could damage your backlight. We do a lot of subcontracted repairs for less-experienced shops, and get backlight repairs in almost every day. We’ve had cases where we fixed the circuit, fitted the new copy screen to test it, and had it break the circuit again!

Copy screens can disrupt the touch ID fingerprint reader. With the 6S, 6S+, 7 and 7+, the home button- part of the 3D touch- is part of the screen assembly. Frequently the home button flexes on aftermarket designs don’t work properly and stop the touch ID working- annoying if you use it to unlock the phone or log in to your bank.

We’ve seen many lift away from the frame that holds them in place. This usually results in the flex cable getting torn, and the screen needing replacing. You don’t even need to have dropped the phone- this often happens through general everyday wear and tear.

That brings us to another major issue with the copies. When you drop an Apple original, the glass often breaks, but if the LCD itself is intact, you can continue to use it until it’s fixed. With the copies, the touch/digitizer is on the glass and stops working when that’s broken. Even worse, the LCD itself is more likely to break due to the thinner and more fragile glass.

We’re not convinced this will happen, since Apple recently changed their repair policy to accept iPhones with third-party screens. However, it is possible that copy screens could be stopped from working via an iOS update, since those make a number of security checks.