iPhone Screen Quality (pre repair info)
What you need to know before getting a screen replacement
Replacement iPhone screens tend to initially look the same in appearance from store to store, however, there are significant differences in the quality and usability between screens as well as how the screen actually looks once installed. Knowing what quality of screen you are getting is important for making a conscious consumer choice as while cheaper screens will cost you less in the short term they can end up costing you a lot of time and hassle with issues such as poor touch response, glitching and off-colour displays
Broadly speaking replacement iPhone screens can be divided into two main categories, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Aftermarket.
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)
OEM (often just referred to as original) screens are screens which use the “Gorilla Glass”, which is a strong tempered glass manufactured by Corning and the “Retina” LCD, which have crisp whiteness and excellent colour reproduction manufactured by LG. OEM screens can then be split into thee different types.
New OEM – These are brand new OEM screens direct from the factory to the customer, none of the parts has ever been used beyond quality control testing. These are the quality of the OEM screens we stock
Used OEM – OEM screens are already used, often pulled from another phone these screens tend to already have scratches and wear on the glass from the previous use.
Refurbished OEM – OEM screens where the LCD has come from a previously used screen but the glass has been replaced with new “Gorilla Glass”
Aftermarket
Any screen which doesn’t use the original glass or LCD but rather cheaper copy versions is referred to as aftermarket. Aftermarket screens are much cheaper but offer lower performance and are prone to issues. Many repairers use aftermarket parts for all their repairs but do not inform the customers of this. At Smashed IT we offer aftermarket screens as an alternative for budget-conscious customers but we are upfront about the quality you are receiving.
Aftermarket screens are graded by each supplier based on the quality of the screens typically ranging for A+++/AAA down to A (B or C grade is rarely used as this would be admitting that they are subpar quality). We use the highest quality aftermarket screens available from our suppliers (A+++ or AAA) as offer a reasonably good replica of the original screens for a much lower cost. On the other end of the spectrum the function of the lower quality aftermarket screens does not resemble anything even close to the originals and are not worth wasting time with.
As a general rule you get what you pay for in a competitive industry like wireless repair so cost serves as a relatively good indicator of the quality of the screen you are getting. Any reputable repair company should be able to explain the quality you are getting beforehand and anywhere which doesn’t tell you or simply claims there is no difference in screen quality is likely offering the lowest quality copy screens in order to maximize their profits, sadly it will be their customers will be the ones paying the price in frustration and wasted time.