Is There a Difference?
. The most common response is “Is there a difference- and which one would you recommend?”
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 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!
See the Difference for Yourself
Recently a customer came to our store. They’d had their iPhone 6 screen replaced elsewhere, and they really weren’t happy with the quality.
- The copy has much lower brightness, contrast, and vibrancy– it looks generally “washed out”.
- The copy screen appears far coarser in normal use. Our microscope closeups make it obvious that it has a much lower resolution.
- When we tried removing it, the frame was already coming off the copy(!)
This may well be the worst copy screen we’ve ever come across.
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 favorably. 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.
How You’re Being Ripped Off
There’s nothing stopping any random person without training or experience opening up a smartphone repair shop.
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.
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!
Background
Apple don’t sell iPhones to anyone else- not even their own officially-authorised service centres.
Between 2010 and 2015, actual copy screens didn’t exist, and all replacements were either:-
- Salvaged out of a new phone
- 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
- In most cases, by refurbishment of existing LCDs.
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.
The Difference in Quality
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.
Digitizer and Touch Problems
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.
Poorer-Quality LCD Panels
The image quality of the LCD panel is another major issue with copies. Typical issues are:-
- Weaker brightness, contrast and vibrancy
- Much lower resolution, and resulting “coarse” appearance
- Reduced refresh rate
Mismatched Parts
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!
Fingerprint ID Problems
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.
Other Issues
In general, copy screens just aren’t as well-built or as resilient to damage- or even normal use- as the originals.
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.
Finally, rather than sitting flush as it would with an original, the home button often sits lower in its hole with a copy.
Possible Issues
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.
