How to tell if your phone screen is original

Replacement screens range from genuine parts to cheap copies. A low-quality one can mean dimmer colors, worse touch and a shorter life — here's how to spot it.

1. Check the system first

Some manufacturers show a warning when a part can't be verified. On recent iPhones, look in Settings → General → About for the "Parts and Service History" section. Some Android brands show similar info in their device care or diagnostics apps.

2. Compare black levels

Many phones ship with OLED screens, and a common cheap repair replaces them with LCD. Open a pure black screen in a dark room: an original OLED stays completely black, while an LCD replacement glows gray. Open the black screen test.

3. Look at white and color tint

Show full-screen white and compare it with another phone of the same model if you can. A clear yellow, green or blue tint, or uneven brightness from top to bottom, is a common sign of a low-quality panel.

4. Test the features that depend on the screen

In-display fingerprint: optical sensors under the display often stop working with LCD replacements.
Always-on display: may be missing or look washed out.
Auto-brightness and color adaptation features: may behave oddly.

5. Touch and build

Run the touch test over the whole screen. Laggy or missing areas, a slightly raised screen, uneven gaps around the frame or a thicker bezel are all red flags.

A replaced screen isn't automatically bad — a genuine part fitted properly is fine. What matters is that the seller tells you, and that the price reflects it.