What you need to know
- Replacing an OLED iPhone's screen is expensive.
- Now, iFixit is offering LCD screens instead.
- They cost around half the price, too.
Replacing the screen on a broken iPhone X, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max is no fun. It can cost a small fortune thanks to Apple's use of expensive OLED screens. And while iFixit's OLED screens are already cheaper than going to Apple, they can still be prohibitively costly. Enter, LCD.
Normally replacing an OLED screen at an Apple Store runs around $280, and getting a screen from iFixit costs around $180. That's a saving worth making, but it is still a lot of money. Now, iFixit is offering an LCD alternative for those who don't want to spend quite so much money. And it costs around $85 depending on the model you need.
Right now iFixit is offering LCD screens for iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max and sure, they aren't as fancy as the OLED screens. They're not as bright and the resolution is slightly lower. But remember, these screens are effectively what's used in iPhone XR. And that looks great!
...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.
Each of the screens is hand-tested in the United States, and Fixit covers them with a lifetime warranty to top it all off. If you're looking to save a chunk of change and still get your iPhone back up and running, this is a route worth considering.
