Original vs. Aftermarket screen replacement for your iPhone

“Original” screens are those screens manufactured for Apple. “Aftermarket/Copy” screens are compatible replacements designed and manufactured by third-party manufacturers, most of which are not associated with Apple.

Choose the original screens for such reasons:

• More accurate brightness, contrast and vibrancy
• Generally higher resolution
• Stable refresh rate

While Apple doesn’t sell those original screen replacements to the general customer, a limited quantity of those pulled from original or used devices are available in the market.

Alternatively, Aftermarket/Copy screens are quite prevailing but often in lower quality in several ways:

• LCD/OLED panels may have a poorer resolution (i.e. looks “coarser”), inaccurate brightness, contrast and vibrancy and reduced refresh rate, amongst other problems.
• Changes in specification from the original may result in battery and performance issues and drain the battery more quickly. Some badly-engineered screens could even damage the backlight circuitry.
• Generally, they break more often and are less resilient.

Nowadays, the aftermarket screen industry is dominant because the products are more affordable and accessible. In addition, some Apple-associated LCD/OLED panel manufacturers are behind because of the enormous demand. As a result, some manufacturers (for instance, JK and RJ from Shenzhen) have developed quality products for customers with a limited budget. 

From a technical view of screen replacements, it is a fact that original ones are more quality consistent. If you choose the aftermarket screens, check the quality of the product at your hand and compare it with the original one if you can. The bottom line is that choosing the right screen is your discretion.