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Hey, electronics people: A few months ago, I cleaned a spot on an LCD flat screen. Whatever it was, it was stuck on there pretty good and I guess I pushed down on it too hard (actually wasn't hard at all, to be honest). Anyway, next time I turned it on there was a huge blob of dead pixels in and above that spot. It's taken a few months, but the size of the blob has significantly reduced in size and continues to fade.
Here are two images taken less than 24 hours apart. It doesn't usually happen so quickly; I think it was just a lucky coincidence that I happened to take the first photo at the right time. It's still only marginally noticeable, but when it first happened (I'll try to find an older image) all three dead spots were all bridged together as one and the outside edge has gradually receded. First (if you look closely), they tend to go from black, to blue, to cyan (sometimes?), before fading back to normal.
Can anyone explain this? I actually expected the dead spot to do the opposite; slowly grow bigger until the display was rendered useless.
As often as you use your smartphone, it’s almost inevitable that you’ll eventually drop it. You may be extremely careful, but it only takes one fumble for your phone to tumble. While iPhone screens are designed to withstand impact, you might still end up with a shattered screen.
The good news: a broken screen doesn’t mean your phone is kaput. In fact, if only the glass is broken, the fix is quick and inexpensive. The bad news: if the LCD screen is broken, you’re looking at a pricier repair.
What’s the difference between glass and LCD?
If you’ve looked into replacement parts, you’ve likely come across two very different options: a glass screen, and an LCD screen. While the first option is cheap, the second is definitely not. Here’s the difference:
1. The glass screen is the exterior layer on your phone’s display. While it is specially engineered for durability, it’s still just glass (between layers of plastic film), which is why it’s not very pricey to replace.
2. The LCD (or Liquid Crystal Display) screen is entirely responsible for the display and touch-response function of your device.
So which screen is broken?
Most of the time, the damage to your screen will be pretty obvious. You’ll see the spider web patterns of shattered glass across the front of your iPhone. Occasionally, however, the glass screen will be intact, and you might not realize the damage until you try to use it. Whether the damage is visible or not, it’s a good idea to run a quick diagnostic to determine the extent of it.
Whether the glass is cracked or not, examine the display and look for:
- Black spots, discolored areas, or blurred sections on the screen.
- A screen that stays completely black.
- Lines or patterns that aren’t simple cracks in the glass.
- Lack of touch sensitivity.
If you encounter any of these problems, you’re dealing with a broken LCD screen. If the glass is shattered, but the display is clear and touch capability is working, that’s a good sign. The problem is probably just the glass screen.
Whether you’re dealing with cracked glass or a broken LCD screen, you can find a quick, reliable repair service at FastPhoneRepair.com. Our qualified technicians will get your iPhone repaired and up and running again in record time and at reasonable rates.