Every term your technician might use when diagnosing or repairing a phone screen — explained clearly, with real repair context from the BreakFixNow team.
OLED
A display where each pixel produces its own light. Used in flagship iPhones from the X onwards and premium Android phones. Deeper blacks, higher contrast — and more expensive to replace than LCD.
LCD
A display that uses a backlight and liquid crystals. More affordable to replace than OLED, used in many mid-range Android phones and older iPhones up to the iPhone 11.
AMOLED
Samsung’s variant of OLED. Used across the Galaxy S and A series. Vivid colours, deep blacks, prone to burn-in over time.
Digitiser
The touch-sensitive layer on top of the display panel. Screen shows a picture but won’t respond to touch? The digitiser is the fault — not the display.
Dead Pixel
A pixel permanently stuck showing black or white. A cluster or spreading patch usually means the panel needs replacing.
Ghost Touch
Screen registers taps you didn’t make. Caused by a damaged digitiser, poor-quality replacement screen, moisture, or a faulty Touch IC.
Screen Burn-In
A ghost image permanently etched into an OLED or AMOLED panel from prolonged static content. Irreversible — only fix is screen replacement.
Flex Cable
The ribbon cable connecting the screen assembly to the logic board. Damage causes flickering, lines, or complete display failure.
Further reading
- iPhone 16 Screen Repair: Quality Comparison Guide — OLED quality differences between repair shops
- Cracked iPhone Screen: How Long Can You Wait? — when a cracked screen becomes urgent
- Phone Repair vs Replacement: Cost Decision Guide — is a screen repair worth it?