Why it matters for iPad repair
Whether your iPad has a laminated screen is the biggest single factor in its screen repair price. On a non-laminated iPad the glass and the display are separate parts. Cracked glass over a working picture can be replaced on its own, which is the cheapest screen repair. On a laminated iPad there is no separate glass to replace.
Which iPads have laminated displays
- Laminated: every iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later.
- Not laminated: every standard iPad, including the iPad 10th and 11th generation, plus the original iPad Air and iPad mini 1 to 3.
Quick test: tap the screen with a fingernail. A hollow, slightly echoing tap and a visible gap between the glass and the picture usually mean a non-laminated screen.
Real example
Two customers bring in iPads with a cracked corner and a perfect picture. One is an iPad 9th generation: only the glass digitiser is replaced, at the low end of our price range. The other is an iPad Air 5: the glass is bonded to the display, so the full laminated assembly is replaced, which costs more.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a “glass-only” repair is possible on every iPad. On laminated models, a shop offering glass-only replacement is separating and re-bonding the panel, which risks dust, bubbles and dead spots.
- Waiting because the picture still works. Cracks on a laminated screen spread into the display layer and can cause ghost touch.
Related terms
- Liquid Retina & XDR – the display types inside laminated iPads
- Digitiser – the touch layer bonded into the assembly
- LCD – the panel type in most iPads