Every cracked iPhone we repair in our Vereeniging workshop leaves with one of two screens: an Apple original or an OEM panel. Many repair counters in Gauteng also fit two cheaper grades, hard OLED and incell LCD. Those cost less on the day. You pay the difference later in battery life, brightness and touch faults.
This guide covers iPhones with OLED screens from Apple: the iPhone X, XS, 11 Pro, and every model from the iPhone 12 onward. The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 shipped with LCD screens, so the grades work differently on those two.
The four screen grades
- Apple original. The same panel Apple fits at the factory. Full brightness, accurate colour and the touch response you had on day one.
- OEM. A flexible OLED panel built to Apple's size, colour and brightness specs. Next to an original, most customers spot no difference in daily use.
- Hard OLED. A rigid OLED panel. It sits thicker in the frame, and because it does not flex, it cracks on drops an original screen survives.
- Incell LCD. The cheapest option. An LCD screen with touch built in, cut to fit a phone designed for OLED. Blacks look grey, colours look flat, and the panel runs a backlight all day.
What a cheap screen costs you
Battery life takes the first hit. An OLED pixel switches off to show black. An LCD lights the whole panel from behind, black areas included. Purdue University researchers measured the effect in 2021: on OLED phones at full brightness, dark mode saved 39 to 47 percent of display power. Put an incell LCD in your iPhone 13 and you lose the saving, even with dark mode on.
Brightness drops next. Apple rates the iPhone 13 screen at 800 nits in normal use and 1,200 nits for HDR video. Cheap LCD panels fall well short of those numbers, and you notice it first outdoors in Highveld sun.
Touch faults show up last. Ghost touch is the classic problem on cheap panels: letters type on their own, and taps near the edges go missing. Fixing it means paying for a second screen.
Use our price list as a yardstick. If another shop quotes far below R2,500 for an iPhone 13 screen, ask which grade they plan to fit. The answer is usually hard OLED or incell.
Lai Lai Pro screen replacement prices
We fit Apple original and OEM parts only. Every price includes the screen, fitting and our 90-day warranty.
| Model | Screen replacement |
|---|---|
| iPhone 12 | R1,999 |
| iPhone 13 | R2,500 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | R2,999 |
| iPhone 14 | R2,499 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | R3,999 |
| iPhone 15 | R2,999 |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | R4,499 |
| iPhone 16 | R3,999 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | R5,500 |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | R6,000 |
Want an Apple original screen specifically? Say so when you book on WhatsApp, and we confirm stock for your model before you drive in. The full list, from iPhone XR to iPhone 17 Pro Max, sits on our iPhone repair prices page.
Check your screen in Settings
On iPhone 11 and newer, open Settings, then General, then About. Scroll down. If someone replaced the display without Apple pairing it to the phone, iOS shows a Parts and Service History section with the display listed as an unknown part.
The message does not stop anything from working. It does tell you something useful when you buy a second-hand iPhone: the screen is not the one the phone left the factory with. Ask the seller who replaced it and which grade went in. Our pre-owned iPhones are never opened or repaired, so each one still has its factory screen.
Four questions to ask before any screen repair
- Which grade is this screen: Apple original, OEM, hard OLED or incell?
- Will True Tone work afterwards? True Tone needs your old screen's data copied across to the new one, and a rushed job skips it.
- How long is the warranty, and does it cover touch faults?
- Show me the new screen before you fit it.
A shop selling a good part answers all four in under a minute. We do it on WhatsApp before you book.
Common questions
Is an OEM screen as good as an Apple original?
For daily use, yes. A good OEM panel matches the original on size, colour and touch. Side by side at full brightness, an Apple original still edges it on peak brightness. If you want the exact part your iPhone shipped with, ask for an Apple original when you book.
How do I tell if my iPhone has an incell LCD screen?
Open a fully black image and turn the lights off. An OLED screen shows pure black because the pixels switch off. An incell LCD glows dark grey, most visibly around the edges.
Will Face ID work after a screen replacement?
Yes. Face ID sits in its own module above the display. A careful technician moves your original front sensors to the new screen, and Face ID keeps working.
How long does an iPhone screen replacement take at Lai Lai Pro?
Most screen replacements take 45 to 60 minutes. Walk in at 70 Cassandra Avenue, Vereeniging, or send your iPhone by courier from anywhere in South Africa.
What does the Unknown Part message mean?
On iPhone 11 and newer, iOS lists the display under Settings, General, About, Parts and Service History. A screen not paired to your iPhone by Apple shows as an unknown part. The phone keeps working normally.
Cracked screen? Get a price in minutes.
Send us your iPhone model on WhatsApp. Walk in at 70 Cassandra Avenue, Vereeniging, or courier your phone from anywhere in South Africa.