Before we dive into what your iPhone really needs…

What is an LCD?

To put it plainly, this is a layer of your iPhone touchscreen that shows you stuff. It could be texts, images, video, etc. It also an abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display. It just display or show you what you need to see. 

What is a digitizer?

Also known as the touch panel, this layer of your touchscreen is responsible for taking in your finger input. So if you swipe, tap, long tap or pinch your iPhone’s touchscreen, you get the appropriate action you expect. You might not see it but it has millions of touch sensitive matrix that tracks your fingers as fast as possible.

What is a glass?

It’s the topmost layer of your iPhone touchscreen. Heard of Gorilla Glass? That’s it. Its main job is to protect the digitizer and LCD from scratches and cracks. However, it’s not 100% impenetrable. It could break and scratch as it loses it’s anti-scratch coating.

What do this all mean?

If you’ve pictured it out in your head or not, it simply means that your iPhone’s touchscreen is made up of many layers that serves a specific job. Think of a sandwich with layers. If you break something, you have to peel off what’s on top to get to the problematic part.

How do you know if your iPhone’s LCD is broken?

If your LCD is broken, many signs can show up, literally. Here’s some of the things you might see:

1. dark spots that starts as small patches then enlarges over time

2. dark lines that runs vertically across the LCD which might come in nasty groups

3. flickering of the entire screen, this can happen randomly

4. wrong display of colors, you’ll notice some shifting in colors mostly towards a paler hue

5. cracks on the LCD, this can be seen as though it’s cracks from glass but have bleeding on the side

You will literally see if something is not right with your LCD, so you will be the first to know and notice.

Can an iPhone LCD screen be fixed?

Thankfully, yes. Smartphone technicians would say that the best fix is a replacement. iPhone LCDs are apparently very disposable and not serviceable. So if you are positive that your LCD is a goner, then you’ll get a replacement part and a repair service.

How much does it cost to fix the LCD screen on an iPhone?

If you’re doing it on your own, then you can get a brand new fix-up kit for $25. However, if you’re not so inclined to get the hassle and risk of ruining your iPhone, a complete service plus the replacement LCD screen will cost from $150 to $250 depending on which iPhone model you have.

Pro Tip [Bonus]

If you’re gonna have your iPhone’s touchscreen serviced, have the LCD, glass and digitizer replaced all at once. It’s best to replace the entire touchscreen than to deal with stripping the glass. It’s a faster service and will ensure a great finish.