Six ways to replace an Android screen — and how to pick one

• Genuine

  Panel:

  Same as the phone came with

  Warranty:

  90 days

  What you get:

  A manufacturer-grade screen. Looks, colours and brightness as close to factory as it gets.

• Original grade

  Panel:

  Same type as the phone came with

  Warranty:

  90 days

  What you get:

  Made to match the original screen. The usual pick when the phone is still your daily driver.

• Premium OLED

  Panel:

  OLED

  Warranty:

  90 days

  What you get:

  An OLED panel for phones that shipped with OLED: deep blacks and strong colours kept.

• Standard OLED

  Panel:

  OLED

  Warranty:

  30 days

  What you get:

  A lower-cost OLED. On some models the visible area is slightly smaller than the original.

• Premium TFT

  Panel:

  TFT LCD

  Warranty:

  30 days

  What you get:

  The lowest-cost full screen. On some models the visible area is slightly smaller, and blacks look greyer.

• Glass only

  Panel:

  Your existing display is kept

  Warranty:

  30 days

  What you get:

  Only the cracked top glass is replaced. Possible only when the display underneath has no lines, patches or touch faults.

Most mid-range and flagship Android phones from the last few years shipped with an OLED (often called AMOLED) screen. Many budget phones shipped with an LCD. That one fact narrows the list a lot.

• Phone came with OLED → Genuine, Original grade and the two OLED grades keep the deep blacks you're used to. Premium TFT works, but the picture will look flatter.
• Phone came with LCD → Original grade is the like-for-like choice. TFT is the lower-cost alternative. The OLED grades are not for these phones.
• Only the glass is cracked, display perfect → glass only may be possible, and you keep your original display.

• Visible area — on some models Standard OLED and Premium TFT show a slightly smaller picture, with a thicker black border.
• Blacks and colours — a TFT can't switch pixels fully off, so dark scenes look grey rather than black.
• In-screen fingerprint — phones that unlock with a fingerprint under the glass rely on an OLED panel. A TFT screen can't read it, and some lower OLED grades may read it less reliably. Tell us if you use it; we'll say which grades keep it.
• Warranty — 90 days on Genuine, Original and Premium OLED; 30 days on Standard OLED, Premium TFT and glass only.

1. Keeping the phone for another year or two, or it's a flagship → Genuine or Original grade.
2. Phone came with OLED, want to keep that look for less → Premium OLED.
3. Selling the phone soon, or it's a backup → Standard OLED or Premium TFT.
4. Display is perfect, only the glass broke → ask about glass only first.

Whatever you pick, you see the screen working before you pay — we test touch, colour and brightness with you at the counter.