iPhone X Repair Issues
(Note: If you came here because you want your iPhone X fixed, and you’re not interested in the rest of the article, click here to contact us, telephone 01382 22 66 26 or visit our shop in Union Street, Dundee.).
The iPhone X had a relatively brief time on the market- just ten months before it was recently discontinued in favour of the XS, XS Max and XR. Regardless, many in the independent phone repair business- like ourselves- will still be paying attention to the fact that next month will be the first anniversary of the iPhone X going on sale.
That’s because it will be then that the standard one year Apple warranty expires on the first iPhone X models sold, meaning a gradually increasing number of customers looking for repairs on an out-of-warranty basis.
After they’ve seen Apple’s official repair prices- assuming Apple is even prepared to offer a repair for their particular issue- it’s safe to say that many will be seeking more reasonably-priced repairs from independent stores.
Bearing this in mind, we’ve collated a list of known iPhone X repair issues that are likely to be of increasing importance in the next few months.
Screen Design and Replacement Issues
The iPhone X has a completely new design compared to its predecessors. The most obvious difference is that it’s the first iPhone to use an OLED display instead of an LCD-based one, which also means that replacements are very costly.
There have been many issues with the iPhone X screen, including reports of green lines, of no touch, and of other defects with the screen even though it isn’t cracked. Even when the phone’s out of warranty, it’s worth checking with Apple first for this sort of thing, as they’ll often fix it for free if it’s a known issue and there’s no damage to the phone.
At the time of its launch, there were no “copy” screens (independently designed and manufactured replacement displays from third-party companies) for the iPhone X. However, many have arrived in the months since.
Unofficial “copy” replacement screens for the iPhone X can be separated into three basic groups, depending upon which technology they’re based upon:-
- TFT LCD – This is the lowest-quality version, and doesn’t even use the same display technology as the OLED screen it’s replacing. Compared to the original, the bezel is also thicker, and picture quality, refresh rate and touch will be nowhere near as good. Such displays also tend to run very hot.
- Hard OLED (“ZY”) – These were the first OLED-based copy screens. Picture quality is better than the LCD version, but still has a lot of touch problems and runs hot.
- Flexible OLED (“GX”) – Technologically, these are the closest to the original screen (also based on a flexible OLED).
Taking an iPhone X apart in order to carry out a screen replacement.
The old screen is at the top, with the (also-original) replacement at the bottom.However, we’d avoid the LCD-based ones- in particular- like the plague. Many LCD copy screens already had a reputation for significantly inferior quality than Apple’s original LCDs (e.g. lower resolution, poorer brightness, contrast, viewing angle, etc.) and mismatches in the electrical specifications meant that some poor-quality examples could- and did- damage phones by putting strain on the backlight circuit, and other circuits.
The fact that the iPhone X LCD copies are replacing an OLED display means that the quality difference and design mismatch is likely to be worse here.
Regardless, their low price means that many companies will fit these as replacement screens without telling the customer.
Near the finish; the new screen has been installed and all that remains is for everything to be tested and screwed back together.
Complete and in as-new working order!Other issues
There are a number of other non-screen issues to note about the iPhone X design:-
- No Home Button, but Face ID Paired– There’s no home button- and hence Touch ID- to worry about, but the iPhone X relies instead on Face ID, which is paired like the home button. If this gets broken, then only Apple can pair the new Face ID.
- Glass Back Vulnerability– The iPhone X has a glass back, which means it still suffers from the same vulnerability as the iPhone 8 and 8+. Regardless of how tough it is compared to other types of glass, the iPhone X back is still at more risk of breaking than non-glass backs, and very expensive to replace.
- New Motherboard Design– The motherboard design is completely different, and consists of two boards sandwiched together. This makes board-level repairs far more difficult, although not impossible for experienced technicians.
All these changes- and particularly the sandwiched motherboard design- are forcing out low-skilled companies, and it’s likely that only the good ones will survive.
2 comments
I have a broken screen and back on my iphone x. Are you guys able to repair this (I’m not too fussed about the back but if its repairable then great.
Thanks
Disc Depot said:
Thank you for your enquiry. We’re able to repair both these and have sent you the prices by email. (As prices are constantly changing- generally downwards!- we don’t post them in online replies, as they’re likely to become out of date.)
David said: