Screen Defect

Display complaint

White screenBlack screenGrey screenRed screenGreen screenBlue screen
White screen⛶ Full screen
On whitedark spots, pressure marks, lines
On blackbright dots, backlight bleed, glow
On red, green, bluedead or stuck pixels, colour lines
Depends — see test

Screen and display problems fall into a short list, and each one has its own page: a black or white spot (pixels, pressure, backlight), a line (panel connector, cable, or graphics), a colour cast (settings or panel ageing), flicker (settings, cable, or connector), burn-in ghosts (OLED ageing), a blurry image (settings), half the screen blank (panel driver), or touch that stops responding in one area (digitiser).

Test it now

Full-screen white, black and grey, then the three colours. Note what you see, on which colours, and whether it changes with pressure. Then answer the questions on the home page, or pick the matching symptom from the list below.

What it is

Screen and display problems fall into a short list, and each one has its own page: a black or white spot (pixels, pressure, backlight), a line (panel connector, cable, or graphics), a colour cast (settings or panel ageing), flicker (settings, cable, or connector), burn-in ghosts (OLED ageing), a blurry image (settings), half the screen blank (panel driver), or touch that stops responding in one area (digitiser). Run the full-screen colours and use the three questions below to land on the right one.

Can it be fixed?

Settings and software faults: yes. Cables and connectors: usually, as a small repair. Panel faults: replacement. The pages linked below say which is which for each symptom.

What to do

  1. Full-screen colours.
  2. Screenshot: fault in the screenshot = software or graphics, not the screen.
  3. Match the symptom to a page below.
  4. In warranty and no impact or pressure: claim before paying.

What a repair costs

United StatesPhone display $80–380; laptop panel $100–300; monitor panel from $150 (often more than a new monitor)
IndiaPhone display ₹2,000–20,000; laptop panel ₹3,000–15,000; monitor panel ₹4,000–10,000 (a new monitor is often the better buy)

Typical ranges from repair-shop and manufacturer price lists, 2026-09-06. Get two quotes; prices vary by model and city.

Warranty

Most makers replace a panel under warranty for physical panel faults that are not accidental damage; pressure marks, cracks and liquid damage are treated as accidental and are not covered. For dead pixels, each brand has a threshold (typically 3–5 bright or 5–8 dark pixels on a laptop; Dell's premium-panel guarantee replaces at one bright pixel).

Every symptom

Spot on screenA black spot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testBlack dot on screenA black dot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testBlack spot on screenA black spot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testDark spot on screenA dark spot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testWhy do computer screens look weird on cameraA screen looks weird on camera — wavy rainbow bands, rolling dark stripes, flicker — for two reasons, and neither is a fault.FixableHorizontal lines on screenHorizontal lines on a screen screen are either the signal or the panel.Depends — see testScreen burnScreen burn-in is a permanent ghost of something that sat still on the screen for a long time — the navigation bar, the keyboard, a game HUD, a clock.Not fixable — new panelScreen discolorationDiscolouration on a screen screen means the colour is wrong in one area, not everywhere: a yellow or brown patch, a blue or purple edge, a dim corner, a pink blotch.Depends — see testChrome screen flickeringA flickering Chrome screen is the signal, the refresh rate or the backlight.FixableBlurry screenA blurry screen screen is a settings problem far more often than a hardware one.FixablePurple spot on screenA purple spot on a screen screen is OLED damage: pressure or a knock has upset the red and blue sub-pixels in that area.Depends — see testYellow mark on screenA yellow mark on a screen screen is heat or adhesive: on an OLED the organic layer has aged where the phone runs hottest (the bottom, near the charging port and the processor), and on an LCD the optical adhesive between glass and panel has yellowed or separated.Depends — see test

Related

Spot on screenA black spot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testBlack dot on screenA black dot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testBlack spot on screenA black spot on a screen screen that shows on white and vanishes on black is inside the panel: a cluster of dead pixels (a sharp-edged tiny square), a pressure mark (soft-edged, where something pressed the panel), or dirt under the glass (moves if you press gently, on tablets and monitors only).Depends — see testLenovo laptop display issuesLenovo laptop screen problems fall into a short list, and each one has its own page: a black or white spot (pixels, pressure, backlight), a line (panel connector, cable, or graphics), a colour cast (settings or panel ageing), flicker (settings, cable, or connector), burn-in ghosts (OLED ageing), a blurry image (settings), half the screen blank (panel driver), or touch that stops responding in one area (digitiser).Depends — see test