Screen problems, any device
Symptoms that look the same on a phone, laptop, monitor or TV. Run the test, match the picture, then pick your device for repair costs.
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
Black 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 testLines on screenA line on a screen screen is either the signal or the panel.Depends — see testAnt inside screenAnts inside a screen screen are real, and common in warm countries: tiny ants walk in through the speaker or charging port grille and end up between the panel layers, where they show as moving black specks on white.Depends — see testBlack line on screenA black line on a screen screen is either the signal or the panel.Depends — see testBlue dots on screenA blue dots on a screen screen is OLED damage: the blue sub-pixels in that area have been knocked out of balance by pressure or a knock, so the area renders blue where it should be white.Depends — see testBlue tint screenA screen screen that has gone blue all over is the signal or the panel's colour balance, and it is usually the signal.FixableWhite line black screenA white line on a screen screen is either the signal or the panel.Depends — see testHalf of screen is blackHalf of a screen screen black — split top/bottom or left/right with a clean edge — is the panel's driver or its ribbon connector: half the rows or half the columns are not being driven.Depends — see testBlack patch on screenA black patch 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 testBubbles on LCD screenBubbles inside an LCD screen — not under a protector, but under the glass — are the optical adhesive between the cover glass and the panel letting go, or air trapped after a repair that replaced the glass without re-laminating properly.Depends — see testGreen dots on screenGreen dotss on a screen screen are single green sub-pixels stuck on, or a small area where pressure has damaged the OLED layer.Depends — see testLCD screen 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 shadowA dark shadow or shaded area on a screen screen — larger than a spot, with soft edges — is one of three things: a pressure bruise where the panel was squeezed (a bag, a thumb, a case), a backlight fault (LCD: a failing LED string or a slipped diffuser sheet leaves a dim band), or burn-in of a dark app area (OLED).Depends — see test