Which iPhone Screen Quality Should You Choose?

Quick Answer

For most iPhone users, Soft OLED is the best choice. It offers True Tone support, excellent colour accuracy (98%+), and costs 40-60% less than genuine Apple screens. At celltech, we fit Soft OLED on 70% of repairs because it delivers near-original quality at a sensible price. Choose Hard OLED if you're on a tight budget with an older iPhone (X-11), or Genuine Apple if you're selling your phone within 3 months or need absolute colour perfection for professional work.

The Quick Answer (For Those in a Hurry)

After fitting over 50,000 iPhone screens, we've seen every scenario. Here's what we recommend based on thousands of customer outcomes:

That's the summary. If you want to understand why these recommendations work, read on.

Understanding What You're Actually Buying

Before we get into specific recommendations, let's quickly recap what each quality tier actually means. For the full technical breakdown, see our detailed comparison of iPhone screen technologies.

The Three Tiers We Offer (and One We Don't)

INCELL (Budget Tier) — We no longer offer INCELL screens. They combine the touch layer and display into a single unit, which makes them thinner but significantly reduces quality. The colour accuracy and brightness simply aren't good enough for modern iPhones. If someone offers you an INCELL screen in 2026, walk away.

Hard OLED (Entry Premium) — Uses rigid glass substrate OLED technology. Good quality, decent colour accuracy (~95%), adequate brightness. The "sensible budget" option. Doesn't support True Tone transfer. Best for iPhone X through iPhone 11 where value matters more than absolute quality.

Soft OLED (Best Value) — Uses flexible plastic substrate, same as genuine screens. Excellent colour accuracy (98%+), high brightness, supports True Tone transfer. This is what we fit on 70% of repairs because it hits the sweet spot between cost and quality. For most people, it's indistinguishable from genuine in daily use.

Genuine Apple (Maximum Quality) — Original Apple-manufactured screens with full calibration. Perfect colour accuracy, native True Tone (no transfer needed), no iOS warnings. Costs 40-60% more than Soft OLED. Worth it for resale value or professional colour work.

Making the Right Choice for YOUR Situation

The "best" screen depends entirely on your circumstances. Let's work through the key questions.

Question 1: How Old Is Your iPhone?

Phone age matters more than most people realise. Here's how we think about it:

iPhone X, XS, 11 (2017-2019) — These phones are 5-7 years old. Spending £200+ on a genuine screen rarely makes financial sense. Hard OLED gets you back up and running at a sensible cost. Soft OLED if you want better quality and plan to keep the phone another 2+ years.

iPhone 12, 13 (2020-2021) — The sweet spot for Soft OLED. These phones have 3-5 years of useful life remaining. Soft OLED gives you near-original quality at 40% less than genuine. This is our most common recommendation.

iPhone 14, 15, 16 (2022-2025) — Newer phones hold more value, so the screen quality affects resale price more. Soft OLED is still our recommendation for personal use, but consider Genuine Apple if you're planning to sell within a year or use the phone for professional photography/video.

Question 2: What's Your Budget?

Let's be practical. Here's what different budgets get you:

For current pricing on your specific model, see our complete UK pricing breakdown.

Question 3: Are You Selling Your Phone Soon?

This is where Genuine Apple screens start making sense:

Selling within 3 months: Genuine Apple is worth considering. Buyers check Settings → General → About for the "Unknown Part" warning. A genuine screen means no warnings and potentially £50-100 higher sale price. The ROI can work out.

Selling in 6+ months: Soft OLED makes more sense. You'll get 6+ months of use before selling, and the price difference rarely comes back in resale value. The iOS warning doesn't actually affect functionality.

Not selling (keeping the phone): Soft OLED is almost always the right call. You get 98% of the quality at 40-60% of the price. The iOS warning is cosmetic only—it doesn't affect any features.

Question 4: How Do You Use Your Phone?

Casual user (social media, messaging, browsing): Any quality tier works fine. Even Hard OLED looks great for everyday use. Save your money.

Photography and video: Colour accuracy matters here. Soft OLED at 98% accuracy is good enough for most photographers. Professional colorists or designers doing client work might want Genuine Apple for that last 2%.

Outdoor work: You might think brightness matters more for outdoor use, but honestly, all three tiers are bright enough for daylight viewing. Don't overspend for this reason alone.

Heavy gaming: Soft OLED or Genuine Apple for the response times. Hard OLED is fine for casual games but might show slight lag in competitive gaming.

What We'd Choose (Honest Technician Perspective)

Here's what our technicians actually use on their own phones. No marketing—just real choices:

Our Lead Tech, Oz

"My daily driver is an iPhone 14 Pro with a Soft OLED screen. I fitted it myself after dropping the phone. Could I have used Genuine? Sure. Did I want to spend the extra £80? Not really. In six months of daily use, I've never once noticed a quality difference from the original. True Tone transferred perfectly. That's the answer for most people."

If it was my iPhone 11: Hard OLED without hesitation. The phone's worth maybe £150. Spending £150+ on a screen doesn't make financial sense. Hard OLED at £69 keeps it running another couple of years.

If I was on a really tight budget: Hard OLED on anything up to iPhone 12. It's genuinely good quality—just not quite as good as Soft OLED. The colour difference is there if you compare side-by-side, but most people never notice in daily use.

If I was selling my phone next month: Genuine Apple. The maths works out when resale value matters. Buyers are suspicious of non-genuine parts, and that iOS warning can knock £50-100 off your asking price.

If I dropped my phone constantly: Soft OLED. Not because it's more durable (it's not), but because when you inevitably crack it again, you haven't wasted money on Genuine. We see repeat customers who break screens every 6-12 months. For them, Soft OLED is the sensible ongoing choice.

Quality Comparison Table

Here's everything in one place:

For exact pricing on every iPhone model—from iPhone X to iPhone 16 Pro Max—see our complete UK pricing guide for 2026.

Common Mistakes We See

After thousands of screen repairs, we see the same mistakes repeatedly. Here's what to avoid:

1. Overspending on old phones. We see customers wanting Genuine Apple screens on iPhone X or XS. The screen costs more than the phone is worth. Unless there's a specific reason (sentimental value, very specific colour needs), it's money down the drain. Hard OLED or Soft OLED makes far more sense.

2. Underspending on new phones. The opposite problem. Putting the cheapest possible screen on an iPhone 15 Pro Max is false economy. You've got a £1,200 phone— don't cripple it with a £50 screen. Soft OLED minimum for anything released in the last 2 years.

3. Ignoring True Tone. People underestimate how much they'll miss True Tone until it's gone. That automatic warmth adjustment in different lighting? You notice when it's missing. If True Tone matters to you, Hard OLED won't cut it—you need Soft OLED or Genuine.

4. Chasing specs over experience. "But the genuine screen has higher nits!" Sure, but you're not using max brightness 99% of the time. In normal use, Soft OLED and Genuine look identical. Don't overpay for specs you won't use.

5. Worrying too much about the iOS warning. The "Unknown Part" message in Settings scares people. But it's purely cosmetic—it doesn't affect any functionality. Face ID works. True Tone works (on Soft OLED). Everything works. The only time to care about the warning is if you're selling the phone soon.

Ready to Get Your Screen Replaced?

Now you know which quality tier makes sense for your situation. Our technicians can have your iPhone screen replaced in 30-60 minutes, with a 27-month warranty on all repairs.

Not sure which tier to choose? Book a repair and we'll help you decide in person. No pressure—we'll recommend exactly what we'd choose if it was our own phone.