Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Are the $30.00 ebay replacement screens for iPhone decent?

J

Jason B

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 21, 2010
363
32
I want to have a backup screen on hand in case I break my iphone 6 oem screen again. I don't like big cases and like the slim look.

My question is, has anyone tried the ebay iphone 6 screens that are going for around $30??? If not, what have you tried?

I sick of driving an hour away to the apple store and then waiting forver.
 
Jason B said:
I want to have a backup screen on hand in case I break my iphone 6 oem screen again. I don't like big cases and like the slim look.

My question is, has anyone tried the ebay iphone 6 screens that are going for around $30??? If not, what have you tried?

I sick of driving an hour away to the apple store and then waiting forver.
Click to expand...

as long as it's the screen + digitizer kit. Make sure to check out the reviews and buy from a reputable seller.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhayes444
Do not replace iPhone screens with Touch ID / Apple Pay and the secure element. If you mess up the home button replacing the screen you are Sol and you have to replace the entire phone to get your Apple Pay back

Apple only charges $109 or $129 to fix a screen and $149 max for a 6 s +
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced and nordique
rigormortis said:
Do not replace iPhone screens with Touch ID / Apple Pay and the secure element. If you mess up the home button replacing the screen you are Sol and you have to replace the entire phone to get your Apple Pay back

Apple only charges $109 or $129 to fix a screen and $149 max for a 6 s +
Click to expand...

Yep, this OP. I think most screen kits are OK but you will be giving up using Touch ID. IF you are ok with that, then go for it.

If not, then take it to Apple store/mail it in
 
As long as you swap the home button from the old phone to the new screen, there won't be any touch id issues.... You just can't use a new home button....

I just don't have time to go to apple It's far away from me and I can install the screen myself. I just wish someone has tried one of those other screens for compairison
 
Once you open the phone or add non Apple parts you can forget about Apple ever touching your phone again for anything. Even if you pay, they won't work on it. If battery needs replacement or anything else ever goes wrong Apple is done with that phone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 617aircav
Jason B said:
As long as you swap the home button from the old phone to the new screen, there won't be any touch id issues.... You just can't use a new home button....

I just don't have time to go to apple It's far away from me and I can install the screen myself. I just wish someone has tried one of those other screens for compairison
Click to expand...

Like what many said, you get what you paid for. If you just need a standby at a low cost and don't care anything about screen quality such as oleophobic coating, glass quality and the chance of an imperfect screen (dead/bright pixel or dust), any third party replacement would work for you. Of course you gotta do your homework on evaluating if the seller is trustworthy. It'll be even trickier in your case since you are just getting it as a standby for replacement.. You wouldn't even know if it's DOA when you decide to pop it in a few months down, then what's the point of having a replacement screen in the first place?
 
It's out of warranty. Not a concern.
[doublepost=1468073015][/doublepost]
Conan86 said:
Like what many said, you get what you paid for. If you just need a standby at a low cost and don't care anything about screen quality such as oleophobic coating, glass quality and the chance of an imperfect screen (dead/bright pixel or dust), any third party replacement would work for you. Of course you gotta do your homework on evaluating if the seller is trustworthy. It'll be even trickier in your case since you are just getting it as a standby for replacement.. You wouldn't even know if it's DOA when you decide to pop it in a few months down, then what's the point of having a replacement screen in the first place?
Click to expand...

I would test it beforehand. I've had these apart quite a few times and it would only take 10 min to hook it up.
 
Jason B said:
It's out of warranty. Not a concern.
[doublepost=1468073015][/doublepost]

I would test it beforehand. I've had these apart quite a few times and it would only take 10 min to hook it up.
Click to expand...

Then by all means give it a go. The only complaints I've read on third party screens were those that I've described. If you got one and test it out to be working 100%, it'd be a good standby screen. Slap a screen protector on it and you wouldn't even be able to "feel any difference"
 
I'm about to try one, OP. My mother just dropped her 6 last night (after so many falls previously), and screen shattered. I'll not be able to install until next weekend though. Apple Pay/Touch ID can be preserved by swapping the Home Button/flex carefully.

If there are any problems later that you would want Apple to address, I think swapping the old screen back and returning to stock parts would satisfy those concerns about bringing by to Apple Store.
 
Cool, please update with which one you buy and a link. Some ebay auctions have reviews on the screens.
 
In my experiences, the cheap screens that I have purchased work fine, but break much easier than quality screens.

I also have seen cheap screens have a negative impact on battery life. YMMV. I'd buy one from iFixIt.
 
I've went through 3 screens from 3 different sellers on amazon for the iPhone 6 and they're all a little big on the bottom and stick out of the bezel. The first 2 also didn't fully work, the first one didn't work when you pressed with force any amount of force and the second one the right side of the screen was unresponsive. Go to Apple for the iPhone 6 screen.

The iPhone 5s and below are a differently story, I've replaced atleast 10 for friends and relatives and never had issues.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
I know my phone is a bit older but I just installed a $20 screen from Amazon on my 5S. I have worked on many other devices before, so I was able to successfully transfer my Touch ID from the old screen to the new one. So far, all is well. I don't want to jinx myself, but I can't tell the difference between this cheap replacement and the original Apple screen. Some of the reviews for the screen that I bought said that the glass peeled away from the rest of the digitizer assembly, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this doesn't happen to me. I just need this to last me until September when the iPhone 7 comes out. Hopefully, if this cheap screen holds up, I can sell this 5S in September.

EDIT: Just an additional thought, I wonder how the manufacturers of these cheap replacement screens will handle the force touch feature in the 6S and 6S Plus. I have been repairing Apple devices for a while and the trend has always been that the off brand replacement screens always get cheaper and more reliable as the device getting repaired ages. While I expect this to happen with parts for the 6 and 6 Plus, the new force touch feature in the current line of iPhones makes me think that this trend may not continue...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
Good to know. Well, I got lucky and got apple to replace my phone for free. But I still want to get one of these cheap screens as a backup.
 
ive tried one before and it cracked trying to install it. cracked insanely easy... most definitely far lower quality than the screen apple uses. tried a 60 dollar one with the entire assembly and it came without a tiny piece of plastic that makes the front camera work properly (the seller wouldnt refund me unless i sent it back first, but i just kept it on and sold it to an ecoATM)
 
Another reason not to buy a used iPhone. People putting in inferior parts just to unload em on other people. Then when new owner takes it in to Apple for any reason, Apple won't touch it. Even paying for repair won't work as once non Apple parts are on the phone it basically becomes a doorstop.
 
  • Like
Reactions: willmtaylor
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back