I recently had to have my phone’s screen replaced, but the repair shop — without bothering to ask me whether I want to have an original or otherwise — installed an aftermarket unbranded replacement.
I thought “OK, fine”, at first. However, I quickly realized that it was not the best choice. Here are some reasons why:
- Low contrast colors: This was the first thing I noticed. The colors on the aftermarket screen had low contrast, which made images and videos look dull. This was especially problematic when I used my phone for viewing pictures and videos, which used to look vibrant on the original screen.
- Color balance issues: The color balance on my aftermarket screen was shifted, which made images look bluish. This is annoying when viewing artistic colorful images.
- Not clear under the sun: The image on the aftermarket screen is not clear enough under the sun, which makes it difficult to use my phone outdoors.
- Limited viewing angles: The aftermarket screen has limited viewing angles, which meant that even looking at the screen while the phone was placed in front of me on the desk was no longer comfortable. The viewing angle was too tight. Colors would shift wildly when the phone is turned, and this makes watching something together with the person sitting next to me very uncomfortable.
- Soft screen: The aftermarket screen is much softer than the original screen, which meant that a slight push could distort the image. It is also too thin to be strong enough to withstand a phone drop without shattering.
- Fingerprints and dirt: The aftermarket screen collects fingerprints and dirt much more easily than the original screen. This makes it difficult to keep it clean and clear.
- Sliding friction: It is harder to slide the finger over the aftermarket screen. This affects the ease of use and the accuracy of sliding objects in programs using a drag-drop move.
- Blurry front camera images: The aftermarket screen caused the front camera to capture blurry selfie images due to dirt and finger prints stuck over the front camera window.
- Stuck touches: This is the most frustrating of them all. If the screen was placed on my cheek for a while, stuck “touches” remained there (it appears as if the screen feels a few fingers are touching some specific spots, standing still). These phantom touches do interfere with the operation of the device afterwards, and much of the system becomes no longer usable after a phone call until forcefully rebooted.
All of these issues eventually added up to a very unpleasant and frustrating experience that pushed me to write this article. Hopefully someone is now a bit wiser to avoid going for the cheap choice.
After this experience I now realize, more than before, that going for the original replacement part is always the wiser option, even if it will be replaced at a regular repair shop (vs the authorized agent). Aiming for the cheap option will end up costing you more in the long run.
I hope this helps!
The above article was only partially generated by a Chat-GPT4 tool, after my instructions that practically included all the details. The translation was done automatically by the same tool. I have amended and added notes to several paragraphs after they were generated.