Glossary → Screen & Display Terms
What Is a Dead Pixel?
A pixel permanently stuck black or white on your phone’s display.
Definition: A dead pixel is a pixel on the display that no longer functions — appearing as a permanent black dot (truly dead) or a bright stuck dot of red, green, or blue (a “stuck” pixel). Unlike software glitches, dead pixels are physical hardware failures that cannot be fixed through settings or apps.
When to be concerned
A single dead pixel in the corner of the screen is cosmetic — many people live with it. A cluster of dead pixels, a dark patch spreading from a crack, or dead pixels appearing after a drop all indicate a failing panel that will worsen. On OLED screens, a thin dark vertical line usually means the panel’s internal driver has been damaged — this always spreads and requires replacement before it reaches the centre of the screen.
Dead pixel vs burn-in
Dead pixels are dark or stuck bright. Burn-in shows a faint ghost image of a previous UI element (navigation bar, keyboard). Both are irreversible — both require a screen replacement to fix. Dead pixels can appear on LCD or OLED; burn-in only occurs on OLED and AMOLED.
Related terms
→ Screen Burn-In — permanent ghost images, different from dead pixels
→ OLED — dark lines on OLED indicate panel driver damage
→ LCD — dead pixels and white blotches are common LCD faults
→ Ghost Touch — a different kind of display fault, affecting touch not display
Dead pixels or dark patches on screen?
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