Glossary → Screen & Display Terms
What Is LCD?
Liquid Crystal Display — the display technology in older iPhones and most mid-range Android phones.
Definition: LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) uses a separate backlight to illuminate the screen, with liquid crystals controlling which pixels light up. Unlike OLED, LCD pixels cannot switch fully off — black areas appear as dark grey because the backlight is always on.
Which phones use LCD
iPhones up to and including the iPhone 11 use LCD (Apple calls it “Liquid Retina”). The iPhone X introduced OLED — so iPhone XS and above are all OLED. Most mid-range Android phones still use LCD — Samsung Galaxy A13, A14, Oppo A series, and most budget models. All standard iPads (non-Pro) use LCD. LCD repairs are generally 30–50% cheaper than equivalent OLED repairs.
Common LCD faults
Backlight failure: Screen appears completely black but you can faintly see content with a torch shining on it. The display panel is fine — the backlight circuit has failed. Requires logic board repair.
White spots or blotches: Pressure damage to the LCD layer creates permanent white or coloured patches — panel replacement required.
Lines on screen: Vertical or horizontal coloured lines indicate a damaged LCD panel or a failed connection to the flex cable.
Related terms
→ OLED — the premium alternative to LCD in flagship phones
→ Digitiser — the touch layer above the LCD panel
→ Dead Pixel — stuck pixels also occur on LCD displays
→ Flex Cable — connects the LCD panel to the logic board
LCD screen cracked or not displaying?
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