How to test a broken iPhone screen before selling
By Fixera
Test each broken iPhone screen in this order before you sell it: power it, look at the image, run touch across the whole surface, check True Tone and auto-brightness, then hunt for lines, shadows and burn-in. Sort the panel by fault, not by how bad the glass looks, and pull the rejects out first so they never dilute a graded batch. Fixera, the trade name of Fonora OU in Tartu, Estonia, buys broken original iPhone and Samsung Galaxy screens and grades every unit on arrival, so a shop that grades its own stock first knows the number it should get back.
Why bother testing a screen you already know is broken?
Because "broken" is not one thing, and the fault decides the price. A cracked front glass over a clean original OLED panel is a relaminate candidate and sits at the top of the ladder. The same model with a green line still shows an image and takes touch, so it pays, but far less. A panel with dead touch is a reject, outside the ladder entirely. If you ship all three in one bag labelled "broken", you have no idea what the batch is worth, and you cannot check the grading report against your own count. Testing first turns a guess into a number you can hold.
It also catches the units that should never go in a buyback batch at all. Aftermarket or copy panels, already-reglassed panels, and dead panels get rejected on arrival, so finding them yourself saves the shipping weight and keeps your accepted rate clean.
Do you grade the crack or the panel?
Grade the panel, not the crack. Cracked front glass is cosmetic and expected on a buyback screen. What sets the price is the panel underneath: does it show a full, even image, and does touch work across the whole surface. A spidered front glass over a clean original OLED display is worth real money because the glass and OCA can be relaminated. A pristine-looking screen with a green line down it is worth little because the fault lives in the panel and cannot be refurbished away. Look past the glass every time.
What do you check, and in what order?
Run the same five checks on every unit, in this order, and note where it fails first. The first hard failure sets the grade.
| Step | What you check | What a pass looks like | What drops the grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Power and image | Panel lights and shows a full picture | Even brightness, full frame, no dead zones | Black areas, half-lit panel, no image at all |
| 2. Touch | Drag across the whole surface in Notes or a test app | Touch registers edge to edge | Dead zones, phantom touches, no response |
| 3. True Tone and auto-brightness | Toggle in Settings, cover the sensor | Both respond | Missing toggle, no response |
| 4. Lines and shadows | White and solid-colour test images | Clean field | Green or pink line, corner shadow, pressure mark |
| 5. Burn-in | Grey and single-colour full-screen | No ghost image | Retained keyboard or status bar outline |
You do not need lab gear for this. A charged battery board or a working host device, a set of solid-colour test images, and Notes for a touch drag will grade most panels on a bench in under a minute each.
How do you tell a reject from a low grade?
A low grade still shows a full image and takes touch across the surface; a reject fails one of those two. That is the line. A lined panel, a corner shadow, mild burn-in, heavy front-glass damage: these still pay, because the display works. Dead image, dead touch, and phantom (ghost) touch do not pay, because the panel cannot be refurbished into a working display.
Two more categories are rejects no matter how good they look:
- Aftermarket or copy panels. Soft OLED, hard OLED and incell copies are not original panels and are not bought back. A wider bezel, a slightly off colour, or a missing genuine-part note in Settings > General > About > Parts and Service History is a tell.
- Already reglassed panels. A panel that has had its glass changed once cannot be relaminated again to buyback standard. Old OCA residue at the edges and a bezel that sits slightly proud are the giveaways.
Pull both out before you pack. They are the two most common reasons a self-graded batch and the arrival report disagree.
How do the grades line up once you have tested?
Grades run A to E, and every one of A to E still shows a full image and takes touch across the surface. The cleaner the panel and the more the fault is limited to the glass, the higher it lands. Here is the shape, so your own sort matches how the batch will be graded on arrival.
| Grade | Panel condition | Typical fault |
|---|---|---|
| A | Clean original panel, glass only | Cracked front glass, perfect display |
| B | Clean panel, heavier glass damage | Deep cracks, image and touch fine |
| C | Minor panel mark | Faint spot or light pressure mark, full function |
| D | Visible panel flaw | Small shadow or early retention, still works |
| E | Working but flawed panel | Green or pink line, still shows image and touch |
Anything below E, dead image or dead touch, is a reject, not grade F. There is no F. If you are not sure where a unit sits, grade it honestly to the worse side and let the arrival test confirm it. Every panel is graded on arrival with a report on each unit and a dispute route before any money moves, so an honest self-grade and the report should line up unit for unit.
What is the payoff for grading before you ship?
You get a number you can check, and a faster payout. When you know your own A-to-E split, you can pull the live figure per model at instant quote, locked for 14 days, and match it against the grading report when the batch arrives. Panels are tested on arrival, the payout is processed the same business day the batch is graded, and every unit is covered by the 90-day warranty on the sell side. Grading first is not busywork. It is how you turn a bag of cracked glass into a batch you can price, ship, and reconcile.
FAQ
Do I need to remove the panel from the phone to test it?
No. Test it however you can get an image on it. If the screen is still in the device and the phone powers, run all five checks in place. If it is already pulled, use a working host board or test rig. What matters is that you see the image and drag touch across the whole surface before you grade it.
A screen shows a faint line but still works. Is it a reject?
No. A green, pink or white line that still shows a full image and takes touch is grade E territory, and grade E still pays. A reject is a panel with no image, no touch, or phantom touch. When in doubt, grade to the worse side and let the arrival test settle it.
How do I spot an already-reglassed panel?
Look for OCA residue at the edges, a bezel that sits slightly proud of the frame, and any sign the glass has been off before. A panel that has already had its glass changed cannot be relaminated again to buyback standard, so it is a reject. Pulling it before you pack keeps your accepted rate clean.
Does True Tone need to work for a screen to sell?
No, a missing True Tone toggle does not make a panel a reject on its own. It is one input into the grade, alongside image, touch, lines and burn-in. Note it during testing so your self-grade matches the arrival report.
What happens if my grade and the arrival report disagree?
Every batch gets a report on each unit and a dispute route before any money moves. If your self-grade and the report differ on a unit, you raise it there. Grading your own stock first is what gives you the count to check against.
Where does Fixera fit for EU repair shops?
Fixera, the trade name of Fonora OU in Tartu, Estonia, buys broken original iPhone and Samsung Galaxy screens with grading published fault by fault, a report on each unit, the payout processed the same business day the batch is graded, and a 14-day price lock on every quote. Grade your own stock first, then get the guaranteed figure for your models at instant quote before you pack. For how the ladder works fault by fault, read iPhone screen grades explained for sellers.
Sell us your broken screens
Original panels that still show an image are worth money, cracked glass and all. Prepaid EU label for new business clients or €200+ buybacks, graded and reported, paid fast.