iPhone Screen Types Compared: Original, Soft OLED, Hard OLED and Incell
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Search for a replacement iPhone screen and you get four answers at four very different prices: Original, Soft OLED, Hard OLED and Incell. The listings rarely explain the difference, and the difference is the whole decision. This page explains what each one actually is, and shows which types exist for every iPhone from the X to the 17 Pro Max.
The four panel types
Original
A genuine Apple panel, usually harvested from a donor device and re-laminated onto a new frame and glass. Colour, brightness, viewing angles and True Tone behave exactly like the screen that left the factory, because it is that screen. The most expensive option by a wide margin, and supply depends on donor availability rather than production, so it comes and goes.
Soft OLED
An aftermarket OLED on a flexible plastic substrate, the same construction Apple uses. It bends slightly, which matters more than it sounds: the display flex folds back under the panel, and a rigid panel has to route that fold differently. Soft OLED matches the original geometry, the curved edges sit correctly, and viewing angles hold up. The closest thing to original without paying for original.
Hard OLED
An aftermarket OLED on a rigid glass substrate. The picture quality is good and the blacks are true blacks, but the panel does not flex. On models with curved or rounded display edges the fit is marginally different, and the assembly is slightly thicker. Noticeably cheaper than Soft OLED and a sensible middle choice on flat-edged models.
Incell LCD
Not an OLED at all. An LCD with the touch layer built into the panel, sold as the budget replacement for phones that shipped with OLED. It is bright, it is durable, and it survives drops better than OLED. What you lose: blacks are dark grey rather than black, so the always-on display and dark mode look washed out, and the phone will report a non-genuine display. For a cheap repair on an older phone, or a customer who wants the lowest price, it does the job honestly.
What you lose with any non-original panel
- True Tone stops working unless the original display chip is transferred from the old panel with a programmer.
- The phone shows a non-genuine part notice in Settings, and on some models a message on the lock screen for a few days after the repair.
- Face ID is unaffected — it lives on the sensor flex, which you transfer from the old assembly. Damage that flex and Face ID is gone permanently, whatever screen you fit.
None of this is a defect of the part. It is Apple pairing the panel to the logic board, and it applies to every aftermarket screen on the market.
Which types exist for each model
Availability is not the same across the range. Older models tend to have Original and Incell but no aftermarket OLED; the newest models have the full ladder. This table lists what currently exists for each model.
| Model | Original | Soft OLED | Hard OLED | OLED* | OEM | Incell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone X | Yes | — | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone XR | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone XS | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone XS Max | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 11 | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 11 Pro | Yes | — | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 12 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 12 mini | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Pro | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 13 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 13 mini | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 14 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 14 Plus | — | Yes | — | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 14 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 15 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 15 Plus | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 15 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 16 | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 16 Plus | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 16 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone 16e | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| iPhone 17 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 17 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
* OLED listed without the panel substrate specified. Treat it as aftermarket OLED and check the individual listing.
Availability changes as stock moves. The table reflects what was in the catalogue when this page was written; the collection pages always show what is in stock right now.
How to choose, in one paragraph
If the phone is a daily driver the owner intends to keep, and the budget allows it, fit Original or Soft OLED. If the phone is older, or the repair has to come in under a price, Incell is an honest choice as long as the customer is told that blacks will look grey. Hard OLED sits in between and makes most sense on flat-edged models. The one combination to avoid is a cheap panel on a phone whose owner expects the screen to look untouched — the complaint arrives later, and it costs more than the panel saved.
Finding the part
All replacement panels are in iPhone Displays. If you are doing the swap yourself, our step-by-step screen replacement guide covers the tools, the procedure and the mistakes that cost people a logic board. Drivers, picks, heat mats and display programmers are in Repair Tools, and since the battery comes out in the same opening, it is worth checking Batteries at the same time.