SIMCEL ONLINE

You ask three shops to replace your screen and get three very different prices. One says GHC 400, another GHC 900, another GHC 1,500. Often, they are not quoting the same part. Here is what you need to know about screen grades before you pay.

The main screen types

• Original (genuine): made by the phone’s manufacturer or its supplier. Best colours, brightness, touch and battery efficiency. Most expensive.
• Refurbished original: an original display with new glass fitted. Good quality if done well, and cheaper than brand new.
• Soft OLED (aftermarket): a flexible OLED close to the original. Good colours and true blacks.
• Hard OLED (aftermarket): cheaper OLED, slightly thicker and less sharp, but still decent.
• Incell / LCD (copy): the cheapest. Duller colours, thicker, uses more battery, and on phones that originally had OLED, the in-display fingerprint usually stops working.

How to tell what you are getting

• Black test: show a fully black image in a dark room. OLED looks truly black; LCD glows grey.
• Angle test: tilt the phone. Cheap screens change colour or brightness at angles.
• Fingerprint test: if your phone had an in-screen fingerprint, test it before paying.
• Thickness and fit: copy screens may sit higher than the frame.
• Touch test: type quickly across the whole keyboard and drag icons to every corner.

Which one should you choose?

• Flagships and phones you plan to keep: original or soft OLED.
• Mid-range phones: a good OLED or high-grade compatible screen.
• Old or budget phones: incell/LCD can make sense if money is tight, as long as you know what you are getting.

Always ask the shop to write the screen grade on your receipt, along with the warranty. For deeper detail, see LCD vs OLED replacement screens and our screen repair price guide.

Phones with beautiful original AMOLED screens, from Simcel

• Samsung Galaxy A17 5G: 6.7″ FHD+ 90Hz Super AMOLED.
• Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G: 6.78″ 144Hz curved AMOLED.
• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB): 6.9″ QHD+ 120Hz with the world’s first built-in Privacy Display.