3rd Party Screen Assembly Replacements - Why We Don't Do This

 

With MacBook screen replacements, we always replace just the screen panel, reusing the original aluminium lid, since this is the most cost effective way of performing this repair, whilst retaining the same functionality and quality from factory. We only offer a full lid replacement if the lid cannot be reused due to distortion which cannot be corrected, and we only offer genuine new or used replacements.

Most repair shops will offer either a genuine new full lid replacement (from Apple direct is the only option) or a 3rd party new full lid assembly. Unfortunately most shops will fit 3rd party new by standard, and are not upfront with the quality/drawbacks of this, with some even misleading customers by claiming the part is genuine.

Non-genuine lid assemblies are available in different grades, at different prices, however a lot of UK resellers stocking these do not specify the grade they are supplying. This means some will be okay quality at best (but by no means are comparable to genuine quality), with others being terrible due to the cheap materials used. We receive a lot of enquiries where a customer has had the whole lid replaced by a repair shop, only for it to fail months, or often weeks later due to the bad build quality.

Overall, we recommend all customers avoid 3rd party lid assemblies, which are often more expensive than just replacing the screen panel, which is by far the best option for a damaged MacBook screen.

Please see below differences between the genuine and 3rd party lid assemblies which can be found among the different grades of 3rd party lid assemblies available on the market.

 

Screen Panel

You may think a screen is a screen, however there are different grades of the brand new screen panels available. The typical grade fitted to 3rd party assemblies is a repaired/refurbished panel, where cables or PCBs have been replaced, the glass/polariser replaced/refurbished, and don’t come with the usual padding for the bottom glass circuitry (with some not having any at all). This means the screen quality usually isn’t the same as original, and normally can result in a higher chance of screen failure, compared to a panel which is brand new and not repaired/refurbished.

Screen Adhesive

A very important part of the assembly process; 3rd party assemblies will typically use non-genuine adhesive to adhere the screen panel to the lid. Using 2016-2020 screens as an example, the genuine tape is gooey and offers a good cushioning between the glass screen panel and the aluminium lid, meaning with pressure, it is not making ‘hard’ contact with the metal. Non-genuine adhesive is normally tissue based adhesive, meaning there is no cushioning between the glass and the aluminium, which is often why these crack a lot easier on the 3rd party assemblies, compared to replacing just the screen panel and using genuine adhesive.

Backlight Sheets

We have never opened a 3rd party assembly which has used genuine backlight sheets. These are responsible for lighting up behind the screen panel, and this means the lighting often has a slightly different tint, meaning colours can appear slightly different through the screen panel.

Backlight LED Strip/Camera/Ambient Light Sensor

Sometimes these may not be as bright compared to the genuine LED strips, meaning the screen doesn’t get as bright as a genuine assembly. These LED strips are usually not as reliable, and can fail (causing no backlight), which doesn’t happen with the genuine parts. The camera is prone to random failure too, being 3rd party, and is sometimes lower quality. The ambient light sensor sometimes doesn’t work as expected, and True Tone may not be working properly on some 3rd party assemblies.

Bottom Glass Strip

Nearly always this will be plastic, or the text on 2016-2020 assemblies (which says MacBook Pro/Air) is a different font/colour, with the text looking a bit different. We always replace this with a genuine glass strip during a screen panel replacement, whether it has a genuine lid or 3rd party lid fitted previously.

Magnets

The lid houses magnets which are responsible for holding the lid closed, when this is closed, lining up with the magnets inside the keyboard assembly. On very cheap 3rd party assemblies, we have seen non-genuine magnets, which are held in with adhesive instead of industrial glue. This means these can come away from the lid over time, pulling the screen away from the lid when the lid is closed, causing screen lifting. This is never an issue on genuine or higher grade 3rd party assemblies.

Hinges

Common for the hinges to fail, either causing slight wobbling or refusing to hold the screen up at all. Sometimes these can snap completely, meaning it will open at 180 degrees. Genuine hinges can develop a slight wobble on older models, however on modern genuine assemblies, this is very rare and the hinges will typically last the lifetime of the device.

Lid Material/Finish

The aluminium lid often feels different or looks a slightly different shade of colour on the 3rd party assemblies. The Apple logo on the lid is also often not embedded, and is slightly raised, or a different material (which often tarnishes with age, unlike the genuine lids).

 

 

Due to the number of quality issues with 3rd party screen assemblies, we do not offer these at all, and will only offer either a screen panel replacement (reusing the genuine or 3rd party lid) or genuine full lid replacement (new/used). If you have a damaged screen on a 3rd party assembly, we are happy to fit a genuine new screen panel (with genuine adhesive and bottom glass strip), however we recommend keeping in mind the above points, since these can affect the quality of the repair compared to us replacing the screen panel on a genuine assembly. 

If it develops issues due to the quality of the assembly (LED strip failing, hinges failing, etc) after we have performed the repair, we cannot cover this under warranty since we have only replaced the screen panel, adhesive and bottom glass strip. This is why we recommend customers research options first, before giving it to a repair shop for a screen replacement, to ensure you are not paying twice for a repair due to the bad build quality of 3rd party assemblies.

Please click here to see the MacBook models we replace the screen panel on, keeping your original aluminium lid, to ensure everything is genuine