Incell vs Soft OLED vs Hard OLED: iPhone Screen Grades Compared
13 November 2026 · LightspeedTools team
Short answer: Soft OLED is the closest aftermarket screen to the original: thin, true blacks and the full refresh rate. Hard OLED keeps OLED colours at a lower price but is thicker and a little dimmer. Incell is the cheapest option: an LCD with touch built in, so it is thicker, can't show true black and uses more battery. Pick by the customer's budget and how close to original they expect the phone to feel.
Below we compare the three grades side by side, explain what is physically different inside each panel, and say which one we would fit on which iPhone. If you repair phones for customers, the last section has wording you can use at the counter.
Incell vs Soft OLED vs Hard OLED at a glance
| Incell | Hard OLED | Soft OLED | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel type | LCD with touch built into the cell, plus a backlight | OLED on a rigid glass base | OLED on a flexible base, like the original |
| Blacks and contrast | Grey-ish blacks (backlight always on) | True black | True black |
| Thickness | Thickest | Slightly thicker than original | Closest to original |
| Brightness | Good indoors | A little lower than soft OLED | Highest of the three |
| Battery use | Highest | Low | Low |
| Refresh rate on Pro models | Usually 60 Hz | Check the listing | Up to 120 Hz where the phone supports it (check the listing) |
| Price | Lowest | Middle | Highest of the three |
| Our warranty | 3 months | 6 months | 12 months |
| Best for | Budget repairs, older phones | Mid-price repairs on OLED iPhones | Customers who want it to feel original |
Our product titles state the grade and, where it matters, the refresh rate (for example "Soft OLED, 120 Hz"), so you know exactly what you are getting before you order.
What is actually different inside the panel
Incell: an LCD with the touch layer built in
An Incell screen is an LCD. "In-cell" means the touch sensor is built into the LCD cell itself instead of sitting on a separate layer, which keeps the price down. Because it is an LCD, it needs a backlight behind the pixels. That has three effects you can see and feel:
- It is thicker. The backlight adds layers that an OLED panel doesn't need, so on an iPhone that originally had OLED the screen can sit very slightly higher in the frame.
- Black is never fully black. The backlight is always on, so dark images look grey next to an OLED, especially in a dark room.
- It uses more battery. An OLED switches dark pixels off; an LCD lights the whole panel all the time. Customers who mostly use dark mode notice the difference most.
On iPhones that came with an LCD from the factory (iPhone XR, 11 and the SE models), there is no OLED option to compare against: an LCD replacement is the normal choice there.
Hard OLED: OLED colours on a rigid base
A Hard OLED is a real OLED panel, so every pixel lights itself: true blacks, strong contrast and low battery use. The difference from the original is the base the OLED is built on. Original iPhone OLEDs use a flexible base; Hard OLED uses rigid glass. The result is a screen that is a little thicker and a little less bright than the original, at a clearly lower price. For most customers it looks like an OLED, because it is one.
Soft OLED: the closest aftermarket screen to the original
Soft OLED uses a flexible OLED panel, built the same way as the original. It is the thinnest of the three, the brightest, and on Pro models it can run at the phone's full refresh rate. That is why Soft OLED is the grade we suggest when a customer wants the phone to look and feel the way it did before it was dropped, without paying for an original screen.
Which grade for which iPhone
| iPhone | Original screen | Our suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| XR, 11, SE (2nd and 3rd gen) | LCD | LCD / Incell replacement: it matches what the phone came with |
| X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max | OLED | Hard OLED for budget repairs, Soft OLED for the closest-to-original result; Incell only when price is everything |
| 12, 13, 14 and 15 series | OLED | Soft OLED for most customers; Hard OLED as the mid-price option |
| Pro models with 120 Hz (13 Pro and later) | OLED, 120 Hz | Soft OLED listed as 120 Hz if the customer will notice smoothness; otherwise an original-grade screen |
| 16 series and newer | OLED | Original New, Original Refurb or Original Pull while aftermarket options mature |
You can browse every grade for every model on our iPhone screens page, and filter by grade.
What about original screens?
If the customer wants the phone exactly as it left the factory, none of the three aftermarket grades is the answer. We also stock three original grades:
- Original New: a genuine new part, including official service packs. 12-month warranty.
- Original Refurb: a genuine display panel with new glass, frame or polarizer fitted on our refurbishing line in Shenzhen. Original picture quality for less than new. 12-month warranty.
- Original Pull: a genuine screen taken from another device, tested and graded A (like new) or B (light marks). 6-month warranty.
See original pulled screens and the full quality grades explained page.
Will the iPhone show a message after the screen is replaced?
Yes, on recent iPhones. After any screen replacement done outside Apple, including with some genuine screens taken from another phone, Settings shows a notice that the display is an unknown or non-genuine part. The phone keeps working normally. True Tone switches off after the swap, but on supported models it can be restored by copying the original screen's data to the new one with a screen programmer. That works the same whichever grade you fit.
How to explain the choice to a customer
- "I want it like new": an original-grade screen, or Soft OLED if the budget is tighter.
- "Good quality, sensible price": Soft OLED, or Hard OLED on older OLED iPhones.
- "As cheap as possible": Incell, with a clear word that it is thicker, the blacks look greyer and the battery will run down a little faster than before.
Setting expectations before the repair saves most comebacks: customers rarely complain about an Incell they were told about, and often complain about one they weren't.
Questions
Is Soft OLED as good as the original screen?
It is the closest aftermarket option: built on a flexible panel like the original, thin, bright and with true blacks. Side by side with an original you may see small differences in colour and peak brightness. If the customer needs it to be identical, fit an original-grade screen.
Is Hard OLED better than Incell?
For picture quality and battery life, yes: Hard OLED is a real OLED, so it has true blacks and uses less power. Incell is cheaper, thicker, and uses more battery because the backlight is always on.
Does an Incell screen drain the battery?
It uses more power than an OLED, because an LCD lights the whole panel all the time while an OLED switches dark pixels off. How much more depends on brightness and how much dark content the customer uses.
Will Face ID work with an aftermarket screen?
The screen grade doesn't decide it: Face ID's camera and dot projector are not part of the display panel. On many models some sensors sit on the earpiece flex that you move from the old screen to the new one, and Face ID problems after a screen repair usually come from that flex being torn or creased during the transfer. Move it carefully and test Face ID before closing the phone.
Which grade do repair shops buy most?
For OLED iPhones, Soft OLED and Hard OLED are the everyday grades; Incell is kept for price-driven jobs. Most shops stock at least two grades per popular model so they can offer the customer a choice.
Buying in quantity? Wholesale prices unlock once your account has bought $500 of products. Open a wholesale account or use Quick Order to add screens by SKU.