Why part quality matters more than you think
The quality of the parts used in your repair directly determines how long it lasts and how well your phone works afterwards. A cheap aftermarket screen may look fine on day one and develop dead zones, colour shifting, or backlight bleed within weeks. A poor battery may hit 80% capacity within months and cause the same problems you came in to fix. Asking about part grade before agreeing to a repair is one of the most important questions you can ask.
The parts quality spectrum
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)
What it means: Parts manufactured by the same supplier that makes components for the phone brand — or supplied directly by the brand
Quality: Identical to the original part
Cost: Highest — significantly more expensive than Grade A
Availability: Limited — Apple and Samsung authorised service providers use OEM parts; most independent shops cannot source them directly
Grade A (OEM-equivalent)
What it means: High-quality aftermarket parts from reputable manufacturers that match or come very close to OEM specifications
Quality: Excellent — most users cannot tell the difference from OEM
Cost: Mid-range
Used by: Certified Phone Repair — for all screen and battery repairs
Generic / Aftermarket
What it means: Low-cost parts from unknown manufacturers with no quality guarantee
Quality: Variable — can be acceptable, often poor
Cost: Lowest
Risk: Parts may fail within weeks or months. Cheap battery cells can swell. Generic OLED panels frequently show green tint or burn-in faster than genuine panels.
How to tell what parts a shop is using
Ask directly before agreeing: “What grade are the parts you use?” and “What is the brand or source of the screen/battery?”. A reputable shop will answer clearly. A shop that can’t or won’t tell you is using whatever is cheapest.
⚠️ Red flag: If a repair price seems unusually cheap, ask about part quality first. A $40 screen replacement for an iPhone 14 almost certainly uses generic parts. The screen may work initially but fail quickly — and you’ll pay again for a proper repair.
Does Apple show a warning for non-OEM parts?
Yes — from iPhone 14 onwards, iOS displays a notification in Settings → General → About if a screen, battery, or camera replacement is not an Apple-authorised part. This message does not mean the repair was done incorrectly or that the part is unsafe — it simply means the part is not Apple-supplied. Grade A parts will trigger this notification. This is Apple’s way of differentiating authorised from independent repairs.
The notification does not affect phone function. It appears once and remains in Settings. Many customers are surprised by this message — knowing about it before your repair saves unnecessary concern.
What “60-day warranty” means at Certified Phone Repair
Our 60-day warranty covers the part and the workmanship. If a screen develops a fault unrelated to physical damage within 60 days — dead pixels, touch issues, backlight problems — we repair or replace it at no charge. This warranty is only viable because we use Grade A parts.
Related terms
- OLED vs LCD — screen type and part quality together determine repair price
- Battery Health — battery capacity directly affected by part grade
- Glass Repair vs Full Assembly — assembly quality depends on the parts used
Certified Phone Repair at Westgate and AMK Hub. Free assessment, upfront pricing, 60-day warranty on all parts and labour.
