Burn-in — faint permanent ghosting of icons or the status bar — is common on older OLED phones and a frequent customer complaint. Here’s how to diagnose it and quote the fix.
What burn-in is (and isn’t)
OLED/AMOLED pixels age unevenly; static elements like the navigation bar “burn” a permanent shadow. That’s different from temporary image retention, which fades. If a full-screen color test still shows ghosting, it’s true burn-in.
How to diagnose
Run solid red, green, blue, and grey full-screen images. Burn-in shows as persistent patterns in the same spot regardless of content. Retention will clear after a few minutes of varied content.
The only real fix: replace the display
Burn-in is physical pixel wear — no software fixes it. The repair is a screen replacement. For flagship phones, fit a premium OLED assembly for color accuracy; see the guide on service pack vs aftermarket OLED and our iPhone screen buying guide.
Order by model
Match the exact model — for example Galaxy S22, Galaxy S21, or iPhone 13. Browse everything on the Repair Parts by Model index.
