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Released September 21, 2018. Models: A1921, A2101, A2102, and A2104 / Available as GSM or CDMA / eSIM or nano-SIM / 64, 256, or 512 GB / Silver, Gold, or Space Gray (Pronounced "iPhone 10 S Max.")

Repair display after water damage

So I got myself an XS Max some time ago, and around July last year it took a hit by water. On initial symptoms, the screen just started flickering and it became completely unresponsive, had to let it die out (battery drain). I left it the way it was after that for like 2 months, and tried to get a repair/replacement through an Apple Store. Funny enough, I got the chinese model (originally from Singapore), and they told me they could not replace it since it’s from China (first time ever hearing something like this). So I left it lying around for 2 months and then just tried charging it up and using it again, since I wouldn’t get any help anyway.

Surprisingly enough, it charged and started up fine, the only damage I could make out was broken FaceID, the mute toggle not working and a 1px vertical pink line. The phone was working fine (this was around August 19). A week ago, the screen went black entirely and wouldn’t work again, probably dead for good. Everything else still works 100% and even the digitizer still does, so I was able to use QuickPlay to make some data recovery. I opened up the phone and tried cleaning the inside and applying alcohol to remove corrosion, display still unfixed.

tl;dr:

The display is broken after water damage, although it functioned for some time after the initial damage. Now the question is, is only the display broken or did something else (maybe onboard) cause the display issue? Should I replace the display or is the phone too unstable (other damages: FaceID, mute toggle dead, display had 1px pink line) after it aged almost a year after water damage and was used without being cleaned before for half a year?

Replacement parts would cost me around 400€ to get them, is it worth the investment on a water damaged 1 1/2 year old phone? (Alternative would be a new/other one)

I can also provide pictures of the inside if someone wants to look at it.

Answer this question I have this problem too

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Liquid damage needs to be addressed immediately. By not doing so, you may have caused a whole lot of other problems to arise. I would consult with a board repair specialist that way they can examine what’s wrong with it.

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4 Comments:

Well, I was trying to address it by getting the device fixed or replaced through Apple, which they said was impossible unless I were to deal with it with Apple in China. So, it was left "unfixed. I looked at the inside though and it seems like there was little to nothing in terms of damage, like no burn marks, corrosion, etc. And it did work all this time wit no problem.

I doubt it's financially worth to get it looked at and possibly repaired at the logic board and chip level. It'd make more sense buying a new one (like the SE).

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@rubine a lot of manufacturers say a lot of repairs are "impossible" to repair because they make more money selling you a new device. If it has managed to survive for this long it may not be a bad idea to have it looked at by a board specialist like STS Telecom or iPad Rehab.

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Well this is more of a question about life span. Even if there is a repairable issue (which I doubt there is, it's probably a dead screen), if it will die again or reach it's death soon, then it's not worth the investment. Also, I'm not from the states so I might not have the same possibilities as you. But thanks for the recommendations.

Any idea how I might be able to check if it's a backlight issue?

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@rubine you could try another screen but typically with backlight issues there is no or partial back light. That green flickering is a telltale sign that the OLED panel has been damaged. Also there are repair specialists here in the states that do accept mail in repairs. iPad Rehab is one of them and they have a youtube channel you can check out.

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