Although externally and internally the iPhone 8 and 8+ mobile phones are very different to the iPhone 7 and 7+ respectively, the LCDs look very similar. If you have a box full of screens waiting to be sent off for recycling or refurbishing, here is a quick way to identify those screens.
The most obvious way to distinguish the two screens from each other is the material the retaining bracket is made from at the top of the screen. On the iPhone 8 and 8+ LCD, this bracket is made of metal, but on the iPhone 7 and 7+, it is plastic.
However, what if the frame is badly damaged and missing or if- like us- you’re in the refurbishing business and already have LCDs with the glass and frame removed? There is an almost indistinguishable difference between the two display ICs on the flex. The iPhone 7 and 7+ have a circle in the corner and the iPhone 8 and 8+ have a triangle. Also, although we don’t recommend this- due to the risk of damaging the flex- if you look at the underside of the flex, you will notice the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus also have the triangle printed there. By comparison, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus do not have the circle printed on the flex. In addition, the iPhone 8 and 8+ carry the part numbers 821-01306-A and 821-01288-A respectively. The iPhone 7 and 7+ carry the part numbers 821-01057-A and 821-01044-A.
Specific to the 5.5″ displays on the 7+ and 8+, it is also notable that the iPhone 8+ has a heat dissipation sticker at the top left of the frame, whereas the iPhone 7+ doesn’t have any such a sticker. Finally, comparing the two LCD flexes, the 8 Plus’ is completely black where it bonds to the LCD panel. On the 7 Plus we can see a distinctive yellow colour at the bonding point.
The following tables summarise these differences.
| iPhone 8 (4.7″) | iPhone 7 (4.7″) | iPhone 8 (top or left) vs. iPhone 7 (bottom or right) |
|---|---|---|
| Metal retaining brackets at top | Plastic |
|
| Has triangle logo on the IC | Has circle |
|
| Underside of flex has triangle logo | No marking on underside of flex |
|
| Flex partcode 821-01306-A | 821-01057-A |
| iPhone 8 Plus (5.5″) | iPhone 7 Plus (5.5″) | iPhone 8+ (top or left) vs. iPhone 7+ (bottom or right) |
|---|---|---|
| Metal retaining brackets at top (marked in orange) | Plastic retaining brackets (marked in orange) |
|
| Has black heat dissipation sticker at top left (marked in red) | No heat dissipation sticker (marked in red) | |
| Has triangle logo on the IC | Has circle |
|
| Underside of flex has triangle logo | No marking on underside of flex |
|
| Flex partcode 821-01288-A | 821-01044-A | |
| LCD Flex is all black on top side | Has visible yellow on top side where LCD flex bonds to LCD |
|
