MacBook Flexgate Repair in Singapore

Shadows along the bottom of a MacBook Pro screen. A row of bright patches that looks like stage lights shining up from the bottom edge. Or a backlight that dies every time you open the lid past a certain point. On a 2016 or 2017 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Pro, that's Flexgate, and the fix is a cable rather than a whole new display.

We still check before quoting. Black lines at the bottom of the screen on other MacBooks usually come from somewhere else, and a new cable won't fix a damaged panel. The check is free.

What Is Flexgate on a MacBook Pro?

Flexgate is the name for a worn display backlight cable on 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pros. The cable runs from the logic board, round the hinge and up into the display, and on these machines it wears at the exact spot where it wraps the hinge. Every time the lid opens and closes it rubs a little more. A few years of that and it starts to fail.

The classic fault sits on three models:

• 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, 2016 and 2017 (A1706)
• 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar, 2016 and 2017 (A1708)
• 15-inch MacBook Pro, 2016 and 2017 (A1707)

The A-number is printed in small type on the underside, and About This Mac shows the size and year. Apple ran a display backlight service programme for some 13-inch 2016 models, and its own fix was a whole new display assembly. We replace the cable and leave the working panel where it is.

Why Are There Black Lines at the Bottom of My MacBook Pro Screen?

On a 2016 or 2017 MacBook Pro, black lines or shadows along the bottom of the screen are the first stage of Flexgate. It gets worse in a set order:

1. Stage lights. Uneven bright patches with dark shadows between them along the bottom edge, easiest to see on a dark background. Some people describe it as a black strip. Others notice the bright fans first.
2. Cutting out at an angle. The screen goes dark once the lid opens past a certain point and comes back when you close it a little. The machine keeps running the whole time.
3. No backlight. The cable gives up and the screen stays dark at every angle. Hold a torch close to it and you can still make out the picture.

There's no fixed timeline between stages, so don't plan around the stage-light phase lasting.

Is It Flexgate or a Broken MacBook Screen?

A slow lid test and a torch tell Flexgate apart from a broken panel in about a minute, and an external monitor confirms it.

• Open and close the lid slowly. If the shadows move, or the picture drops out and returns as the angle changes, it's the cable. A damaged panel looks the same at every angle.
• Shine a torch on a dark screen. A faint picture under the torch means the panel works and only the backlight has gone. No picture at all points at the panel or the board.
• Plug in an external monitor. A clean picture there means the logic board and graphics are fine and the fault is up in the lid.

Cracks, ink-like blots or a black spot spreading from one point are panel damage, and that's a MacBook screen replacement instead. We run all three checks before quoting, so nobody pays for a panel when the cable was the problem.

Can a 2018 MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air Get Flexgate?

Rarely. Apple made the backlight cable longer from 2018, so the classic Flexgate wear belongs to the 2016 and 2017 Pros. Our price table lists Flexgate repair for many other MacBooks, Airs included, because a cable running through the hinge can wear or tear on any of them. But a black strip on the screen of a 2019 MacBook Pro or an M1 MacBook Air usually turns out to be something else:

• A damaged panel. M1 MacBook Air screens (A2337) crack from pressure when the lid closes on something small like a pen or earbuds, and the damage often shows up as lines or a black area before any crack is visible.
• The display cable. Horizontal lines on a MacBook Pro screen that flicker or shift as the lid moves usually mean the cable carrying the picture, which is its own repair: MacBook display cable replacement.
• The logic board. Lines that also show on an external monitor point at the board, and MacBook logic board repair is quoted after a free diagnosis.

So on anything other than a 2016 or 2017 Pro, the same symptoms get diagnosed first and quoted for what we actually find.

Why Fix the Cable Instead of Replacing the Display?

Because on a Flexgate machine the panel is normally fine, and a cable repair costs less than a new display assembly. Apple's own fix swapped the whole display. We replace the backlight cable, which is the part that actually wore out.

MacBook Flexgate repair starts from $150 nett, with the price for your exact model in the table above. Put it next to the per-model MacBook screen replacement prices and you'll see why we check first. There's one exception. If the panel is damaged as well, a new cable won't bring back a clean picture, and you'll hear that at the check before any work starts.

Should You Fix Flexgate Early?

If you rely on the machine, yes. The cable wears a little more with every opening, and once the backlight goes completely you're working off an external monitor until it's fixed.

Until then, keep the lid short of the angle where the screen cuts out, since opening it wide pulls the cable across the same worn spot. And back up now while you can still see the screen. Here's how to back up a MacBook before a repair.

How Flexgate Repair Works at Citri Mobile

1. Message us your model or A-number on WhatsApp at +65 9456 6455 and we'll confirm the cable is in stock.
2. Bring it to any branch for the free check (lid, torch and external monitor) so we know it's Flexgate and not the panel or the board.
3. You get a nett price for your model before any work starts.
4. We replace the backlight cable and test the display through the full range of the hinge.
5. The repair carries a warranty of up to 100 days, honoured at any branch.

Once the cable is here, the MacBook is usually back with you the same day. Your files aren't touched: nothing is wiped and nothing is reinstalled.

Related Guides and Repairs

• MacBook screen problems explained: flickering, lines, dark patches and what causes them
• MacBook display cable replacement: for flicker and lines that change with the lid angle
• MacBook screen replacement cost in Singapore: for when the panel itself has to go
• MacBook repair shop: batteries, keyboards, charging ports and logic board work