Comparisons · Definitions of LCD pixel defects (bright dot, dark dot, foreign-matter dot) and the terms of maker-provided zero-bright-dot warranties: eligible models, period, exclusions and remedy

Is a dead pixel covered? Bright dots, dark dots and zero-bright-dot warranties, checked before you buy

A dead-pixel question looks like a fault report but is really a purchasing question: whether you have a remedy was fixed by warranty terms you could have read before ordering. EIZO defines pixel defects in three kinds - bright dot, dark dot and a whitish dot caused by contamination - and states that a small number of defects within its own standard are judged good units and are neither faults nor initial-failure items. A separate zero-bright-dot warranty then applies, conditional on purchase date, on there being no bright dot at all, and on the model being listed. I-O DATA runs a warranty of the same name, but its window is one month from purchase rather than six, and the remedy is exchanging the unit rather than replacing the panel. "This brand has a zero-bright-dot warranty" is therefore not a safe thing to rely on. This guide gives the test that identifies your own defect and five checks that work on any maker's page.

Published 2026-09-20 · Updated 2026-09-20 · FaultNote editorial policy

An overview of this guide’s steps and checks, not a screenshot of the app.

Who this guide is for and what to prepare

Readers who have found a permanently lit or permanently dark dot on a new monitor
Readers who want to know precisely what a "dead pixel guarantee" or "zero bright dot" label means
Readers who want to check the pixel terms before placing a monitor order

What you need

Wipe the screen with a soft dry cloth so that droplets and dirt are not mistaken for a defect
Have a full-black image and a full-white image ready to display full screen
Keep the receipt showing the purchase date, and the monitor's exact model number, to hand

1. First, identify which kind of defect you have

Pixel defects are not one thing. EIZO's FAQ divides them into three kinds and, unusually, attaches to each one the background against which it is visible. That detail is what lets a reader classify their own symptom without help.

The procedure is short. Display a full-black image full screen: a dot that is permanently lit is a bright dot. Display a full-white image full screen: a dot that appears as anything other than white is a dark dot. A whitish dot or line falls into the third category. Clean the screen first; I-O DATA's page likewise warns that droplets and dirt can look like a bright dot and asks readers to wipe the panel with a soft dry cloth before checking.

The classification matters because, in practice, only bright dots attract a remedy. EIZO states plainly that dark dots within its standard are judged good units across all its products. A dot that never lights is therefore not something to expect an exchange for, whichever model you chose.

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1. First, identify which kind of defect you have
Kind	Definition (as EIZO states it)	Background that reveals it	How warranties treat it
Bright dot	A defect in which one of the red, green or blue sub-pixels is permanently lit	Visible on black; not visible on white	On an eligible model, a zero-bright-dot warranty may provide a remedy if the conditions are met
Dark dot	A defect in which one of the red, green or blue sub-pixels never lights	Visible on white; not visible on black	Dark dots within the maker's standard are stated to be good units across all products
Whitish dot from contamination	A whitish dot or line caused by foreign matter or a torn colour filter or chrome mask	Whitish regardless of background	Inspection at the maintenance centre is offered on request, but a unit judged within standard is returned as is

2. The premise: within standard means a good unit

This is the part readers find hardest to accept. EIZO's FAQ says that LCD panels are made with extremely precise technology but that malfunctioning pixels can occur; that producing panels entirely free of pixel defects is difficult with current manufacturing technology; and that under its own standard a small number of pixel defects are judged good units and are neither faults nor initial-failure items.

In the maker's framing, a monitor with a few pixel defects is therefore not a defective unit. Arguing from "this is an initial failure, so you have to exchange it" starts from a premise the maker does not share. If there is a remedy, it comes from a separate warranty scheme rather than from a fault claim.

How many defects that standard actually tolerates is not published as a number on either of the two pages read here. This guide will not invent a threshold to fill the gap. "The limit is not published" is the observation.

3. Two real policies of the same name, side by side

A zero-bright-dot warranty is not an industry standard; it is a scheme each maker defines for itself. Identical names cover different terms. The table below sets out what EIZO and I-O DATA publish on their own pages, both read 2026-09-20.

The decisive difference is the window. EIZO's terms apply to products purchased on or after 1 September 2015 and provide a free LCD panel replacement, after EIZO confirms the defect, within six months of purchase. I-O DATA exchanges an eligible product if even one bright dot is found within one month of the purchase date. Six months and one month are very different amounts of time in which to notice.

The remedy differs too: EIZO replaces the LCD panel, while I-O DATA exchanges the product, by send-back with the carriage borne by I-O DATA. Both require that no bright dot be present, which reads as meaning that a single bright dot triggers the remedy.

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3. Two real policies of the same name, side by side
Item	EIZO zero-bright-dot warranty	I-O DATA zero-bright-dot warranty
Period	Six months from the date of purchase	Within one month of the purchase date
Bright-dot count condition	There must be none	Exchange if even one bright dot is confirmed
Definition of a bright dot	A red, blue or green sub-pixel permanently lit when a black background is displayed. The warranty covers a bright dot in which one whole sub-pixel is lit	A red, green or blue sub-pixel that is permanently lit. The warranty covers a bright dot in which one sub-pixel is lit
Remedy	Free LCD panel replacement after the maker confirms the defect	Exchange after confirmation, by send-back with carriage borne by the maker
Eligibility	Eligible models purchased on or after 1 September 2015: named FlexScan models plus later IPS-panel FlexScan EV series (excluding EV4340X) and FlexScan FLT, all ColorEdge and all FORIS	Products on the published eligible-product list (models using the maker's premium panel)
Examples of exclusions	Part of a sub-pixel lit dimly; a sub-pixel not lit at all; something lit because of foreign matter; anything appearing non-white against a white background (a dark dot)	Part of a sub-pixel lit; a sub-pixel not lit at all; anything appearing non-white against a white background

4. The exclusions arrive as "it looks lit, but it is not covered"

Both makers state explicitly that not everything which appears lit qualifies. EIZO lists four exclusions even for dots that look lit: part of a sub-pixel lit dimly, a sub-pixel not lit at all, something lit because of foreign matter, and anything appearing non-white against a white background, which is a dark dot.

I-O DATA lists three in the same spirit: part of a sub-pixel lit, a sub-pixel not lit at all, and anything appearing non-white against a white background. Note also that the vocabulary differs between makers for the dark-dot case, so matching terms across two brands' pages is itself a small task.

The practical consequence is that the dividing line is whether one whole sub-pixel is permanently lit. A faint glow, or a partly lit sub-pixel, can fall on the excluded side. You may not be able to judge that confidently yourself, so if your dot looks marginal, describe it with the model number to the maker's support desk rather than guessing.

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4. The exclusions arrive as "it looks lit, but it is not covered"
What you see	EIZO's treatment	I-O DATA's treatment
One whole sub-pixel permanently lit	Covered by the zero-bright-dot warranty	Covered by the zero-bright-dot warranty
Only part of a sub-pixel lit	Excluded (part of a sub-pixel lit dimly)	Excluded
The sub-pixel does not light at all	Excluded	Excluded
It appears lit because of foreign matter	Excluded	Not addressed (this maker's page has no equivalent category)
Appears non-white against a white background	Excluded (a dark dot)	Excluded

5. Five checks that work on any maker's page

The two sets of terms read here do not transfer to other brands. Applying EIZO's six months to an I-O DATA product would be five months wrong, and the reverse would be wrong the other way. What does transfer is the shape of the terms, and the five checks below can be run in the same order on anyone's page.

Do not skip the third. EIZO's eligibility text takes the form of a rule with an individual exclusion embedded inside it: FlexScan EV models with an IPS panel and an on-sale date of 1 September 2015 or later, with EV4340X excluded by name. Remembering the policy at brand level is exactly how a buyer ends up with the excluded model.

Running these five before ordering is the most useful thing this guide offers. The shorter the window, the more the time between delivery and your first look matters. Making a habit of displaying full black and full white the day a monitor arrives keeps you inside the period.

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5. Five checks that work on any maker's page
Check	What to look for	What goes wrong if you skip it
1. Is there a pixel-defect definition at all?	How this maker defines bright dots, dark dots and so on	You cannot tell which category your own symptom falls into
2. Is there a warranty separate from the ordinary product warranty?	Whether a pixel-specific scheme exists at all	You read only the product warranty and assume being in period is enough
3. Is your exact model on the eligible list?	The model list, and any individual exclusion inside a rule	You remember the policy at brand level and buy the excluded model
4. How long is the window?	Days from the purchase date. It is often shorter than the product warranty	By the time you notice, the window has closed
5. Does your defect hit an exclusion?	Partial lighting, no lighting, foreign matter, non-white on white	You ship the monitor and it is judged out of scope

6. Before you ship it, and what this guide does not cover

For the contamination-type dot, EIZO offers inspection at its maintenance centre on request, and states in the same breath that a unit judged within its standard is returned as is. The realistic outcome therefore includes packing the monitor, sending it away, and getting the same monitor back unchanged. Factor that in before spending the effort.

Retailer return policies are outside this guide. Whether a shop accepts a return is the shop's rule rather than the maker's warranty, and no retailer page was read here. For the same reason, this guide does not evaluate the paid dead-pixel cover offered at some points of sale.

Nor does it quote ISO pixel-fault class numbers. No ISO document was opened in preparing this article, and it will not assert "N defects are within standard" on the strength of second-hand summaries. Burn-in on an OLED panel is a different phenomenon from a pixel defect; see this site's guide to OLED monitors for that.

Limitations and requirements

Pressing, rubbing or heating the panel, and so-called pixel-fixing software, are supported by none of the sources read here. Pressing on a panel can damage it.
Makers do not treat within-standard pixel defects as initial failures. EIZO states this explicitly. Starting a conversation from the opposite premise wastes everyone's time.
The terms quoted here are EIZO's and I-O DATA's, from their Japanese-market pages. They cannot be applied to other brands, and they are not statements about those makers' policies in other countries.
How many defects the maker's own standard tolerates is not published as a number on either page read. Do not reason from an assumed threshold.

Frequently asked questions

There is one dot. Can I have it exchanged as an initial failure?

In the maker's framing, a pixel defect within its standard is not an initial failure; EIZO says so explicitly. If there is a remedy it comes from a separate scheme such as a zero-bright-dot warranty. Check whether your dot is a bright dot by displaying a black background, then whether your model is on the eligible list, then whether you are inside the period.

Is a zero-bright-dot warranty the same from every maker?

No. On the window alone, EIZO gives six months from purchase and I-O DATA one month. The remedies differ as well: an LCD panel replacement in the first case, an exchange of the product in the second. Each maker also defines its own list of eligible models. Read the terms rather than the name.

Is a dot that never lights covered?

EIZO states that dark dots within its standard are good units across all its products. I-O DATA lists anything appearing non-white against a white background among its exclusions. For both makers read here, then, a dark dot falls outside the zero-bright-dot warranty.

What should I check before ordering?

Five things: whether the maker publishes a pixel-defect definition, whether a pixel-specific warranty exists separately from the product warranty, whether your exact model is on its eligible list, how many days the window runs from purchase, and whether your likely defect hits an exclusion. Do not skip the model check - eligibility rules can carry an individual exclusion inside them.

Sources and verification date

Sources checked: 2026-09-20. These sources support the specifications, procedures or prices discussed here. Check each source for applicable conditions and current information.

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