There is presented a system and method for detecting mobile device fault conditions, particularly detecting defects in a display or housing of a mobile device. One or more cameras included within the mobile device are used with a reflecting surface in a test fixture to obtain properly aligned and formatted images of the external housing and display of the mobile device, and interactive guidance assists with placement and execution of diagnostics. A remote server conducts further analysis of the captured images, and then defect status may be returned to and displayed upon the mobile device screen.