Is it possible to repair a phone if the screen is broken? How do you know what to change: module, matrix or touchscreen? We remove the old glass and glue the new one

As we wrote earlier, the main reason why people turn to our service center "Remont48" in Lipetsk for repairs of phones and iPhones is broken glass, broken touchscreen (touch screen), broken screen (no or distorted image).

When the display does not show an image or shows a grid or blots, the picture twitches, everything is clear to both the master and the client - the display needs to be changed. And as a rule, the display is damaged together with the touchscreen (touch glass). Therefore, both the touchscreen and the display have to be changed.

Modern mobile phones have a display module installed. The display module is the gluing of the display (screen) and the touchscreen (touch glass) into a single whole. Moreover, they are glued not along the edges, but over the entire area! Therefore, changing one without the other will not work.

For example, if you dropped your phone and the touch glass (touchscreen) broke, and the display shows an excellent picture, you will still have to change the display module, because it will be difficult to separate the broken touch glass from the display without damaging the latter. The chance of successfully separating the display module is only 50%.

The separation of the display module occurs on a separator, which heats the glue and makes it soft. Using a special string, which is inserted between the display and the touch glass, the adhesive layer is carefully cut off. If the string touches the display, it is damaged. In the picture on the left there is a damaged display (unsuccessful separation), on the right the display remains intact. There is no way to predict the outcome of the separation.

But separating the display module without damaging the display is only half the battle. After separation, the display must be cleaned of any remaining adhesive. After this, you need to glue the display and touch glass over the entire area. Under no circumstances should you leave an air gap between the touch glass and the display, as was done before on older phone models. Here the gap between the sensor and the display is much smaller and the touchscreen will stick to the screen when touched. And the main drawback is that the viewing angle will narrow and the brightness will drop. In sunny weather, you will not see anything at all on this display!

On some phone models, it is possible to replace only the touch glass (touchscreen) separately. These are mostly old or budget phone models.

Modern Samsung phones (A3, A5, A7, J3, J5, J7, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8), iPhones (iPhone 4, 4s, 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6plus, 6s, 6s plus , 7, 7plus, 8, 10) are equipped with protective glass. The sensor of such phones is placed on the display, and the glass performs a protective function. Quite often, even if the glass is severely damaged after a fall or impact, the sensor and display continue to work properly. And in this case, you can try to replace only the glass. But here again, you need to use expensive equipment and high-quality consumables.

Some "craftsmen" can offer replacement glass at an inexpensive cost and will glue the glass with LOCA glue. This type of adhesive has not been used in display production and repair for a long time, but it does not require special equipment to use it. LOCA glue, especially cheap ones, turns yellow over time, bubbles may appear between the glass and the display, the display backlight can be filled with this glue when replacing the glass.

Currently, OCA glue (film) is used to glue glass to a display. To glue glass to a display, you need a laminator and a separator to remove air bubbles between the glass and the display. This is the only way to achieve high-quality gluing without bubbles.

On Samsung EDGE series phones, the sides of the display are rounded, so you cannot separate the glass from the display using a string and a separator. To do this, you need a freezer that cools down to -150 degrees Celsius.

Low temperatures destroy the adhesive and the glass easily separates from the display. Then you need to clean the display from any glue residue and glue the new glass using special equipment.

Replacing only glass on Samsung phones, Apple iPhone, touch glass on modern phones (Xiaomi, Meizu, Lg, Sony Xperia, Asus Zenfone, etc.) is cheaper than replacing the entire display module. But in order to replace glass or a touchscreen efficiently and with a guarantee, expensive equipment and high-quality consumables are required. Not every service center has all this, and if you are offered to replace only the glass or sensor, ask whether there will be a warranty on the work? It must be at least 3 months old. During this time, if the glass was replaced using a homemade method using Loca UV glue, the display module may begin to unstick, turn yellow, air bubbles will appear, and the sensor may fail in some areas or completely.

Currently, our service center is ready to offer replacement of the touch glass (touchscreen) on phones where this is provided or replacement of the display module. We always have original display modules for Samsung phones in stock at our warehouse. They are expensive, but this is factory quality, which guarantees the operation of the display module without any problems. Apple iPhone comes with modules of different quality classes (AAA, REF, Orig, Orig 100%). For other smartphones, display modules are supplied with a quality class of at least AAA or orig.

Before installation, we always check the display module for possible problems in operation, which eliminates the installation of defective spare parts in almost 100% of cases. But some shortcomings in operation may appear after a week or two, so we always provide a guarantee for the installed touchscreen, display or display module.

Currently, there are a huge number of offers to buy a touchscreen, screen, display module in an online store or order from China. After watching the video on replacing the display, you can try to replace it yourself. But if you have no experience at all in this matter, and there are no special tools (screwdrivers, picks, spatula, separator), you can easily damage the cable and the phone’s system board. Also keep in mind that static electricity tends to accumulate on your hands. When you touch the phone's motherboard with your hands, a discharge may occur, the potential of which will be sufficient to damage the microcircuit. This will lead to partial or complete inoperability of the device.

As for spare parts ordered from China, they mostly sell defective spare parts at retail. Think for yourself, who would sell a high-quality display at a low price and even with free shipping?

Our service center purchases spare parts from time-tested suppliers who work directly with factories and purchase a huge batch of touch glasses, displays, and display modules. Due to large volumes of purchases, the price of spare parts for the supplier is low. Our purchase volumes are also not small, so the supplier provides us with a good discount on spare parts. As a result, we are ready to offer you a replacement touch glass, display or display module of high quality at a relatively inexpensive price!

A modern smartphone is a fragile thing, especially its screen. The tempered glass that covers the displays for protection is almost resistant to scratches and light impacts somewhere in the middle. But from landing on a hard surface, and even if the smartphone hits the corner or edge of the screen, it’s easy to break it. Sometimes only the glass cracks, while the display itself continues to show the picture normally, and sometimes the image disappears. In some cases, the sensor remains in working condition, and in others, it stops responding to the finger.

There are several options for damage, and what to do if you break your smartphone screen depends on the type and scale of the damage. Therefore, let’s try to figure out what’s what and draw up a further course of action. It should be noted right away: if certain areas of the display do not work, there is no need to try to make it respond to your fingers by increasing the pressing force. After all, you can cut yourself on a chip or drive small pieces of glass into your skin.

What to do if the screen and sensor are working

If you break the screen of your smartphone, but it continues to show the picture, and the sensor responds to your fingers, there are two options. If the device does not have an air gap between the screen and the sensor, then only the glass is damaged, but the touchscreen remains intact. This design is found in almost all smartphones that cost more than $160-200, for example, in the iPhone. The second option is when there is an air gap. Then the sensor can be considered broken, but only its glass base is damaged, and the invisible sensor layer of conductors remains intact.

In the first case, the problem is eliminated by re-gluing the glass to a new one. You can’t do this on your own, as you need to disassemble the phone and heat it in a special installation to peel off the broken glass from the screen. Not all services carry out this procedure (an experienced specialist is needed here), but if you find a specialist, you can save money. The cost of repairs usually ranges from $15 to $100 (depending on the smartphone, as well as your country and city). The savings can be significant, because the original display for the same iPhone 6 with a replacement service can cost up to $150, and the glass itself can cost only $50. Therefore, if you break the glass on the screen of a new smartphone, but everything works, but the technician still talks about mandatory replacement for about $200 - you can try to find another technician who will only replace the broken glass. True, this is not always possible.

If the display has an air gap (in this case, when you press near a crack, the glass bends), then the sensor will have to be replaced. However, this is already easier; many more craftsmen are capable of doing normal repairs. The cost of replacing a touchscreen for a very popular or budget smartphone is from $10 to $30, plus the cost of labor (for example, in Ukraine - from 150 to 500 UAH, in Russia - from 1000 rubles). But for a rare model (for which spare parts are not mass produced) it may turn out to be twice as expensive.

What to do if you break the screen and it doesn’t work

If you break the screen and after that it either does not show (dark spots or areas filled with multi-colored patterns have appeared) or does not respond to your finger - everything is more complicated. For models without an air gap under the sensor, the entire display assembly will have to be replaced. The price of the issue depends on the model. For example, if you broke your iPhone 5S, you need to prepare to shell out about 30-50 dollars (the original screen is 1.5-2 times more expensive than a copy). On Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 or Meizu M3, the repair costs from 25 to 60 dollars (also depends on whether the spare part is original or a copy), and on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – all 300.

For smartphones with an air gap under the touchscreen (and this is the majority of Chinese-made devices, priced less than $120-130, and some models are more expensive), you can only replace the part that does not work. The price of the issue depends on the quality of the screen that happened to be broken and the complexity of the work. The replacement screen alone will cost between $25 and $50, and the sensor alone will cost slightly less. The popularity of the device also matters: for example, on the GSmart Mika M2, which cost about $100, the price of the assembled screen is about $50, and on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro for $150 – from $20 (excluding the work of the technician).

Due to the wide range of prices in different workshops and service centers, if you break your phone, we recommend that you Google adequate prices before going to the repairman. You can do this simply by requesting something like “replacement/repair/price of screen [your smartphone model].” By comparing the offers of several services, you can determine where they are telling you a really favorable price for services, and where they are just trying to make good money on a girl who is not familiar with the intricacies of electronics repair and who accidentally broke her smartphone.

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Many of us have encountered a situation where one clumsy movement resulted in a crack appearing on the screen of your phone. Luckily, there is a quick and easy way to stop a crack on your phone screen from getting bigger. It is best to use materials for this purpose that you probably have at home, or even among what you carry with you every day, in your bag.

Of course, it is best to avoid falls altogether or use a shockproof bumper case for your phone. This will help you avoid many unpleasant situations with damage to the glass or case of your smartphone. However, what to do if a crack does appear? How to prevent further cracking of the touchscreen?

The magic ingredient to stop small screen cracking is cyanoacrylate. Cyanoacrylate is a fast-acting adhesive that forms strong, transparent bonds with glass and plastics. It can be found in super glue, nail glue, and clear nail polish. Once you find anything from this list, stopping the crack on your phone screen from spreading will be easy:

• Wipe the surface of your smartphone to remove any dust or debris, being careful not to press too hard and make the crack larger
• Apply a small amount of super glue to a toothpick or any other object that has a sharp tip. With a light touch, gently apply it to the crack
• Tilt the phone in different directions to help the glue penetrate deeper into the crack. Then remove excess using paper towel or cloth
• Let the glue dry completely before using the phone again

Fixing a cracked phone screen using cyanoacrylate is not an ideal solution. The method is less effective for significant damage, and the repair is likely to be noticeable even on a small crack. There is also the very real possibility that attempting any home repairs will void your warranty. However, if you're looking for a quick fix, this is a great way to slow down the spread of screen cracks and extend the life of your phone.

Alternatively, you can consider having your screen replaced at a service center. And sometimes it's better to just admit defeat and move on. For many, a cracked screen on an old phone is a clear sign that it's time for something new. You can sell your old phone even if it has a cracked screen. The proceeds will make the purchase of a new smartphone less burdensome for your budget.

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The glass on a mobile phone is one of the most fragile elements. If a mobile device falls on asphalt or rubble, the screen will break in most cases. And even the use of durable types by manufacturers does not help - the displays still break. In this case, you have to buy a new one and also spend money on replacing the glass on your smartphone. However, you can try to carry out this operation yourself.

Theory

Before you start manipulating the software on your smartphone, you need to know what you have to deal with. The main elements here will be:

1. Matrix, which is a liquid crystal panel. It is on this that the image you see is formed. In some phones, the matrix is ​​located under protective glass, while in other models these two elements are one. The matrix is ​​connected to the main board of the smartphone through special cables.
2. Touchscreen. This is a glass panel that breaks when the smartphone is dropped. This is what will have to be changed. If the touchscreen and matrix are one solid element, then if the touchscreen breaks down, the matrix will also have to be replaced. It is expensive.
3. Frame and buttons.
4. Backlight.
5. Loops.

Procedure for replacing glass on a smartphone

When dropped, the touchscreen is always the first to suffer, and then the matrix may also break. In any case, the replacement order will look like this:

1. Disassembling a smartphone.
2. Removing the main module from the housing.
3. Warming up the screen.
4. Separation of the touchscreen from the main module. Sometimes it is removed along with the matrix.
5. Cleaning from glue residues and dust.
6. Applying glue for installing a new touch glass. Irradiation with a lamp for quick drying.
7. Housing assembly.

Instructions

If your phone's matrix and touchscreen are different elements, separate from each other, then you can handle this simple procedure yourself. This will help save money, because the price of replacing glass on a smartphone can cost 1000 rubles, and it only takes 10 minutes.

For work we will need:

1. Shaped screwdrivers.
2. Hair dryer. Preferably an assembly one.
3. Scotch tape or glue.
4. Mediator.
5. Gloves.
6. A plastic card.
7. Spatula.

Some of these accessories come with your new screen.

You need to start with the bolts. Unscrew the bolts using a small shaped screwdriver. Most often, a torx screwdriver is required. Place all the bolts in one place so as not to lose them. A regular matchbox is ideal. Many models have a hidden bolt on the upper left side of the smartphone. It also needs to be unscrewed.

Now we take a pick and with its help we try to remove the smartphone’s case around the perimeter. This tool is ideal for this purpose. Many people try to remove the cover with a screwdriver, but it leaves small dents on the sides, which are immediately visible and even felt when you pick up the phone. Therefore, a pick is an ideal tool for removing a smartphone case.

Pay attention to the side latches. They need to be pressed a little to remove the housing. These latches are fragile and break easily, so be careful when doing so. If you break any of them, the case will not fit as tightly as before.

Now you need to remove the buttons that are on the sides. Take tweezers and carefully remove them without touching any cables. If there is a top on/off button for the smartphone, then it also needs to be removed.

After dismantling the buttons, we move the main board, but we do it very carefully, because under it there is a cable to the touchscreen. You need to disconnect it and connect the cable of the new touch glass. This is necessary to check functionality. After connecting the cable, turn on the smartphone and swipe your finger over the new touchscreen. If it works, then you can begin to completely remove the previous glass.

We remove the old glass and glue the new one

To remove the glass with a hairdryer, you need to warm up the areas where it is attached to the case (usually the touchscreen is attached to the front of the case). Warming up is done at a temperature of 70 degrees for 5-10 minutes. During this time, the mounting adhesive will melt and the touchscreen will easily come off. You can then attach the new sensor to the main part of the phone. At this stage there are 2 options:

1. Remove any remaining old glue. Glue double-sided tape instead and attach the new sensor to it. Note that this is the correct method, but it is more labor-intensive, because it is necessary to remove the old glue, and this is quite difficult.
2. Replace the protective glass on your smartphone using old glue. This can also be done, and the adhesion of the new sensor to the glue will be strong. But first you need to warm up the old glue with a hairdryer after you have torn off the old touchscreen.

Did you glue new glass? Now you need to insert the cable from the sensor into the connector where the cable from the old glass was connected. Then you need to reassemble the phone in the reverse order.

How much does it cost to replace glass on a smartphone?

If you go to workshops, you will have to pay for the screen and the work of the master, which, depending on the workshop and region, can be estimated at 500-1000 rubles. By replacing the glass yourself, you can save money. In this case, it is better to order the sensor through a well-known Chinese website, which will save even more.

If you change the display in the cabin on a new smartphone, the replacement will be very expensive and often amounts to 50% of the cost of the phone itself, and sometimes even more. Therefore, if you have the skills to replace displays and sensors, then sometimes it pays to do it all yourself, even if it takes much more time than in a workshop.

In cases where the sensor and matrix of a smartphone are one unit, replacement will also be expensive, because the matrix itself is an expensive element, and the price of the sensor is cheap. Of course, the image on such displays looks high quality, but if the glass falls and gets damaged, repairs cost a lot of money.

Conclusion

Replacing the glass on a smartphone with your own hands is a simple task that requires experience, nothing more. If you want to learn how to do this, then practice first on an old smartphone that you don’t mind ruining. After one or two procedures, you will learn and can easily make the replacement yourself. True, different models may have their own subtleties, but you will figure it out.

Phones often fall; glass, being the most fragile part, breaks first. It would seem that there is no problem going to replace the glass on your phone, but in practice everything turns out to be not so simple.

Previously, the glass on the phone was replaced separately, and the glass cost a penny. They are still inexpensive, but with the advent of the era of touchscreen phones, the procedure for replacing glass has become significantly more complicated. What is the current price for replacing glass on a phone, taking into account labor?

If you have a touchscreen phone and its glass is broken and requires replacement, then you need to know the following:

Modern touchscreen phones come in two types: those phones in which the sensor is connected to glass, accordingly changing the glass, you change the sensor, and the cost of touchscreen glasses is already much higher, since in addition to the glass itself, there is also a touch panel with a cable that has a connector to the phone's motherboard. Still, replacing the touch glass is not as expensive as the cost of replacing the glass itself on more expensive models.

The most advanced phone models, company flagships such as iPhone 4, iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, HTC One, Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z and others, have a more complex screen design: the phone screen consists of an LCD display, which in fact, it transmits the image of the sensor (touchscreen), which is responsible for pressing, and glass, which is of a protective and decorative nature. In this case, the screen module is one-piece, the components are glued together industrially, and according to the manufacturer’s instructions, the entire screen can be replaced.

Glass replacement procedure.

However, the glass can still be replaced. The procedure for replacing glass on top-model phones is as follows: the display module is heated using a special hair dryer or a special heating pad, the glue that glues the glass to the sensor is softened, then using a knife, a thin spatula, a plastic playing card, or a special molybdenum wire and similar devices, the glass is disconnected from the screen. Then the remaining glue is removed using a special solvent, a scraper, napkins, soft cloth, etc. The new glass is placed either with double-sided tape or with a special UV glue (similar to the factory one).

In the description it looks quite simple, but in practice everything is far from so.

Firstly, it is extremely difficult to achieve uniform heating of the surface of the display module; there is a danger of overheating the display and sensor, after which either the image will disappear or the sensor will not work correctly. This can appear either immediately or after some time.

Secondly, it is possible to remove the glass without problems only if there are one or two large cracks on the glass, but in the case when there is a web of small cracks on the glass, the glass will crumble, and the fragments can easily damage the sensor, as a result you will still have to replace it entire display module. Also, from the impact, there may already be microcracks in the display, which do not manifest themselves in any way before the procedure, but when heated and/or pressure on the glass can lead to failure of the LCD display itself.

Thirdly, cleaning the sensor from glue is also not useful for the phone; the glue is removed with a scraper, cloth, etc., the impact on the sensor is quite serious, which can also lead to its failure.

And finally, in most cases, craftsmen install new glass on double-sided tape pasted around the perimeter of the screen; it is impossible to ensure a tight fit of the new glass; over time, dust will accumulate under it, and the tape itself may come off.

Not everyone knows how to put new glass on glue; it requires not only special glue, preferably German, but also an ultraviolet lamp (the principle of glue hardening is like in a dentist’s office when they put a photopolymer filling), and preferably special equipment for the display and glass to ensure 100 % accurate glass hit in its place.

The work of replacing glass takes up to three hours, it is extremely painstaking and requires a very highly qualified technician. At the same time, if something doesn’t work out, then the master is also responsible for it; it is impossible to explain something to most clients. No guarantees can be given for the successful outcome of the operation.

That is why most professional workshops will tell you that the glass cannot be replaced and will offer to replace the entire display module. Of course, you can find a technician or a service that will take care of this, but rest assured that the glasses there are changed in an amateur way, the probability of success is 50/50, the probability of further operation and preservation of the appearance of the phone is even lower.

What our service center offers:

1. Professional replacement of Samsung Galaxy glass at a price of 3,000 rubles (including the cost of glass). The phone is ready in 1-2 days.

Note: Experience shows that in 99% of cases the glass on the phone can be changed, while maintaining the appearance of the phone from 85 to 100%. Statistics on the further performance of the display and sensor have not yet been accumulated (there have been no secondary requests from people who received a replacement).

2. The glasses themselves for Samsung, Nokia, iPhone, HTC - you can buy glass from us and replace it yourself, or contact those who offer to replace glass cheaper than ours.

3. We offer replacement of the display or touchscreen along with glass: in this case, you are guaranteed to receive the lowest price for screen replacement in the city, using original spare parts and fully preserving the functionality and appearance of the phone.

In any case, it's up to you! We hope that the above information will help you make the right decision.

So, in the case when you need glass replacement for Samsung, Nokia, Iphone, Sony, HTC, LG, Fly and other phone models, we are waiting for you in our service!