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Cracked S2 screen from a short drop. Depressed.

A really stupid story, and I am sure not that uncommon either. Was in the college cubicle this morning (adult college, English ex-pat learning Finnish) and some bright spark had set the automatic lights at something like 2-3 minutes. Cue darkness and yours truly having the bright idea (no joke intended) of grabbing my phone and using my bright-as-the-sun SAMOLED+ screen to regain composure in pitch darkness and reactivate the lights.
I accidentally dropped the phone from knee height (please, imagination not necessary) onto the tiled floor leaving me with a dim partial screen lightup and many many problems, especially as I use my phone heavily to help with my language course. AAAAAAGGG.
Well, this is definitely going to be a lesson to anyone who doesn't think it will happen to them (one more educated user down, many to go) and haven't invested in a bumper case or at least a silicone cover. The only recourse I am aware of is the screens from aliexpress.com which both cost approximately a 1/4 of what the phone is worth....unless anybody has any better sources they can share?
Before I debase myself further, I have to mention that I am a 35-yr old who moved country with his family and is currently on a government-sponsored language integration course, and is therefore on the equivalent of unemployment-level finances until at least August 2012 with books to buy and all that depressing stuff. My phone is my only real luxury at the moment (cry cry, etc) and has become a lifeline helping me improve my language skills to become employable again in a very skill-oriented country. In that respect it is more than worth its (albeit svelte) weight in gold to me.
Despite me not being an existing contributor here as such, not having accrued reputation and therefore not being seen as an investment, I plan to provide a screen replacement tutorial (laced with comments like "BUY A BUMPER CASE!") when I can afford to buy a new screen. In that respect, I have set up a "Donate To Me" button to the left in my profile chit:
<<<<<<<<<<
....which I hope people would be goodly enough to use anonymously to help ease my transition through my S2 limbo. Please understand that this is not invitation to deride me for my stupidity in not buying a case yet (practical lesson learnt already, believe me) or to comment on the validity of my request in what is to me a very troubling time.
I'll be ordering the new screen at the end of the week. This is the first picture of the intended tutorial:
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I am a fairly good photographer and document writer, if that is my one saving grace in this instance. The first wag to suggest I sell my camera or my PC gets the dogs set on them!
Source links for replacement screen assemblies:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/905...ng-Galaxy-S-II-2-i9100-Super-AMOLED-Plus.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/905...-Flex-Cable-For-Samsung-Galaxy-S-2-i9100.html
My email is carldotmaltby.at.googlemaildotcom for donations. Even half a Euro here or there helps ease the sting.
If you can't be generous, please be nice.
Or in Finnish, "jos sä et voi olla antelias, ole silti kiltti".
In addition, if you live in Satakunta and need guitars/basses set up and/or repaired then I can do this for a very reasonable fee. I will also have plenty of woodland mushrooms for sale. I make a mean curry. I know far too much about Matsumoku-era Japanese Aria guitars. I can still remember most of my Sinclair Spectrum machine code. I helped to prove from geotechnical data that there is a continuous layer of impermeable clay below the Stratford Olympic Village site preventing migration of contaminants buried beneath the multi-million pound development thereon from leaching into sensitive waterways. I can calculate weight bearing and design roof trusses for lots and lots of snow. I ran 10km in a very slow 59m 52s once. I came second in an egg and spoon race when I was four. I invented one of the first network instant messaging systems in 1991 using BBC BASIC and various network hacks. I then implemented it in Winword. I know far too much about brasses. I have three points on my driving licence that I should have had removed seven years ago. I can't ice skate. If any of these skills or lack of are capitalisable to you, drop me a PM....!! Callers are standing by.

Gutted!!!
Do you not use some sort of case?
I use a great rubber one that in VERY close to the phone so doesn't even look like i use one!
Looks good and would save my phone if i ever dropped it

Ouch...
Many sympathies. And good luck learning Finnish, it's horribly tough. I gave up and learnerd Swedish instead from my Finnish ex - helluva lot easier.

@OneZeoN - I've never actually used a case before, and it is only recently (well, July 2010) when I bought my first large format screen phone. Before then They were semi-bricks like my Nokia 5800 Xpress Music which you'd need to stab with an icepick to damage. My original Galaxy S never failed either. I've always been very careful (or lucky).
I guess I fell for the svelte design and feather weight of the S2. It's a shame that form is taking more precedence over function in some kind of counter-productive race on thinnest-flattest-lightest-shiniest, as the walls of material physics are being hit hard. Shock-absorbancy doesn't marry well with thin and stiff as my S2 proves.
I'm going over whether to run a silicone skin or a proper bumper case. Given that every Euro counts at the moment (upcoming school books and my wife needs a nurse uniform "for school", woof) I'm a little worried that silicone might not provide the protection and assurance an expensive phone like an S2 really needs. As you say, more than likely better than no protection!
@B3311 - Finnish is unfeasibly hard. That said, it is very logical like German is. You can read Finnish straight from the page and even if you don't know the words or the sense of what you are reading, everything can be vocalised. The grammar is the problem, cramming that system into your head and then realising you haven't had time to absorb any vocab so you have nothing useful to say. I keep telling myself that two years of intensive language courses will pay off for the rest of my life. Swedish is easy, yes.

Does it affect the way your screen renders things or is it only on the gorilla glass?
My friend dropped his belt buckle on his LG Optimus 2X and cracked his gorilla glass but it still turns on and renders without problems. He sent it back to LG and got a replacement (only the glass) for $5 + $10 service fee.
Or maybe this can help?

Thanks for the link. My glass is immaculate and the crack is in the screen component mounted beneath the glass itself.
More than a little polishing required here!
<edit: apologies for the bad photo. snap decision and not set up fully hence the reflection!>

If you find a source for the bits, I would be pleased to hear about it.
My buddy's son did the same thing, but the display underneath is OK, but the glass is cracked. He now has my spare gel case, but needs to find a new glass.
Someone else, with an iPhone 4, told me his agent charged £180 to replace the glass when he did it.

The screen, glass and bezel seem to comprise one unit. I haven't taken my S2 apart any further than the rear plastic cover and bezel as I only really want to try this once I get around to replacing the screen for real. It seems it will be a "full body transplant" of all components and boards from the old damaged (well, killed) screen straight across to the new unit.
A full teardown is available here:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung-Galaxy-S-2-Teardown/5861/1
...and a little-too-quick-for-my-liking video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKztg1ra4-0
Most of this evening will be spent looking for sources. Amazon and "Ali Express" seem like the most likely sources, however I haven't even found suggestions here really. Has nobody broken their S2 yet, unlike me?
I'm marginally concerned about ordering from a random Chinese site, however since it likely won't come from anywhere else what can I do? X'D
Oh, and despite my apparent light-hearted posting I am still depressed. Levity in the face of gravity and all that.

"Disassembly" in pic slideshow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYNy0ODQ26A

Has anybody had any experience with this company? Going to ask this in the accessories section also.
http://www.repairsuniverse.com/samsung-galaxy-s-i9000-lcd-touch-screen-digitizer-replacement.html

I sympathise with the OP. I cracked the glass to the left of the home screen button, it shattered in an area 6 x 10 mm and propogated from the bottom left hand corner, with 4 long cracks running into the main screen area. Fortunatly for me the it still works and the long cracks are very fine and not too distracting.
It was in my pocket when it happen and i don't recall bashing into anything. I assume it was a glancing blow from the handle of a cupboard door which matches the hight where my phone would sit in my pocket. When I first pull it out I thought I had my friends phone (HTC Touch HD2 since he has cracks from where it fell from his bike) gutted when I realised what had occurred.
I have looked up service centres in the uk and was sent to CPW in Bristol, spoke to "the Tech Guy" they quote £150, 2 days lead on the part (incidental anecdote: and their engineer isnt in because he has a bad back. The guy told me had had a similar crack in his sgs2.) Have found others offering fitting for £125 but would much prefer the recommendation of a stranger on a website i lurk in . I have put a cheap screen protector on top so not to loose further glass.
anyway good luck.

Small donation sent. Good luck.

Thank you! I really appreciate it and the other donations made so far. I calculate that I am about 2-3% of the way there already. I think I remember where my anti-static wrist strap is also! I just need to locate a SAMOLED+ screen replacement.
I believe I will need to inspect the screen assembly when it arrives, as this may not involve a "full body" transplant and might just require the Gorilla glass debonding from the bezel rather than a full disassemble. I'm not sure which of these I actually prefer however...
@s1lvf1sh - those propogating cracks must be a complete nightmare as any pressure will surely apply stress along them! I don't know whether the glass can be replaced on its own as it seems to be that it is bonded to the SAMOLED itself. Perhaps this goes some way as to explaining the high cost of glass replacement services? I hope to see Samsung using flexible AMOLEDs in the next couple of years, as they appear to be all but immune to convential damage.
....and unconvential damage....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8S8tbQMp2k

Pulled the trigger on a new SAMOLED screen from a UK reseller for a reasonable price. Should arrive next week, so unless I get some good time during the day that week I will be documenting the replacement process next Saturday and uploading the same or the next day or thereabouts.
Thanks to everybody that made donations. Found out yesterday that my next language book will cost me €49(£42) which is a serious dent in our general finances alongside this new screen and my intended bumper case. Any supplementary donations are always welcome of course! :-D
Whilst I am on-topic; if any steps of the transplant process need documenting in specific detail, it would be a good time to discuss those now I guess.

I'm no expert here..... but on my O2 mini I had many a year ago I had the screen go garbled like that after i dropped it. Now I understand that this phone is a amoled where my O2 was an lcd but I found the problem with the O2 was the flat cable connection for the screen to the motherboard....
Just a thought and doubt your problem is the same but you have to pull the phone apart anyway so worth a check.

pbrown77 said:
I'm no expert here..... but on my O2 mini I had many a year ago I had the screen go garbled like that after i dropped it. Now I understand that this phone is a amoled where my O2 was an lcd but I found the problem with the O2 was the flat cable connection for the screen to the motherboard....
Just a thought and doubt your problem is the same but you have to pull the phone apart anyway so worth a check.
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It's unlikely that I am the first person with a broken S2 LCD/LED given the number of them up for sale out there. In that respect any fatal design flaws should have been reported by now, so I doubt it will be a similar problem however I never rule anything out until I have appropriate evidence so I will definitely examine the damaged screen and trace the source of the crack back through to the initial shock transmission point in the (relatively) inelastic case.
In other news, I am heavily tempted to buy an aluminium Taurus case.

don't buy the story. My SG2 fell down 3times. One time even from more than 2.5 meters hight. No impact on any function so far.
sorry, but wish you good luck anyway. May God give you power to manage your life with honour.

Story? It's far from being a story at this end of the Internet! I'm stuck with "using" a GT-S3370E whilst I've been rejigging money to cover this repair and have discovered the downside of syncing all your contacts with your Google account....when you move backwards to an older phone that can't do that, you find that you have no numbers on your phone. Bleh.
Good luck with dropping your phone "successfully". Most people just don't get second chances you know? Just happy that I'm living my life honourably under my own steam thanks.
PS. A big Saturday handshake to the last donation received! Makes me feel a hell of a lot less "out in the cold" from my little disaster.
PPS. Missing Android.

Feel with you. Made my first scratch today dropping mine from knee height as well...Luckily its at the edge of the screen and barely visible.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk

bingoking said:
Feel with you. Made my first scratch today dropping mine from knee height as well...Luckily its at the edge of the screen and barely visible.
Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk
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No scratches in mine. I suppose that just makes it worse, that I wrote off a pristine Gorilla Glass screen by cracking the LED underneath. I hated the scratch in my original S. 3mm right down in the middle, two-thirds down. Grr.
Considering a Zonus leather wallet case instead of a bumper. Not a fan of the portrait ones though. A little too Star Trek communicator for my liking....reminds me of Ace Ventura too....

Screwed by ASUS! RMA gone wrong. See inside..

He Guys, so Recently has the Transformer sent in for not working properly. ( Would not stay on). Would shut off when power supply pulled off.
I got a response from Asus a few mins ago with pics. I cant believe this. For the record, I treat all my electronics with much respect. Especially if its only a few months old. (Bought in June) This thing has never seen an ounce of water. The pics they sent were disturbing. See body of email and pics below. Thoughts?
Dear Mr. XXXX,
Your RMA has been received; however there is a delay in processing as it has ( liquid damage that has caused corrosion ), which is not covered under the ASUS manufacturer warranty. For your reference, please review the attached picture(s). For more information in regards to types of damage not covered under ASUS manufacturer warranty, please visit http://service.asus.com, http://support.asus.com, and/or refer to your User Manual.
If you would like to continue with repairs for your ASUS product, please return the completed and signed credit card form by one of the following methods:
Fax: 510-797-2102 (Attn: Megan)
Email: (PDF/JPG formats accepted only)
Payment will need to be received no later than ( 11/3/11 ) to prevent your RMA from being returned unrepaired on ( 11/4/11 ). Repair process is approximately 3-5 business days from once payment is approved (excludes: parts on backorder and/or shipping/transit time).
Cost of repairs (all amounts are USD) – enter amounts on credit card form:
Parts - $409.00 (Motherboard-$189 + Audio Board-$21 + LCD-$199)
Labor - $65.00
Shipping – please select one shipping method only on credit card form
Sales Tax** – please select one option only on credit card form
**Only if you reside in California or Canada will sales tax be charged. If you are outside California or Canada, please select “none”.
IMPORTANT: It is required that all amounts and totals be filled in by you directly, based on the quote we have provided. All credit card forms must be received with a physical signature for credit card payment processing. If sending via email, you will need to complete the form, sign, and scan as a PDF/JPG format. If any of this required information is missing/incorrect, Asus will request that you update and resubmit the form. It is important to provide a completed accurate form to avoid any delay in the repair process.
Best regards,
Megan
ASUS
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You can buy a new one for less than the cost of repairs. Do that.

normally i'd say it happenned in shipping, but there is no way all that corrosion happenned that quickly. i'd say one of two things, either you bought a returned item, or they got yours confused with someone elses. make sure to call and verify the serial number.

Or your kid (if you have one) spilled some liquid all over your tablet and pretended they knew nothing about why it doesn't turn on. It happens.

...or you've regularly used the device in a very humid environment, especially taking it from a cold air-conditioned environment to one that's hot and very humid, causing condensation inside the device.
A lot of manufacturers include devices in their products to test for water damage, and it's been shown regularly over the years that these can easily be triggered without immersion in water.

ExploreMN said:
You can buy a new one for less than the cost of repairs. Do that.
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Exactly. Thats a slap in the face to charge someone more than what the item costs brand new.
gottahavit said:
normally i'd say it happenned in shipping, but there is no way all that corrosion happenned that quickly. i'd say one of two things, either you bought a returned item, or they got yours confused with someone elses. make sure to call and verify the serial number.
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Im on it but im going to say that probably is a dead issue. These guys dont care.
frosty5689 said:
Or your kid (if you have one) spilled some liquid all over your tablet and pretended they knew nothing about why it doesn't turn on. It happens.
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Click to collapse
No kids. If something did spill on this, Im sure it would be a whole lot worse.
knoxploration said:
...or you've regularly used the device in a very humid environment, especially taking it from a cold air-conditioned environment to one that's hot and very humid, causing condensation inside the device.
A lot of manufacturers include devices in their products to test for water damage, and it's been shown regularly over the years that these can easily be triggered without immersion in water.
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Click to collapse
Even if that were the case, it would take a lot of that back and forth to make even a slight dent into corrosion.
I did some more research and found out that most electronics manufacturers use some sort of chemical protection on circuit boards. Apple, Microsoft and many many others use PCB boards treated with anti corrosion and anti tarnish chemicals. Clearly ASUS did not on these transformers. That really shows that these things are not the best of device. With that being said, there is no way you can take this thing to a beach or a bathroom for that matter. any amount of moisture in the air will start to make this thing deteriorate. Sub par all the way.
For a 400 device which is in competition with many in that price range, the transformer seems to be falling very short in the "quality" department. This means, along with battery issues and other hiccups, corrosion is now going to come into light. im sure others with similar battery issues have the same problem.
Now I dont know what to get. Im going to have this thing returned un repaired. I dont know what to jump into anymore. Any other tab with similar specs? Maybe i will go back to the Acer tab.

No consumer electronics circuit board is going to stand up to standing water, like you can see in that picture. This is not a production quality issue. I know you're upset about your device and if you believe that the device that was obviously abused in those photos is not yours then I strongly suggest you verify the serial numbers, Asus has to be willing to do this for you. If however you believe this really is your device, then stop blaming ASUS, this is obviously misuse on someones part(i'm not saying yours).

i think i would go with the clerical mistake theory. it couldn't have been the RMA people who spilled water on it...because like others said, the corrosion wouldn't have happened fast enough. so it must be the case that the TF was already correded before it got to them.
remember that the company is not asus, but a third-party RMA company. they get paid to service your device. from this perspective, no one would accept those charges...and therefore, they would not make any money. so i don't think there's anything fishy going on on their part.
not fanboying at all (currently a bit pissed at asus since my speakers went bust....i already had to RMA my device as well for sleep-of-death issue, and i'm not really wanting to do it again). but yea, it's either your device got switched with someone, or someone got your TF wet without you knowing.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

I'm sorry, but that looks like corrosion left by a battery and not water...

91ludesit said:
I'm sorry, but that looks like corrosion left by a battery and not water...
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I looked up some more pics on electronics pcb corrosion and you might be onto something. Water corrosion on boards looks different. BUT the batteries in the TF are dry no?

91ludesit said:
I'm sorry, but that looks like corrosion left by a battery and not water...
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There actually isn't much difference.....if you've had to deal with a flooded house lately and electronics that were left plugged in, you'd know there isn't much difference.....
Whatever caused the corrosion, it wasn't much. Obviously the tablet wasn't submerged in water, but obviously something happened to it. Perhaps some liquid (water, or another drink of some kind) was spilled near the uSD/uHDMI port? That's about the only thing I can conclude by looking at this.
As far as condensation.....it's possible. I used to work for an electonics/amplifier company as an engineer that provides amplifiers for medical (think GE/Siemens) companies (MRI, etc..), and I had to deal with a unit that had extensive damage similar to this (we ended up scrapping the unit and replacing it). I know how the units get packaged, and there was no way we would have shipped the unit with water in it (sealed package, about the size of a filing cabinet drawer, the customer said the unit itself was wet when they opened the package). What we determined was that it was packaged on a very humid (down-pouring/rainy) summer day on our dock (where they generally keep the dock doors open since it's hot) and then shipped via air (as usual, since it goes from the USA to Germany). During this process, obviously, the compartment where luggage/mail is kept isn't heated much, if at all. Therefore, if there was alot of humid air inside the packaging, and then a drop in temperature, it could very well condensate, and cause this type of corrosion (and mold in our case, due to some laminates and glues being used in our application). That being the case, we started including desiccant (sp?) inside the packaging. Anyway.....I could certainly see this type of corrosion being similar.
NOTE:Before anyone says anything, I no longer work for said company, and I'm not divulging anything that is not public record or already known. =P
Personally, as others have suggested, first ensure it's the correct serial number. If it's the correct serial number, I'm sorry to say but I think you're screwed as far as getting Asus to repair it as an RMA without paying for it. You're most likely best off to just buy a new one, or wait and get a TF2 (whenever that comes out).

darkhawkff said:
There actually isn't much difference.....if you've had to deal with a flooded house lately and electronics that were left plugged in, you'd know there isn't much difference.....
Whatever caused the corrosion, it wasn't much. Obviously the tablet wasn't submerged in water, but obviously something happened to it. Perhaps some liquid (water, or another drink of some kind) was spilled near the uSD/uHDMI port? That's about the only thing I can conclude by looking at this.
As far as condensation.....it's possible. I used to work for an electonics/amplifier company as an engineer that provides amplifiers for medical (think GE/Siemens) companies (MRI, etc..), and I had to deal with a unit that had extensive damage similar to this (we ended up scrapping the unit and replacing it). I know how the units get packaged, and there was no way we would have shipped the unit with water in it (sealed package, about the size of a filing cabinet drawer, the customer said the unit itself was wet when they opened the package). What we determined was that it was packaged on a very humid (down-pouring/rainy) summer day on our dock (where they generally keep the dock doors open since it's hot) and then shipped via air (as usual, since it goes from the USA to Germany). During this process, obviously, the compartment where luggage/mail is kept isn't heated much, if at all. Therefore, if there was alot of humid air inside the packaging, and then a drop in temperature, it could very well condensate, and cause this type of corrosion (and mold in our case, due to some laminates and glues being used in our application). That being the case, we started including desiccant (sp?) inside the packaging. Anyway.....I could certainly see this type of corrosion being similar.
NOTE:Before anyone says anything, I no longer work for said company, and I'm not divulging anything that is not public record or already known. =P
Personally, as others have suggested, first ensure it's the correct serial number. If it's the correct serial number, I'm sorry to say but I think you're screwed as far as getting Asus to repair it as an RMA without paying for it. You're most likely best off to just buy a new one, or wait and get a TF2 (whenever that comes out).
Click to expand...
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Thanks for that detailed post.
Well I guess its a wrap so to speak. I know the item was never in water and pics do show that. Perhaps it was condensation. Either way Im screwed. This being my third TF, it doesn't take a genius to know that the TF being sub par in quality. Its a great machine when it works. But I think Im going the "3 strikes, you're out" scenario. Im not getting another TF. I will take my chances with something else.

Ahh, yes. Monday... beginning of the week. Oh! And the screen on my Nexus 7 cracked.

Not really sure how it happened. I had the thing in my pocket, as I had done no less than 300 other times. Never sat down or had anything else in my pocket, etc. Just did it as I was getting other things together to go out the door. Went to get in my car, took it out of my pocket and got inside. When I set it on the passenger seat I took notice to what I thought was a hair. Of course, it wasn't a hair. It was a crack. I sat the thing on my passenger seat, and drove to work, which is like... 500 yards away... looked over to pick it up and go inside and I had a second crack branched off of the original. Nice.
I did not have noticeable screen lift or creaking of any sort. Previously I had applied a good amount of pressure by hand to the area to see if I could duplicate what other users were talking about, but I never could. If I had to judge, based on insanely crazy ADD assessments, I would say I had the ever so slightest amount of screen lift on the left side. I'm talking a difference of about a thickness of a sheet of paper, and the ridge on the left still existed, even though I would have to say it may have not been as deep as the right side.
So now I'm kind of wondering what to do. I've never worked on a tablet, but I've taken apart countless laptops and even done LCD swaps on them. Part of me wonders if I should just purchase a new screen for it. I mean, can you do that? I'm looking around online and I'm finding LCD replacements, but I'm not sure what to think of them, as it's the glass that cracked. Is the surface glass/LCD panel itself all one unit?
I'm halfway debating that I un-root this thing (since ASUS seems to be a hater in that department) and send it back to ASUS for repair. Of course, it'll be a 2 week turn around, which is awesome, and I'm not even sure if it'll be covered. I always felt a screen crack was a hard thing to argue. Something involving pressure had to do it, but oddly I have no explanation for it.
I have no idea, overall... what do you guys think? I began to really use the tablet a lot, and I even just got the thing fully rooted to use USB OTG with it and my 500GB external HDD packed of stuff, which I thought would be nice on a trip coming this October.
tl:dr, screen cracked, which solution?
Purchase new LCD replacement, install myself. Pros - could epoxy any weak area on the left side. Cons - it's a repair that costs money that I'm not sure is justified on such a new unit
Un-root, return to ASUS, hope there's no hassle. Pros - could be free warrantied repair. Cons - is it "really" fixed against left-side screen problems? And LOL @ having to un-root.
Sell cheap on Ebay, set cash aside, wait for something else. Pros - maybe something better is soon to come? Cons - I'm down a device for what could be a semi lengthy time, which I had begun to use as a personal laptop replacement (between desktop and tablet, it was a pretty solid combo for me)

First of all, can you please verify that the left side of your screen is actually below the bezel?
Here is the best way to check I've found.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30720892#post30720892
Even if the screen lift is subtle enough to ignore, there's going to be an equally subtle amount of flex. That means repetitive stress, and there have been user reports of lifted screens cracking under normal use.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-7-tablet-forum/201712-screen-lift-but-lazy-return.html
And here is a post by someone like yourself who went to ASUS about it. They sent him a fruit basket with his replacement of course.
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/32838-cracked-screen-upload-picture-please/
Although the cause of your crack is unverified, I don't think we should assume that it happening on the left side is a coincidence. Your experience is consistent with other reports.
I personally returned three units for minor screen lift and asked for a refund on the third because I decided to treat this as a potentially serious issue. In my opinion, only customers who trust the Play store warranty implicitly should consider tolerating a hair of separation.
I hope you can resolve this with ASUS. It's a longshot but worth trying.
And by 'resolve' I mean convince them to recognize this as a manufacturing flaw before sending it in.

pxlitup said:
convince them to recognize this as a manufacturing flaw before sending it in.
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There is demonstrably a manufacturing flaw with the N&'s screen LINK
Any flexing is out with the design parameters of any hard glass touch screen and as such flexing will lead to premature failure.

I understand. I've been retracing my steps all morning and I'm downright baffled at what I did to cause this. I had the tablet on the kitchen counter, along with my keys, phone, and laptop bag... put the phone in one pocket, tablet in another, walked outside, took tablet out of my pocket, and bam - I saw it. So it's a matter of about 9 steps I took to my car. No stairs, no epic falls on my rear end, nothing like that. It's because of that (coupled with the fact it happened on the left side) that I'm wondering if it is some more food for thought in regard to it being a design flaw.
pxlitup said:
And here is a post by someone like yourself who went to ASUS about it. They sent him a fruit basket with his new one of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies... I'm unsure if the fruit basket/new tablet was sarcasm or if I somehow missed it. Are you suggesting that ASUS repaired his cracked screen without issue??
And by 'resolve' I mean convince them to recognize this as a manufacturing flaw before sending it in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I somewhat tried to do that over the phone just now. I didn't have my serial number handy but I did everything I could aside from giving them the serial number, so I need to call back later when I can get the box and give them the rest of the info. As I talked with the rep, I explained to him I've done a great deal of reading about the Nexus 7, and I stressed that the left-side screen issues don't seem to be exactly uncommon. He said the most common thing he hears about screen cracks is when people have the tablet sitting in extreme hot/cold and reverse the temperature quicker than they realize. Meaning if they leave the tablet in their car overnight and it's cold, bring it inside and use it while sitting against the fireplace, then they may face the issue. I stressed two or three times that I had no idea how this happened and that I applied no pressure to the tablet to cause this. He said if ASUS finds that it's customer caused, you'll have the option to pay for the repair and have it sent back. Otherwise, you'll get it repaired and sent back without question.
I know with him being on the phone and not having seen this issue personally it's hard for me to assure him that this is either a fluke thing or a design flaw, but he didn't really seem too concerned (or aware) of what issues I brought up that I've heard about from the Nexus 7. I mentioned that some users reported that their screw seemed to be too long, causing an unevenness and therefore a perfect storm often resulting in a cracked screen. I also brought up other various screen separation issues, but he seemed to be unaware of them. Granted, he's just the front end phone support rep, so maybe he doesn't know as much as the techs do who actually work on the devices.
That being said, I'm not sure that I can get a guaranteed feeling before sending it in that this will be covered under warranty. All I can really do is wait to hear back from them and if they come back and say it was caused by customer negligence, to be aware of the facts in regard to what screen issues are out there to make for a compelling counter-claim. I'm doubtful it'll matter, though. It's not like it's an internal issue where the CPU seized up, something beyond customer control. Hopefully this won't be a headache...
In other news, I didn't use my tablet since the screen is of course cracked, but I just realized the entire touch interface is not working either.
Perfect start to the day. :good:

JaSauders said:
I understand. I've been retracing my steps all morning and I'm downright baffled at what I did to cause this. I had the tablet on the kitchen counter, along with my keys, phone, and laptop bag... put the phone in one pocket, tablet in another, walked outside, took tablet out of my pocket, and bam - I saw it. So it's a matter of about 9 steps I took to my car. No stairs, no epic falls on my rear end, nothing like that. It's because of that (coupled with the fact it happened on the left side) that I'm wondering if it is some more food for thought in regard to it being a design flaw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen lift would explain it. Check your tablet more thoroughly using the following guide, and take a photo if possible.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30720892#post30720892
If your lift is significant enough to be discovered by this visual test then it will not be difficult to prove.
Apologies... I'm unsure if the fruit basket/new tablet was sarcasm or if I somehow missed it. Are you suggesting that ASUS repaired his cracked screen without issue??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click the corresponding link?
ASUS told him to take a hike.
Well, I somewhat tried to do that over the phone just now. I didn't have my serial number handy but I did everything I could aside from giving them the serial number, so I need to call back later when I can get the box and give them the rest of the info. As I talked with the rep, I explained to him I've done a great deal of reading about the Nexus 7, and I stressed that the left-side screen issues don't seem to be exactly uncommon. He said the most common thing he hears about screen cracks is when people have the tablet sitting in extreme hot/cold and reverse the temperature quicker than they realize. Meaning if they leave the tablet in their car overnight and it's cold, bring it inside and use it while sitting against the fireplace, then they may face the issue. I stressed two or three times that I had no idea how this happened and that I applied no pressure to the tablet to cause this. He said if ASUS finds that it's customer caused, you'll have the option to pay for the repair and have it sent back. Otherwise, you'll get it repaired and sent back without question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can provide some evidence that your screen wasn't flush that should improve your chances.
ASUS is not a company that cares. The best you can do is legitimately present your case to a rare CSR who does.
Calling unprepared and baffled isn't going to work. Don't threaten, but you'll need to be assertive and better informed.
I know with him being on the phone and not having seen this issue personally it's hard for me to assure him that this is either a fluke thing or a design flaw, but he didn't really seem too concerned (or aware) of what issues I brought up that I've heard about from the Nexus 7. I mentioned that some users reported that their screw seemed to be too long, causing an unevenness and therefore a perfect storm often resulting in a cracked screen. I also brought up other various screen separation issues, but he seemed to be unaware of them. Granted, he's just the front end phone support rep, so maybe he doesn't know as much as the techs do who actually work on the devices.
That being said, I'm not sure that I can get a guaranteed feeling before sending it in that this will be covered under warranty. All I can really do is wait to hear back from them and if they come back and say it was caused by customer negligence, to be aware of the facts in regard to what screen issues are out there to make for a compelling counter-claim. I'm doubtful it'll matter, though. It's not like it's an internal issue where the CPU seized up, something beyond customer control. Hopefully this won't be a headache...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The screw theory and other warranty friendly experiments have been pretty much discredited.
Here is the current working theory for why the left side is able to lift up, summarized by yours truly because it's easier to find my own posts, but trust me that this has been corroborated by several teardowns.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=30707430#post30707430

I took no less than 30 pictures. It's impossible to really grab a solid image of what's going on. Here's the best I could do.
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The screen lift you see is definitely worse now than it originally was, likely due to the actual crack relieving whatever pressure the screen was previously under.
If you notice, there's two cracks on the left side. The one that's a bit more rounded and lower on the left side was the original. As I said, I got in the car and went to work a mile away. Once I took another look, a second crack appeared - which is the one that shoots up the left side of the screen.
Fingers crossed.

JaSauders said:
I took no less than 30 pictures. It's impossible to really grab a solid image of what's going on. Here's the best I could do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to take a better picture, preferably without the trippy reflection, but the edge of your screen is definitely higher than the bezel.
That's a very good thing.
The screen lift you see is definitely worse now than it originally was, likely due to the actual crack relieving whatever pressure the screen was previously under.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This photo proves that the left side of your screen is higher than the bezel, and if you explain that your screen was lifting up before it cracked -- which it almost certainly was, even if you failed to notice it before -- then you have as good a chance of ASUS honoring your warranty as anyone.
I suggest that you correspond with ASUS and try to get them to acknowledge that this doesn't appear to be your fault before sending it in. You would need to get their assessment of the photo to do this, probably via email.
If you notice, there's two cracks on the left side. The one that's a bit more rounded and lower on the left side was the original. As I said, I got in the car and went to work a mile away. Once I took another look, a second crack appeared - which is the one that shoots up the left side of the screen.
Fingers crossed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If ASUS tries to screw you, try explaining what happened to Google Support. Although you didn't buy your device from the Play store, Google may take an interest in your case if ASUS fails to honor its warranty by accusing you of causing a well known manufacturing flaw.
You did buy this from somewhere other than the Play store, correct?
I'm just making sure you understand that Google handles Play store warranties. You wouldn't need to deal with ASUS at all if you ordered it there.

Thanks for your response. Yes, I bought it from Wal-Mart. Right now I'm almost wishing that I bought it from the Play store as Google sounds like they offer significantly better support than ASUS.
I know I need to take a better picture as well, it's just what I had at the time, so I at least wanted to give you guys some degree of a visual.
I did end up getting through to ASUS a 2nd time (had to call back because I didn't have my SN handy). The call ultimately got disconnected. No idea what happened... I heard him, he didn't hear me. I did explain in the conversation that I am well aware of what issues exist and I want this thing repaired. It's a C60 model, which sounds like the first gen with the questionable issues at hand. He did however say, well the one curve ball is, the techs are going to ask a very valuable question - was the device sent out with a cracked screen?
I pretty much almost went off the deep end there. I said, do me a favor, and take down these notes. There is a design flaw. Period. Google acknowledged it. ASUS should too. My device fell under this category. This issue will be addressed and repaired by ASUS.
At this point he sounded to be more "on the same page" with me, so we went to go through the RMA process, but then the call got wacky. I have to admit, I am exceptionally concerned about the comment he made. How on earth can they base cracked screen repairs on a premise like that.
At any rate, we'll try calling back again. Hopefully there won't be a headache, but I'm not convinced it'll exactly be easy. The tablet otherwise is in absolute perfect shape, so there's definitely no sign of a drop, etc. Who knows, maybe ASUS will surprise me?
EDIT - also, their on hold "did you know?" messages are enraging me. "Did you know that if you have a single bright or dead pixel on your LCD screen, ASUS will replace the entire thing for free?"
Don't worry. I wrote that little tid bit down for later reference if this turns into a fiasco. :good:

Well, I'm sending the gizmo back today. I'm questioning how I should handle it. ASUS really has me on edge since their warranty support seems extremely sub par based on what some users said already about repairs. Also, based on the fact the one rep I spoke to said it's unlikely they'll fix it without charging me sent me through the roof, as he said there's no design flaws - despite the fact Google has even said that... maybe include a picture and a short note in the box:
"Here's a picture depicting the screen lift that had existed prior to the crack forming, which is directly in line with the design flaw that plagued a few of the first generation devices that Google has confirmed. Hope this helps."
I don't want to come off as if I want to pick a fight, but I'm just on edge due to what the rep told me. On the flip side, I could always wait until they call me saying they'll charge me, then go from there. Meh.

Nexus 6 Quality Issues (2 out of 2 phones)

So, I bought a Nexus 6 for my wife and at first it was great. But a few weeks later, she was complaining about the camera. I check it out and there is definitely something wrong. It seems that sometimes when the camera focuses, the optical image stabilizer would jump around. It moves so much, that it seems to hit it's limits and you hear it "click". Makes recording videos useless. Worse than having no stabilizer at all.
We're beyond the 14-day return period for Sprint, so I do an advanced exchange RMA with Motorola. Two days later, the replacement phone arrives. It looks like a brand-new sealed box. But when I take the phone out, I see the back cover is separating from the phone. How does the phone like this even get put into a box? Unless the back cover separated after it was placed inside? I didn't even bother to try to turn it on and contacted Motorola via online chat. We'll see what the next steps are, but so far, I'm not impressed with the quality control. Customer service response is pretty good so far.
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I am not going to say its anyone's fault but could be multiple things .... Have you seen how package companies treat packages they are shipping .... But yes more than likely that is a problem from factory
Sent from my Nexus 6

Yeah, but not in this case. The box had a few minor dings, but was in otherwise near-perfect condition. The seal was still in perfect shape.

Looks like the battery ploded
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I had the same,
but not with the back cover problem. I had my original Nexus 6 replaced 2 times.
Within 3-4 days of minimal use my nexus 6 was getting a deep scratch on the screen which was very annoying.
This is the 3rd nexus 6 i am using and i did not take out the protector with which it came with until i bought a screen guard.
So i am still worried, if i take out the screen guard it will get a scratch again.
GG3 does not seem to be implemented in nexus 6 i guess.

After three weeks, my camera got progressively worse, taking blurry shots and double exposures,.. Looked like the optical stabilization failed, I got RMA started on 30 Dec, but finally I should receive My replacement today..... Here's hoping I don't have problems.

udimars30 said:
I had the same,
but not with the back cover problem. I had my original Nexus 6 replaced 2 times.
Within 3-4 days of minimal use my nexus 6 was getting a deep scratch on the screen which was very annoying.
This is the 3rd nexus 6 i am using and i did not take out the protector with which it came with until i bought a screen guard.
So i am still worried, if i take out the screen guard it will get a scratch again.
GG3 does not seem to be implemented in nexus 6 i guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using mine for more than two weeks now without any screen protector and the screen is perfect! I even carry it in my bag together with my Lumia 1520 and no problems at all! And Yes, the Nexus 6 IS with Gorilla Glass 3! I've seen people trying very hard to scratch this glass and they have all failed!

OrionBG said:
I've been using mine for more than two weeks now without any screen protector and the screen is perfect! I even carry it in my bag together with my Lumia 1520 and no problems at all! And Yes, the Nexus 6 IS with Gorilla Glass 3! I've seen people trying very hard to scratch this glass and they have all failed!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It scratches Buddy trust me. My nexus 5 has a few

I replaced my att nexus 6 5 times for various problem. I don't want to get it started here. Anyways, I was expecting a lot better build quaility for this price point comparing to N5. I am really disappointed. GG Motorola.

What camera are you using to take the pictures of the Defects?
The warranty process with Motorola is always good. The advance exchange program is what sets Motorola apart from the rest. I had to replace a Moto G once through this program, and very seamless with 2-day shipping.
ken830 said:
So, I bought a Nexus 6 for my wife and at first it was great. But a few weeks later, she was complaining about the camera. I check it out and there is definitely something wrong. It seems that sometimes when the camera focuses, the optical image stabilizer would jump around. It moves so much, that it seems to hit it's limits and you hear it "click". Makes recording videos useless. Worse than having no stabilizer at all.
We're beyond the 14-day return period for Sprint, so I do an advanced exchange RMA with Motorola. Two days later, the replacement phone arrives. It looks like a brand-new sealed box. But when I take the phone out, I see the back cover is separating from the phone. How does the phone like this even get put into a box? Unless the back cover separated after it was placed inside? I didn't even bother to try to turn it on and contacted Motorola via online chat. We'll see what the next steps are, but so far, I'm not impressed with the quality control. Customer service response is pretty good so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

arjun90 said:
What camera are you using to take the pictures of the Defects?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A Canon 70D with a Sigma 18-35 f/1.8.

Ha, no wonder your pictures are so darn good. I need an SLR!
Thank you.
ken830 said:
A Canon 70D with a Sigma 18-35 f/1.8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

On my 5th (One DOA). My current device has the loud, clicky haptic feedback. I've had HTC devices that had clicky haptic, but this is the worst I've experienced. I'm just going to keep it unless it gets worse. After all the screen uniformity issues I've seen, I have no energy left to play the RMA lottery anymore.
Love/hate relationship.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I am getting my T-Mobile warranty phone today next day shipping. OIS failed, bad battery (max 4 hr SOT), yellow screen even when RGB'd and red when low brightness, noisy vibration. Hope this one is better or I'll be jumping to a Z3 possibly. My GF had to warranty her Z3 for a dead LCD so I'm not convinced it'd be better...

ken830 said:
So, I bought a Nexus 6 for my wife and at first it was great. But a few weeks later, she was complaining about the camera. I check it out and there is definitely something wrong. It seems that sometimes when the camera focuses, the optical image stabilizer would jump around. It moves so much, that it seems to hit it's limits and you hear it "click". Makes recording videos useless. Worse than having no stabilizer at all.
We're beyond the 14-day return period for Sprint, so I do an advanced exchange RMA with Motorola. Two days later, the replacement phone arrives. It looks like a brand-new sealed box. But when I take the phone out, I see the back cover is separating from the phone. How does the phone like this even get put into a box? Unless the back cover separated after it was placed inside? I didn't even bother to try to turn it on and contacted Motorola via online chat. We'll see what the next steps are, but so far, I'm not impressed with the quality control. Customer service response is pretty good so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a few observations. The phone would never be able to fit in the box with any bulge. Secondly, for a bulge to be that size it would be there are a lot of torque, yet the sides are popping off. The backcover is flexible but not so flexible as to do that where only that portion pops up like that. Perhaps a thin plastic like the Note 4, but not the hard plastic on the Nexus 6. As bad as the QC is, the factory or the guy would have to be insane to let that out of the factory. The visible glue suggests excessive pulling force. Seems like a botched attempt at removing the back to me

situman said:
Just a few observations. The phone would never be able to fit in the box with any bulge. Secondly, for a bulge to be that size it would be there are a lot of torque, yet the sides are popping off. The backcover is flexible but not so flexible as to do that where only that portion pops up like that. Perhaps a thin plastic like the Note 4, but not the hard plastic on the Nexus 6. As bad as the QC is, the factory or the guy would have to be insane to let that out of the factory. The visible glue suggests excessive pulling force. Seems like a botched attempt at removing the back to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have an obligation to defend myself, but I can assure you that the phone came out of the box like that. The bulge is only on one edge and it is maybe 1/8"? That's not enough to "burst" out of the box. It's definitely close-able, even if the phone is not lying completely flat. But think about this logically -- what reason do I have to make a post like this if I had somehow botched an attempt at removing the back? And what's the reason for removing the back cover anyhow? Is there something I can get to that I'm not aware of? And if I were trying to remove the back, well, it doesn't look botched at all -- Why not just continue to pull the back off? I would be half-way there. It just doesn't make any sense.

ken830 said:
I don't have an obligation to defend myself, but I can assure you that the phone came out of the box like that. The bulge is only on one edge and it is maybe 1/8"? That's not enough to "burst" out of the box. It's definitely close-able, even if the phone is not lying completely flat. But think about this logically -- what reason do I have to make a post like this if I had somehow botched an attempt at removing the back? And what's the reason for removing the back cover anyhow? Is there something I can get to that I'm not aware of? And if I were trying to remove the back, well, it doesn't look botched at all -- Why not just continue to pull the back off? I would be half-way there. It just doesn't make any sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the problem is your pic of the phone is so darn good. Aw, SLRs. The good old days. Everyone is used to ****ty cell phone pics now.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

Received my RMA and it was not in new packaging but had a factory screen protector. OIS works on this and the vibration is not fudged.

I read about the lifting problem on Phandroid, but the picture they posted wasn't nearly as bad as this one. Your experience is probably an exception amongst exceptions.

I feel sorry for you,I hope it resolves well.
I have two (white) Nexus 6's coming from Amazon France (apparently it has a full warranty on them so..), now getting a bit worried that the quality might not be up to par. For the price point, I was expecting better. I've seen more than enough articles/posts on the net from people with problems; for the lack of phones currently releasing in the market, I'd say a good amount have defects. Hopefully the two phones I've just ordered have come from a 'second'/newer batch produced with higher QC, and hopefully your replacement for this 2nd Nexus you have is also the same.
Good luck!

Planning to buy 6P from Craigslist, How to make sure I'm not getting a faulty one?

I've read about the faulty battery issue, and sudden reboots/bootloop issue.
Is there a way to minimize the risk, if I can check the device physically?
Checking the manufacturing date? Checking how many hours are left under "battery" in settings?
Any advice would be appreciated, Thanks!

Don't buy this phone. There are so many issues with this thing. My network signals all of a sign went kaput (the network chip got fried go figure!). No I'm stuck with a giant iPod. Save your money and buy something else (serious advice).

I agree, don't buy this phone used. You have no way to test the battery and other issues might appear.
My phone is a year old and I have already gotten a couple of sudden shutdowns. In addition people often complain that they can't hear me and my voice is intermittently muffled.

i wouldn't recommend getting this phone used, especially this late in the game... you can't just ignore all the issues being posted

I stumbled across this because I am buying a used 64gb 6p on eBay right now (7- 22- 2018). My research shows that if one comes across a survivor of the bootloop death (which can be overcome by disabling the 4 large cores, why bother) AND one is willing to eventually buy a $15 battery kit and can use a heat gun effectively, the Nexus 6p is THE best phone right now for no more than $150. The 128gb can be had for $180. If one buys one manufactured later than 2/2016, the battery lasts longer and supposedly some other minor bugs were fixed.

For $150 even if you only get one year from it I believe it's worth it. Phones now are so expensive unless your signing your life away on a plan.

Battery problems, heat and lag issues. Can't wait to upgrade to Pixel 3 or anything else. I wouldn't recommend spending money on this peace of ... I loved the phone when it worked as supposed to, but now it just don't. Oh, and microphone problems when using speakerphone are also common.

I bought mine on ebay 64 gb for 150, it had a bad battery so i got them to refund $50. i paid like $15 to fix it been working absaloutey fine for 5 months so far. No lag at all for me or random reboots, all my cores work,signal works fine, and so do calls . I dont really know how it is on stock i have been on abc rom and franco kernel the whole time and loving the phone

This might be irrelevant to OP but here's my 2 cents
I bought one (exterior is almost mint) a few weeks ago and I couldn't be happier. I got it for $100 (from a guy that badly needed some money to go on holiday ) and honestly, I would say it's comparable to new mid range $300+ phones, even surpassing them in some regards - camera, software support, build quality, design, "feel". I'm not even sure why I bought it, since my trusty Z2 is still holding on, I guess I couldn't resist that price.
I knew what I was getting into, I read about all the problems beforehand, but I figured if it didn't get the bootloop till now, it probably won't. Also, I ordered a new battery off Aliexpress the day I got the phone. Screen On time used to be 2-3 hrs with random shutdown at 15-5%, now after replacement I'm getting ~5 hrs. Great success.
So for the 3 people out there looking to buy this phone, you can expect:
-bad battery life and random shutdown (just get a new one, they're dirt cheap)
-minor burn-in of the navbar (I notice it on white backgrounds only)
-getting warm after using it a while BUT it's a lot better after replacing the battery
-yellowish tint of the screen (I notice it since I'm coming from a cold LCD)
+camera performance comparable to flagships, especially with the Pixel camera app
+sexy design
+great build quality
+smooth overall
+very potent double speakers
+VERY fast charging with the original charger

I bought a used 128gb from a "refurbish" mill for $150 on eBay. It went dead after 2 days. Total battery/system failure and no joy with the charger. I got a free return shipping label and a full refund.
The same day I resolved to buy from an individual who can answer questions. If the seller couldn't tell me the manufacture date they were dropped from the watchlist. My research seemed to indicate that units made after 2/2016 were the ones to get.
I bought a 64gb made in 10/2016 from a guy on eBay for $100. It's in better than near mint condition. Google announced the end of the Nexus brand the same month so this has to be one of the last made. Everything is perfect (including Oreo 8.1) except that AccuBattery reports 60% battery health. I concur with all that skullzhunter said.
I already planned to change the battery, but 60% health will buy me some time before I have to track down a heatgun. The battery kits are cheap and contain all the special tools for the job.
I'd like to hear from skullzhunter what the date of manufacture is on his phone (for others, boot into recovery and select "barcodes"). Also, were you able to remove the top and bottom covers intact? I imagine the trick is to apply enough heat. The question is, how much heat is TOO much? Any tips on re-installing those little covers with future access in mind?

Lawrencetate1 said:
I bought a used 128gb from a "refurbish" mill for $150 on eBay. It went dead after 2 days. Total battery/system failure and no joy with the charger. I got a free return shipping label and a full refund.
The same day I resolved to buy from an individual who can answer questions. If the seller couldn't tell me the manufacture date they were dropped from the watchlist. My research seemed to indicate that units made after 2/2016 were the ones to get.
I bought a 64gb made in 10/2016 from a guy on eBay for $100. It's in better than near mint condition. Google announced the end of the Nexus brand the same month so this has to be one of the last made. Everything is perfect (including Oreo 8.1) except that AccuBattery reports 60% battery health. I concur with all that skullzhunter said.
I already planned to change the battery, but 60% health will buy me some time before I have to track down a heatgun. The battery kits are cheap and contain all the special tools for the job.
I'd like to hear from skullzhunter what the date of manufacture is on his phone (for others, boot into recovery and select "barcodes"). Also, were you able to remove the top and bottom covers intact? I imagine the trick is to apply enough heat. The question is, how much heat is TOO much? Any tips on re-installing those little covers with future access in mind?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting trick with the Barcodes, seems my phone was manufactured in November 2015.
The operation was more difficult than I expected, but I managed to remove the covers with minor marks. You have to be VERY patient and careful, and you don't necessarily need a heat gun, a hair dryer will do. I don't think you can apply too much heat really, the frame will quickly get much hotter than the glass/plastic pieces but it cools down just as quick. Just heat it up until you can't touch the aluminium, there's nothing you can damage.
A trick that I unfortunately discovered after putting everything back together would be to use a sticker/vinyl skin to lift the covers from the corners (after heating), instead of digging in the gaps - as there are no gaps really.
So other than a hair dryer, you will need a 1.5 philips screwdriver, some thin plastic pieces to keep the screen assembly from snapping back into the case when you pry it open, and most importantly the thinnest strongest piece of metal you can find.
I used some tiny 3M double sided sticky strips to stick the pieces back and kept some of the old glue as well, I removed the gunky parts only. I think there are different glues used for top and bottom, the one on top being easier to reuse, but the bottom piece kinda sinks in the hole, so you need to leave just a little bit and press really hard so it snaps into place. I think it will be 10x easier to remove them now if I ever need to.