Dropping an expensive smartphone can easily crack the screen and totally ruin your day. While the smartphone isn’t built to be self-repaired, there are several basic issues that can be fixed with a little know-how and the right tools. However, it is important to remember that opening a phone can leave the warranty void, so it may be worth considering this point and using your insurance if applicable.
Here are a few of the common issues that may be self-repaired:
Broken Screen
The process of fixing a broken screen can vary from extremely expensive to fairly simple and cheap. The difficulty factor relates to how the device is built. The first step is to carefully disassemble the phone. The most expensive screens to replace are those with the glass and digitizer fused together. Any other type is relatively inexpensive to repair. If you are able to remove the glass and find a suitable replacement, the actual repair is fairly simple. But, the glass with a digitizer attached is slightly more difficult to repair because it has a data cable attached that needs to be installed correctly.
Headphone jacks
Any part of the smartphone that moves can increase the risk of failure in the future. Even though the headphone jack is not motorized it can experience a lot of stress because of its repeated use. The headphone jack units are relatively cheap and easy to replace. But the smartphone isn’t always that easy to open, especially those with the unibody designs. Most of the headphone jack units are entirely self-contained and mounted on the motherboard. However, there are some that also connect to the speaker assembly which makes the repair more complex.
Loose buttons
The loose or stuck buttons aren’t too difficult to repair provided you are able to get your smartphone open. Most buttons are easy to buy and simply need to replace those that are no longer working correctly. However, there are some buttons that are connected to the motherboard via a cable and this can make the repair a very delicate process.
Camera
Beyond a crack in the camera lens, it is very rare to experience a failure with the camera hardware. However, if the camera does need replacing, the camera sensors inside the smartphone are quite straightforward to repair. This is a further part that is connected via a single cable and must be carefully attached to the motherboard.
