The other day, I accidentally dropped my iPhone on the floor at home and the screen cracked. . .
I have been using this iPhone SE for more than two years, and I honestly thought it was time to replace it. However, the second-generation iPhone SE that was released the other day is not my favorite, and rather, rumors of an iPhone 12 mini have recently piqued my interest.
If possible, I really want to endure with this iPhone until the iPhone 12 is released. Unfortunately, it wasn't included in Apple Care, so Apple's repair service was reasonably priced.
However, if possible, I would like to reduce the cost of a smartphone that I do not know if I will use it for a year from now. So, I thought that it would be cheaper if I ordered the parts and repaired it myself, so I decided to try this time.
Entitled "Can a complete amateur repair the iPhone screen by himself?"
Contents
How much did the iPhone battery and screen cost? (Preparation)
First of all, I thought that iFixit was famous for repairing by myself, so I decided to go to that site.
Then, you have carefully summarized the parts corresponding to each iPhone and the repair procedure. appreciated.
And it's pretty cheap! A set with a kit necessary for screen repair costs $45 (approximately 5,000 yen). In other words, if you buy this, you don't need anything else.
What's more, the battery is only $24! At first, I was only planning to replace the screen, but I accidentally bought a battery (laughs).
In other words, the screen and battery replacement cost less than 10,000 yen. This is an exceptional price considering asking for a repair service. Actually, tax and shipping are added to this price, so I think it's a little over 10,000 yen, but it's still a satisfying price.
Points I noticed after actually repairing my iPhone (work)
Now, from here on, I will start by pointing out the points I noticed after actually repairing my iPhone. Let's introduce the work scenery in the center. If you are only interested in the results, please skip to the ending.
First of all, when I ordered it online, each part and repair kit actually arrived in about 3 days because I live in the United States. If you use iFixit from Japan, it will take a little more time because you need to import it, but since the Japanese page is available, the ordering process itself shouldn't be difficult.
Here are the repair kits and screen/battery parts that arrived.
While using this, we will actually dismantle the broken iPhone.
By the way, I've never repaired an iPhone and know nothing about hardware. In other words, I am a complete amateur. Is it possible for such a complete amateur to repair an iPhone?
First, go to the iFixit homepage and find the dismantling instructions. There are pictures and text explanations, but video explanations helped me understand the movements better.
Since the video is in English, if you don't understand English, you can read the instruction manual in Japanese and refer to the video when the explanation is difficult to understand.
Basically, anyone can do it just by following these instructions. For detailed instructions, please visit the iFixit website.
If you have an iPhone with a home button, please be careful not to pull it too hard when opening the screen, as the cable required for Touch ID will be damaged. In the worst case, Touch ID cannot be used.
Don't use force.
And the important thing is the management of the removed parts. I replaced the battery and replaced the screen at the same time, but in total I have to deal with dozens of small parts.
So it's a given that you don't lose these parts, but you also need to be able to identify each part you need when reassembling.
For example, just removing the removed home button above creates four small parts.
My recommendation is to tape the parts to a piece of white paper and make a note on the piece of paper which step the parts were taken out of.
I had no problem managing the parts this way, but if I didn't do this and dismantled it, assembly would be a hell of a job.
By the way, I had a hard time removing the battery.
To remove the old battery from the iPhone, remove the bottom adhesive tape by pulling on the tab shown below.
However, this knob was surprisingly fragile and broke off when I pulled it.
This was explained in detail in the iFixit video, but you can pull it off with a twist to cleanly remove the adhesive without tearing.
If you are going to replace the battery, be sure to watch the iFixit video before doing this procedure.
By the way, the battery can catch fire, so make sure it's at 25% capacity before repairing it, and don't handle it roughly.
Is it possible for a complete amateur to repair an iPhone? (Concluding remarks)
So, in the end, did even a complete amateur succeed in repairing an iPhone?
From the conclusion, it was almost successful. I was relieved when my iPhone worked fine after the repair was completed.
The screen was white because it was the rose gold of the iPhone SE, but I changed it to black. Being able to bring out such originality is an advantage that only you can repair yourself.
However, I feel that the sensitivity of Touch ID has deteriorated a little. This is about "I feel bad", so maybe it's just my imagination, but I have the impression that the number of times I fail has increased a little. Maybe I damaged some parts related to Touch ID along the way, or maybe the parts were a little loosely connected.
Of course, I was prepared to fail this time, so I'm honestly not dissatisfied, but without this, I could have scored 100 points.
I didn't feel that the difficulty level was that difficult because there are proper instructions. This means that most people, even complete amateurs, can fix it themselves. Perhaps the hurdles to repairing an iPhone yourself aren't that high.
However, be aware that even complete amateurs can do repairs, but success is not guaranteed. Just like my iPhone's Touch ID has become less accurate, there is always a risk.
In some places, especially on waterproof iPhones, special adhesives are used to prevent water from entering. If you dismantle it by yourself, it will lead to a significant decrease in such waterproof function.
Therefore, in my personal opinion, those who genuinely want to repair iPhones, and those who don't mind if it breaks but want to try it if they can repair it cheaply I recommend it, but I recommend other people to ask for a repair service honestly.
It was a lot of fun to pass the time, and personally I was very satisfied with the new iPhone battery and screen.
