Broken screen on week old mobile
Discussion
Hi all,
One of my lads bought a brand new Google Pixel 6a a couple of weeks ago, never got round to insuring it, and unfortunately it fell off a chair he had left it on for five minutes and the screen cracked.
A screen protector and case had been ordered off Amazon that morning.
The phone still works OK, and does not seem to be otherwise damaged,
He can buy a new one for around £300 (give or take) and has been in three shops who say they can put a new screen on it in an hour for about £170 which seems ridiculous. (I could maybe understand £80)
He could sell it as is for maybe £60-£70.
What would you advise, (other than to be more careful)
One of my lads bought a brand new Google Pixel 6a a couple of weeks ago, never got round to insuring it, and unfortunately it fell off a chair he had left it on for five minutes and the screen cracked.
A screen protector and case had been ordered off Amazon that morning.
The phone still works OK, and does not seem to be otherwise damaged,
He can buy a new one for around £300 (give or take) and has been in three shops who say they can put a new screen on it in an hour for about £170 which seems ridiculous. (I could maybe understand £80)
He could sell it as is for maybe £60-£70.
What would you advise, (other than to be more careful)
I'd fix it myself.
Screen about £80 or more with the tools
Example:
https://store.ifixit.co.uk/products/google-pixel-6...
I did my Nexus 6p years ago with never having it done before and following a video on YouTube.
After that I'd always wait for the case and screen protector to arrive first before even thinking about using it in a normal sense.
Edit: snap Dave
Screen about £80 or more with the tools
Example:
https://store.ifixit.co.uk/products/google-pixel-6...
I did my Nexus 6p years ago with never having it done before and following a video on YouTube.
After that I'd always wait for the case and screen protector to arrive first before even thinking about using it in a normal sense.
Edit: snap Dave
If the digitiser works get a tempered glass screen protector, not a sticky back one but one of the ones that come with uv cure glue and a uv lamp. The uv cure glue does a great job of filling in the cracks and imperfections.
Either that or get him to watch a youtube video on how to change the screen and buy a screen off aliexpress. If he cant manage it tease him that he is less competent than an 11 year old chinese factory worker. Screen, digitiser and frame all preinstalled ready to swap as a module is 80 quid on aliexpress with 8 day shipping, maybe some import duty.
Edit jesus did it take me 40 minutes to type that? I got distracted.
Either that or get him to watch a youtube video on how to change the screen and buy a screen off aliexpress. If he cant manage it tease him that he is less competent than an 11 year old chinese factory worker. Screen, digitiser and frame all preinstalled ready to swap as a module is 80 quid on aliexpress with 8 day shipping, maybe some import duty.
Edit jesus did it take me 40 minutes to type that? I got distracted.
Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Monday 20th November 18:13
I realise that accidents can happen but I never bother with screen protectors or protective cases and I'm still using a 3 year S10e with no outer damage, other than small scratches on the pre-installed screen protector. Unfortuntely the USB port and headphone jacks have got unreliable with so much plugging/unplugging over time so I've went wireless for both functions. The phone has been dropped a few times over the years, guess I got lucky.
Worst I've ever done is to badly crack a screen on an old Xperia I was using as a general 'going out on the piss' phone which got left in the outer pocket of a backpack that was subsequently stuffed with various crap which put pressure on the screen. It still actually works, amazingly.
Modern smartphones cost hundreds of quid yet people (especially younger ones) often treat them with absolutely zero care or consideration.
Worst I've ever done is to badly crack a screen on an old Xperia I was using as a general 'going out on the piss' phone which got left in the outer pocket of a backpack that was subsequently stuffed with various crap which put pressure on the screen. It still actually works, amazingly.
Modern smartphones cost hundreds of quid yet people (especially younger ones) often treat them with absolutely zero care or consideration.
Wacky Racer said:
Cheers for all the replies, he's pretty tech savvy so he may order a genuine new screen for £90 and fit it himself.
There are several How to videos on YT and they all take less than ten minutes.
as long as he's patient. You can write off a phone replacing the screen if you make a small mistake. PRobably why someone wants to charge £100 an hour labour. Would you reduce your hourly rate to ten minute chunks? I wouldn't. But, if he's confident, patient, delicate with a heat gun, giveit a go.There are several How to videos on YT and they all take less than ten minutes.
ChocolateFrog said:
Never had any luck with aftermarket screens so I'd avoid that route.
they are mostly from the same factory the phones came from. There's a shop in town that fits them and is kept quite busy from my mates who's kids drop their phones a lot, plus a friend who works in telecoms and takes all his clients phones there for repairs.So I'd not avoid that route.
P.s. I replaced the camera glass on my phone a while ago. That's on the back and doesn't require too much disassembly but you still have to break the rear panel glue with careful application of heat and then take a few bits off after that. Was very delicate and v easy to damage other bits. I can see why it's not a cheap service.
I also advocate DIY having done many phone, tablets and other electronics over the years, and not just screens, all sorts of internal components, often costing a couple of pounds on ebay / ali express. I also used to 'chip' playstations and xboxes for friends for those who are old enough to know what that is!
Also very good to get kids doing this to build skills.
However, my caution would be that the 10 minute you tube videos make it look much easier than it is. They know what they are doing and have the right level of 'touch' when poking around. So things like pulling off the rear case is usually harder, and needs more care not to crack or scratch, than the videos appear (I often ended up buying a new real panel on the glass backed phones). Buying a new seal is also recommended, although I also have a reel of 1mm wide generic seal I sometimes use).
Buying non-genuine screens is totally fine, even if they don't come from the same factory. Screen tech is not as unique as their marketing makes out, especially on the "a" variants of pixel phone and on models that have been out more than a year.
Also very good to get kids doing this to build skills.
However, my caution would be that the 10 minute you tube videos make it look much easier than it is. They know what they are doing and have the right level of 'touch' when poking around. So things like pulling off the rear case is usually harder, and needs more care not to crack or scratch, than the videos appear (I often ended up buying a new real panel on the glass backed phones). Buying a new seal is also recommended, although I also have a reel of 1mm wide generic seal I sometimes use).
Buying non-genuine screens is totally fine, even if they don't come from the same factory. Screen tech is not as unique as their marketing makes out, especially on the "a" variants of pixel phone and on models that have been out more than a year.
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