Category: Mobiles and Smartphones repair and Service
Contents of this article
- How to replace the display
- Step by step instruction
Apple iPhone 4S
Before disassembling your iPhone, be sure it is powered
off. Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe P2 screws next to the dock connector.
Push the rear panel toward the top edge of the iPhone. The
panel will move about 2 mm.
Pull the rear panel away from the back of the iPhone,
being careful not to damage the plastic clips attached to the rear panel.
Remove the rear panel from the iPhone.
Remove the following screws securing the battery connector
to the logic board:
One 1.7 mm Phillips screw
One 1.5 mm Phillips screw.
Use a plastic opening tool to gently detach the battery connector from the socket on the device. Start lifting off the connector from the bottom side, by placing the tip of the tool between the loudspeaker enclosure and the metal cover of the connector.
The battery connector comes off vertically from the logic board. Do not apply force sideways.
Pay attention to the pressure contact underneath the top screw of the battery connector. This may come loose while prying the battery connector from its socket
One 1.5 mm Phillips screw.
Use a plastic opening tool to gently detach the battery connector from the socket on the device. Start lifting off the connector from the bottom side, by placing the tip of the tool between the loudspeaker enclosure and the metal cover of the connector.
The battery connector comes off vertically from the logic board. Do not apply force sideways.
Pay attention to the pressure contact underneath the top screw of the battery connector. This may come loose while prying the battery connector from its socket
Use a plastic opening tool to pull the pressure contact
from underneath the battery connector.
When reinstalling the pressure contact, be sure to clean it with a degreaser
such as windex or isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have the
potential to create wireless interference.
Take notice of the position of the small black ground clip on the upper screw of the battery connector. This clip is attached only by the upper screw. When reinstalling, it must be aligned so the gold contact point will press against the back cover.
Be careful not to rip off the battery connector socket soldered on the logic board. There are
4 very small soldering points awaiting this mistake.
Take notice of the position of the small black ground clip on the upper screw of the battery connector. This clip is attached only by the upper screw. When reinstalling, it must be aligned so the gold contact point will press against the back cover.
Be careful not to rip off the battery connector socket soldered on the logic board. There are
4 very small soldering points awaiting this mistake.
Insert the edge of a plastic opening tool between the
battery and the outer case near the bottom of the iPhone.
Run the plastic opening tool along the right edge of the battery and pry up at
several points to completely separate it from the adhesive securing it to the
outer case.
Use the exposed clear plastic pull tab to peel the
battery off the adhesive securing it to the iPhone.
Remove the battery.
Be careful not to pull the plastic pull tab too hard as it can be ripped off very easily.
Be careful not to pull the plastic pull tab too hard as it can be ripped off very easily.
Remove the following screws securing the dock connector
cable cover to the logic board:
One 1.5 mm Phillips screw
One 1.2 mm Phillips screw
Remove the metal dock connector cable cover.
One 1.2 mm Phillips screw
Remove the metal dock connector cable cover.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to pry the dock
cable up from its socket on the logic board.
Peel the dock connector cable off the adhesive securing
it to the logic board and the side of the speaker enclosure.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to pry the
cellular antenna cable up from its socket on the logic board.
De-route the cellular antenna cable out from under the metal fingers attached
to the logic board.
Be wary of the outer plastic ring located on top of the
rear camera's flash assembly. It can be easily displaced if not removed during disassembly.
You can use tweezers, a plastic opening tool, or a spudger to remove the outer
plastic ring.
Remove the following four screws securing the cable cover
to the logic board:
One 2.7 mm Phillips screw
One 2.6 mm Phillips screw
One 1.3 mm Phillips screw
One 1.2 mm Phillips screw
One 2.6 mm Phillips screw
One 1.3 mm Phillips screw
One 1.2 mm Phillips screw
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to pry the cable
cover tabs out of their slots cut into the EMI shield on the logic board.
Lift the cable cover from its edge nearest the top and remove it from the
iPhone.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to pry the rear
camera connector up from its socket on the logic board.
Be careful not to break any components off the surrounding area on the logic
board as you pry upwards.
Remove the rear camera from the iPhone.
There is a small rubber gasket that sits underneath the rear-facing camera. Make sure that it is properly seated before reassembly.
Remove the rear camera from the iPhone.
There is a small rubber gasket that sits underneath the rear-facing camera. Make sure that it is properly seated before reassembly.
Use a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip to eject the SIM
card and its holder.
This may require a significant amount of force. Remove the SIM card and its
holder.
Remove the five cables near the top of the logic board in
the following order:
Red Headphone jack/volume button cable
Front facing camera cable
Digitizer cable
Display data cable
Power button cable (located underneath the headphone jack/volume button cable as shown in the second picture.)
To disconnect the cables, use the edge of a plastic opening tool to gently lift their connectors up and out of the sockets on the logic board.
Be careful not to break any of the small and delicate surface mount components as you disconnect the cables.
Digitizer cable
Display data cable
Power button cable (located underneath the headphone jack/volume button cable as shown in the second picture.)
To disconnect the cables, use the edge of a plastic opening tool to gently lift their connectors up and out of the sockets on the logic board.
Be careful not to break any of the small and delicate surface mount components as you disconnect the cables.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw securing the grounding
clip to the logic board near the headphone jack.
Use the tip of a spudger to pry the small grounding clip
up off the logic board. Carefully grasp the grounding clip and remove it from
the iPhone. Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact
points on the grounding clip (not the mating halves of connectors) with a
de-greaser such as windex or isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have
the potential to cause grounding issues.
Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the 4.8 mm
standoff near the headphone jack.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to disconnect the
Wi-Fi antenna from the logic board.
If present, peel the piece of black tape covering the
hidden screw near the power button. Remove the 2.6 mm Phillips screw securing
the logic board near the power button.
(Use caution when removing this screw and removing the power contact held by
it; the contact tab will come loose with the screw)
Notice the small rubber bumper under the screen & digitizer cables (which are detached at top above the Q-code). This bumper can fall off of the logic board when removed or get stuck to the cables and fall off later.
Notice the small rubber bumper under the screen & digitizer cables (which are detached at top above the Q-code). This bumper can fall off of the logic board when removed or get stuck to the cables and fall off later.
Remove the following screws securing the logic board to
the case: One 2.5 mm Phillips screw near the vibrator motor
One 2.4 mm Phillips screw
One 3.6 mm standoff along the side of the logic board nearest the battery opening.
Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the single 3.6 mm standoff screw.
One 3.6 mm standoff along the side of the logic board nearest the battery opening.
Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the single 3.6 mm standoff screw.
Carefully lift the logic board from the end closest to
the speaker enclosure and slide it away from the top edge of the iPhone.
Remove the logic board.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the logic board (not the mating halves of connectors) with a de greaser such as windex or isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause grounding issues.
There is a small rubber bumper that sits on the top edge of the logic board where the digitizer and screen cables come through the case. It protects the cables as they bend over the top of the logic board. This can either get stuck to the cables or fall off the logic board when it comes out.
Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the logic board (not the mating halves of connectors) with a de greaser such as windex or isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause grounding issues.
There is a small rubber bumper that sits on the top edge of the logic board where the digitizer and screen cables come through the case. It protects the cables as they bend over the top of the logic board. This can either get stuck to the cables or fall off the logic board when it comes out.
Be sure not to lose the small grounding finger for the
rear facing camera near the power button. This finger rests on top of the PCB, screwed
down, and covered with the adhesive black plastic tape.
Wedge the plastic opening tool between the vibrator and the
side of the iPhone. Pry the vibrator up
to release it from the adhesive securing it to the iPhone. Remove the vibrator.
Remove the two 2.4 mm Phillips screws from the sides of
the speaker enclosure assembly.
Remove the small plastic bracket that was installed under
the screw closest to the dock connector cable.
Remove the speaker enclosure assembly from the iPhone.
Before reinstalling the speaker enclosure assembly's screws, be sure the Wi-Fi
grounding fingers are installed below the lip in the iPhone's metal case as
seen in the second picture. Before reassembly, be sure to clean all
metal-to-metal contact points between the grounding fingers of the Wi-Fi
antenna and the case of the iPhone with a de-greaser such as windex or
isopropyl alcohol. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause
wireless interference issues.
Remove the small pieces of black tape covering the
display mounting tabs.
Note: These corner screws are not the same thickness as
the other 1.5mm screws. Set them aside separately.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw securing the display
assembly near the power button.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw near the headphone jack.
Removing the headphone jack makes it easier to access this screw, particularly
during reassembly.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw near the lower
microphone.
Remove the 1.5 mm Phillips screw near the dock connector
cable.
Loosen the three large-headed Phillips screws along the
volume button side of the iPhone about one half turn. It is not necessary to
completely remove these screws. When reinstalling the display assembly, be sure
the washers are closest to the screw head (as seen in the second picture).
Loosen the three large-headed Phillips screws along the
other side of the iPhone about one half turn.
Use the edge of a plastic opening tool to gently pry up
the display assembly around its perimeter.
Remove the display assembly from the iPhone.
During reassembly, do not touch the metallic area at the
base of the LCD data cable, as this can cause problems with the LCD. If you do
touch it accidentally, clean it gently with an alcohol wipe before continuing.
After reassembly, clean the touchscreen surface with an alcohol wipe prior to
turning the iPhone back on. The alcohol helps dissipate any lingering static
electricity, which can cause problems with the display. After reassembly,
connect the iPhone to an AC power source before turning it on for the first
time. Once the iPhone has booted up successfully, you can disconnect the AC
power. After reassembly, protect your new display from any scratches by
installing a new screen protector.
