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Recommendations for Screen Repair

S

Sadus

Weaksauce
Joined
May 21, 2005
Messages
89
Well I got the new Samsung Galaxy s3.. didn't opt for the insurance... and within 5 days it slides out of my coat pocket... hits the corner of a table.. and BAM.. cracked screen.

Fall was less than 2 feet.. I think unfortunately for all the Gorilla Glass stuff.. the phone is very vulnerable to side impacts. Since there is almost nothing between the side of the phone and the screen. just a few mm's of plastic.

Of course.. my Otterbox arrives today.. a day late and a dollar short I guess :)

Would have thrown it into something temporary.. but Best Buy didn't have any cases available when I picked up my preorder on Friday.


So.. now that I'm done with my sob story :) I need to get this screen fix.. it's fully functional... I just know that I am not going to be able to live with a cracked screen for 2 years until my new re-up.

So looking for recommendations.. I live in the Seattle area. if anyone has a local reference.. otherwise I might be able to live with a pack in the box and ship solution.

Thanks in advance.
 
Check your local watch/jewelry repair shops (especially those at the mall).
 
I believe new screens/digitizers on ebay are $275. Honestly, I'd call Samsung, probably cheaper.
 
Is the actual LCD cracked? or is it just the digitizer? (clear glass part that detects touch signals)?


If it's just the digitizer - you might be able to to get the part alone and do the job yourself. Its easier than you'd expect.

At least when I dropped my HTC Evo a year ago, I ordered the part off amazon for like 7 dollars (Glass digitizer) and replaced it myself. Sprint was wanting 100+ to fix it.

I've heard stories that Samsung integrates their digitizer and LCD screen -- that would be the only huge problem I could see.
 
I'd look for the digitizer. I accidentally got water on my OG Droid last week killing the backlight of the lcd, so my friend game his old OG Droid (shattered glass). It was an easy harvesting his lcd screen to get mine back in shape. The repair easily could have been in the opposite direction to move my good digitizer over to replace his cracked glass. His could also been repair for $13, the digitizers are fortunately dirt cheap for these phones.

I'm just glad I didn't have to pay much (just time) to get a working phone, It would have had to consider getting a Droid X2 or Incredible for like $80 on Craigslist or go phoneless for 3 weeks until my (friend too) SIII comes in. It would have been a hassle to resell and recoup the costs of a used phone, too.
 
So Update:

After checking with BB and Sprint.. neither would touch it (since I did not purchase their insurance).

So I called Samsung.. they will repair the phone for 178.50 (includes shipping) with 5 day turn around. So that seems the best option.

I have to say I was very impressed with Samsung USA support. They knew exactly how to deal with the situation and I won't void my warranty by doing the repair through them. Given that people are selling the digitalizer for 220+ on Ebay.. seems like a no brainer way to go.

I would definitely recommend this route for anyone else that cracks their screen.
 
that is cheap all things considered. My evo was a pretty easy swap not sure what a Samsung's like to swap out.
 
Sorry about that. It was only the digitalizer, but after watching some of the breakdowns of the S3 on youtube it appears to be a very complicated process. So a lot of the cost i am guessing is labor.

Chances are i would have done more damage trying to break down the S3 to swap out the glass.

I had always planned to have someone else do the repair so i figured i was looking at 100+ in labor costs. Also from what i saw in the breakdowns it seemed the digitalizer and lcd where basically built as one unit.

Here is an example video of what is involved with disassemble to get to the screen.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=/&gl=US#/watch?v=_49Vd8Yi1l8

As it seems like seperating the lcd from the digitalizer would be a very difficult task.
 
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There are other videos that include links to high res images of the tear down. No offense, but disassembling the phone isn't complicated. They were designed such that unskilled Chinese laborers could do the final assembling of the phone. Tearing it apart is just in reverse, with some care for peeling stickers or gently unsnapping clips.
 
The digitizer price will probably come way down. I did the same thing on my Evo 4G, but the digitizer ended up being $30 and the repair was definitely doable. You don't want some dumbass tech working on your phone anyway, do it yourself if it's remotely possible.
 
Fair enough, guess I was just a bit intimidated :) I am not the most handy guy known to man and this way with Samsung doing it I don't kill my waranty.

Thanks again though for all the suggestions.
 
I repair phones for a living, it's next to impossible to replace just the digitizer on a Samsung Amoled screen. It's up there with the iPhone digitizer replacement repair, only ten times worse. I can't believe someone would even sell that part by itself.
 
Shit! You shouldn't have told them you cracked it. You can usually add insurance within 7-14 days... They definitely won't let you now.
 
AKDUDE said:
I repair phones for a living, it's next to impossible to replace just the digitizer on a Samsung Amoled screen. It's up there with the iPhone digitizer replacement repair, only ten times worse. I can't believe someone would even sell that part by itself.
Click to expand...

I was under the impression that the SAMOLED was attached to the digitizer, which was what made it able to be so thin. I haven't done repairs (professionally) in 2 years though, so I could be wrong.
 
It is attached... glued to it, but the newer amoled screens are so thin that they easily break if you try to pop it apart. They are nothing like the old amoled screens from a couple years ago that were build like LCD displays.
 
You should of called and added the insurance, then in a few days to it in there to get repaired.
 
Good tricks know :)

Hopefully I won't be breaking any screens in the near future now that I have my Otterbox waiting for my phone.

Live any learn :)
 
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