Smartphone users periodically face the question of repairing devices, and given the peculiarities of some manufacturers and the cost of components for them, at the same time, the question of the advisability of such a repair arises.
Most of all, the manufacturer of devices with the best displays, Samsung, has distinguished itself. The cost of SuperAmoled displays for the Galaxy S line can amaze an inexperienced person who has broken the display of his smartphone and wants to fix it. For example, here's the cost of the display on the Galaxy S8.
Not very nice numbers, right?
In addition to buying the original module, which comes immediately assembled with the main frame, you can find an offer on the net for buying a separate module without a frame, which will most likely be slightly cheaper than with a frame.
Both options are quite acceptable, but it should be understood that the manufacturer does not supply modules without a frame to the official channels. And if you are offered a module separately from the frame, then most likely it is re-glued.
That is, a module with broken glass was taken, but a whole display, glass was removed with the help of special equipment, and then new glass was glued to the matrix with the help of other special equipment. At the moment, our Chinese friends have put this process on stream and sell such re-glued displays in large quantities.
By the way, this is one of the relatively inexpensive repair options, which many service centers are currently engaged in. The cost of such a service ranges from 4,500 to 10,000 rubles, depending on the model. If your model has curved glass, the price will be higher than for a device with straight glass. Such a difference in price is a purely psychological factor for the client, since for the technology of replacing such glasses it does not matter at all whether the glass is curved or straight. This, in fact, does not in any way affect the complexity of the repair. The glass is removed by freezing the module in a special chamber using liquid nitrogen. The adhesive that connects the glass and the matrix becomes brittle and loses its adhesive properties. Then the glass is quite easily separated from the matrix.
Such a repair has its plus in the form of a relatively low price compared to a complete replacement, but also minuses, the main of which is the unpredictability of the further behavior of such a screen. Subsequently, air bubbles may appear on such a screen, which was not completely expelled during the gluing process, or even black spots that may appear in those places where a debris fell when gluing the module to the frame, which could eventually push the matrix. By the way, good services give a guarantee for such work.
Another relatively inexpensive way to repair a display on your Galaxy is to purchase a so-called 'demo' as a display donor. Live demo unit is a special version of a smartphone made for demo stands in stores.
We will not go into details of exactly how these phones get on sale, given that the box even has a special 'not for sale' inscription. We are more interested in the question of whether such a phone can become a replacement for your broken one.
The most important thing is that you should know that no firmware and flashing from such a phone will be able to make a full-fledged device. The fact is that such phones are physically missing elements responsible for cellular communication. However, almost all other functions work. In general, such a live demo unit phone can be used as a separate multimedia device for Internet access, as a camera, etc. The functionality of such demo phones differs from model to model.
For example, the Galaxy S6 / S6 edge / S6 edge plus initially has everything you need, except for the elements on the motherboard responsible for cellular communication. Therefore, it may seem that this is one of the simple options – I bought a 'demo', installed a motherboard from my broken one, and voila, everything works. Yes, that's all, except that Galaxy 6 series can be disassembled through the display and it is very easy to damage it when removing. Therefore, the main risk with 'sixes' is to kill the display when opening it.
As for the seventh series, there are nuances that make this repair option less attractive. In spite of the fact that it is quite easy to change boards on the “seven” – just peel off the back cover, unscrew a few screws, replacing the motherboard will not make this “demo” a full-fledged phone. The fact is that the S7 / S7edge live demo unit does not have the necessary elements on the lower loop, including a signal amplifier.
Therefore, even with a full-fledged board, the connection will be in the 2G range and very uncertain in the 4G range. But calling it a connection can only be a stretch. In order for the phone to start catching the network, it is also necessary to replace the lower cable, which in the case of the seventh generation becomes a non-trivial task, since for this you have to peel off the display from the frame. The fact is that, as I already wrote in one of my previous materials, the sensors of the lower buttons are made in the form of small loops, wound from the lower board between the screen and the frame of the case.
The display itself is very difficult to peel off, and not every service center will undertake this. When peeling off the display, such troubles as peeling paint from glass, damage to the glass itself and, in fact, the most unpleasant thing – damage to the display matrix are possible.
There is, of course, an option to simply re-solder the missing elements from a full-fledged loop to the 'demo' loop, but even here such an enthusiast will face difficulties in the form of soldering directly into the case, and installing some elements without a hair dryer will not work. And using a hair dryer inside the case means a high probability of melting something unnecessary.
In addition, the “demo” of the “seven” differs in that it has just a button instead of a fingerprint scanner. Yes, and again no firmware will help activate this very fingerprint – it simply is not there. The Home button is just a clicker. This is done so that all individuals who are not highly developed in terms of intelligence with a perverse sense of humor do not block exhibition samples with their prints. So to speak, protection from the fool.
Thus, using the demo version of the Galaxy S7 / S7 edge makes sense if you can remove the display from the frame or are good at soldering very small elements and you do not need a fingerprint scanner.
As for the eighth and ninth generations, everything is much simpler here. Demo versions of these smartphones are also devoid of a fingerprint scanner, but given its location on the back surface, its installation is straightforward and easy and effortless.
The same applies to the lower train. The S8 / S8 plus and S9 / S9 plus do not have touch buttons under the display, which means that no cables go under the screen, and therefore the lower cable changes very easily.
In terms of the feasibility of repairing with the purchase of a 'Live Demo Unit' version of the device, the latest generations of Galaxy are leading by a wide margin.
Conclusion
As often happens, the simplest and almost risk-free option turns out to be the most expensive – a complete replacement of the display with an original one in a frame (the so-called service kit). In this case, you will get a virtually new phone, the display of which will work the same as the display of a phone from a store.
In the case of glass plywood, most likely, everything will go smoothly and you will not encounter black spots or bubbles, and your phone will live happily ever after or until the first fall, since there is a risk that the new glass will not be original and hardened, just as durable as the one Samsung puts in its factories. Or maybe it will (depends on the workshop and on the greed of the master).
In the case of buying a Live demo unit donor, you need to weigh the pros and cons and either be ready to make compromises, or be able to work well with your hands or a soldering iron, or prepare a certain amount for a person who can do all this.
It turns out that in the case of Samsung flagships, the safest way is not to drop your phone. Well, or buy insurance for the display along with the phone, but here there are also some nuances and pitfalls, about which – a little later.