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Picture guide to DIY Galaxy Note glass and screen replacement

Getting out of the car, I made an awkward off-balance flailing motion with my arm, and clumsily flung my Galaxy Note down firmly onto a rock in the parking lot. It make a sick little "kich" sound...
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I picked it up, and found that the screen under the glass still was undamaged, and the touch interface performed as perfectly as before. I found replacement glass online for ~$20, and assumed I could replace the glass alone...
Unfortunately, I was informed that the Galaxy series of OLED pannels is laminated to the glass, and I would require the entire screen assembly. This was $225 shipped.
I still had hope I may be able to just replace the glass, but now that I had both part options available, I felt I had strong odds I would end up with a fixed device, and I began to dig in.
Remove the back cover, batter, SIM, and uSD cards.
Using a #0 philips screw driver I removed the 9 screws from under the back cover, and started prying on the two halves. Its turns out, the whole back half of the case is 1 piece, and where I was trying to pry (where you would pry if it was a Galaxy S2) is NOT the place it can split, and you need to pry between the crome lip of the case and the outside of the glass' bezel. I found starting from a bottom side corner worked best, and I could work my thumbnail around popping the little clips as I went. I started the gap in the seam very gently with a pocket knife as a pry tool.
::::: The uUSB port area needs special attention to pry it back so it slips over the protrusion! ::::
In about 5 minutes of careful edging my way around, it was pried free.
There were 3-4 little black screws that are also #0 phillips to free the mobo. It's TINY! Blows my mind to think of all the computing and communication power that is crammed into this tiny little ~10gram PCB.
Remove each of the little ribbon cable connectors by prying up on the edge with your finger nail (there are 5-6 of them I think), and a single coaxial cable connector near the corner where the thin arm intercepts the upper rectangle of PCB. I missed that cable on my first try, and thank God I was being gentle, as I nearly tore it before I saw it was still connected.
Now we can see the guts of the MoBo. Too bad the pictures are such a crappy quality from using a POS Nokia E71 to take them...
So, the job isn't over yet, and the hard part is next... Prying the glass/display panel assembly out of the bezel assembly. It is not as easy as it looks.
I do not think my method was the best approach, but it got the job done. If someone has a better method, it would be great to share it.
I first warmed the glass with a hair dryer, than began looking for a place I could pry, not entirely sure of where or how it comes apart. It turns out, the glass has to lift up out of bezel plastic area, and it's got big thick pads of adhesive strip at the top and bottom edge.
After much tail-chasing in working my way around with the exacto-knife, I realized that I was getting nowhere, as the adhesive would re-adhere the moment I pulled the blade out to work on the next area... So, I decided I would need something to act as a shim to keep the area I had pried away from re-attaching at I moved forward. I found the spare blades in my exacto-knife kit worked perfectly for this.
Eventually it gave way! Woot! When it finally released, the OLED panel delaminated from the glass, and broke into about 8 chunks, and ended my hope of replacing just the glass portion alone. I think if someone were exceptionally careful, good adhesive heating, good careful thin shim material application, they MIGHT be able to replace just the glass portion alone and not break the OLED panel. This would allow breaking the glass to actually only cost $20 if you were some sort of wizard who could de-bond the panel and other things from the glass without breaking them.
So, now that my broken screen/glass is out, I flip it over and compare it with the new one... Umm!! WTF?? The old one has a connector my new one doesn't! Sh*t!!! At this point I'm thinking I might be $1,000usd into a device that isn't going to work.
So, I'm thinking I've got nothing to lose, so I start pealing away at the layers near that connector, hoping for a miracle. Things aren't looking good.
I keep pealing away, and hey! I got down deep enough that it's pealing that thing off with the connector! Tearing away some foam-like adhesive as it goes.
Hooray! I've got some hope now! I stick that thing to the back of the new OLED panel. The glue doesn't stick anymore at all, so it's more like setting it in place and trying to line it up as best as possible. I'm not really thinking it's going to work at this point...
But I put everything back together in the reverse order of taking it apart, and WOOT!!! It all works!!! The digitizer works perfectly even though it's not even adhered to the back, and it's positional accuracy is perfect too!! I don't know how that's even possible, but it works perfect!
No dead pixels or bad spots on the screen, and not even a scratch or knick anywhere on the phone. I'm VERY VERY HAPPY!!!

Any pictures of your finished product?

Good work, sounds like a traumatic experience!
I had something very similar with my s2, dropped on a rock, broke the glass but not the screen. bought glass off ebay but couldn't separate broken glass from screen. I ended up taking it to a samsung service center who charged me £50 to replace the glass using my Ebay part which proved the glass can be replaced with right tools and technique.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA Premium App

rogconnect said:
Any pictures of your finished product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 please 10 char.
Sent from my Galaxy Note

Thanks for sharing.
I was planning on ordering the Full Housing Case Cover Replacement. My plan was to, not only swap the back cover, but also the bezel surrounding the screen. After reading your post, I have decided to pass on that.. hehe.

rogconnect said:
Any pictures of your finished product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep!
They look awful though because they are taken on this damn Nokia E71 phone that makes me want to throw it on the ground and stomp it everytime I have to use it's awful camera, and awful interface to use the camera, and awful procedure for getting pics off it... lol I sadly had to buy it just to get it's unlocked SIM card so I could run my Note off a super cheap $40 a month unlimited everything plan with no contract.

I changed mine about a week ago and almost cried when i seen that connector on the back of the broken screen. I thought i had cut something when i didnt see it attached by a connector. Then i thought about the stylus connection and bam.
I did this at 3am when i couldnt sleep without guide.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

Subscribed. Congratulations.

My somewhat lost my back button. I have to sometimes press it multiple times. But no biggie as long as button savior is around. I think it was a missing screw.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium

About an hour ago, i accidenly smash my Note screen with its cover pouch which i hang with it a key chain.
At that time there was a mosquito in my face and i was try to slamp my face with my hand which hold the cover pouch. Accidenly, my Note was also near my face getting hit by the key chain hard! on the screen. Luckily nothing happen not even scratch. Its is a traumatic hour for me ;'(
Anyway, forget my story and thanks to the OP for nice guidance..
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

May i ask what glue u use to bound the screen babk ti the phone? My lower left conor of the screen is loose and flexing an di press the menu button and some light is leaking off the edge of the screen from the menu button led.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

this is going to the bookmark ...

Where did you get the replacement glass and how much did it cost?

Cannot see any pictures

....like a boss....

Congratulations to OP for successful revival
Definitely like a boss!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Just how fragile is the Note?
I've had the Dell Streak 5 for 15 months and have just this evening suffered my 7th (seventh - not a typo) broken screen. it fell from approximately 12 inches on to a rug, onto its corner and the lcd has leaked.
My upgrade date is Friday so i'm going to suffer half a screen for a week, but i love the size of the streak and the only thing close to it is the Note, however i don't want another phone that is going to break at the slightest knock like the streak.
Any advice would be great!

gregianos said:
Just how fragile is the Note?
I've had the Dell Streak 5 for 15 months and have just this evening suffered my 7th (seventh - not a typo) broken screen. it fell from approximately 12 inches on to a rug, onto its corner and the lcd has leaked.
My upgrade date is Friday so i'm going to suffer half a screen for a week, but i love the size of the streak and the only thing close to it is the Note, however i don't want another phone that is going to break at the slightest knock like the streak.
Any advice would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its pretty tough. Ive had my note about 6 weeks and dropped it about 6 times. Most recently this afternoon it fell about 4 feet to the ground out of my jacket pocket. It fell on concrete and luckily it seems perfectly fine.
I have a cheapo screen protector and a cheap TPU case off amazon.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Best way to avoid breaks is, dont drop your phone. I literally sleep on my phone 5 out of 7 days. Drop it a couple times a week from waist and barely ever got a scratch. But when my 235 pound body wedge my phone between me and my car door it finally cracked after 3 months of use.
The phone can take a beating but you should protect your phone as best as you can. And if your like me, and walk around with a naked phone, you have to be able to deal with the consequences of damage. Cant blame anyone but yourself. Scratches and cracked screens are not self inflicted, its user error.
gregianos said:
Just how fragile is the Note?
I've had the Dell Streak 5 for 15 months and have just this evening suffered my 7th (seventh - not a typo) broken screen. it fell from approximately 12 inches on to a rug, onto its corner and the lcd has leaked.
My upgrade date is Friday so i'm going to suffer half a screen for a week, but i love the size of the streak and the only thing close to it is the Note, however i don't want another phone that is going to break at the slightest knock like the streak.
Any advice would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I just drop mine 1 feet high during cleanup its screen inside me car..damn it drop and hit my gear box car!! Another mistake which can cause me become crazy!! And another luck where my screen and body phone is ok with no scratch at all..lucky me (again).. ;'(
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

TF300 Back removed

Well I got bored and since I couldn't find any pictures of the insides of the TF300 I took the cover off, it was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. The volume button and power button are attached so you don't have to worry about them falling out of the cover.
There are just a bunch of clips holding the back on and all I did was slip my spudger in between the seam around the screen and it started popping apart.
I did start on the bottom and the opposite side of the volume rocker and then just worked my way around it.
Only took about 5 minutes being careful the first time around. Would only take a minute or two now since I know how easy this thing comes apart.
If you do this be sure to remove your micro SD card first though.
I didn't go any further than just remove the back, really didn't feel like doing a full tear down and didn't want to remove the warranty sticker either.
Putting it back on only takes a minute.
The one thing that did surprise me was the amount of finger print smudges there were on the copper strips and the metallic coating on the underside of the cover, they definitely weren't mine , so much for using gloves.
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Here's the direct links to the full sized images.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7640/005esp.jpg
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6397/006kt.jpg

nice
i always wonders how it look like o the inside. by any chance are you planing to crawl to the cpu and gpu?

Unless I get really bored I probably won't tear it down any further.
The CPU/GPU look to be under the large copper shield and it's stuck down pretty good. I'd definitely would bend it up really bad trying to get it off as it's very thin, and on the lower edge of it there's a warranty sticker so I wouldn't want to damage it.

Swappable back cover anyone?
Why yes, that would be fantastic

turdbogls said:
Swappable back cover anyone?
Why yes, that would be fantastic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can find a white or red one on eBay then yes it is. There are no components on the cover itself except for a heat dispersion pad. That's it.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA Premium HD app

Got excited, was hoping to see more in there, but looks like they covered the good stuff with that thin copper :/
What's that even for? It's so thin, it looks fairly useless.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA Premium HD app

Just a thought... Could the bootloader encryption be on a chip?

obsidianchao said:
Got excited, was hoping to see more in there, but looks like they covered the good stuff with that thin copper :/
What's that even for? It's so thin, it looks fairly useless.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The copper foil is probably used as dual purpose, heat spreader and EMI shielding. The piece over the CPU/GPU does have a black plastic backing insulating it from other components. But I couldn't tell if the copper foil was in direct contact with the CPU/GPU or not with the way it was stuck down, and I didn't want to pry up on it as it would bend out of shape very easily.

Didja manage to get any pictures of the internals? For those of us who are a little less adventurous..

DuneBug said:
Didja manage to get any pictures of the internals? For those of us who are a little less adventurous..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a couple pictures posted in OP, I updated it to include links to the full sized images.

Oh oops, Opera mobile wasn't showing the pics till u added the links..

Very interesting, everything is clean and tight hehe.
Thanks
Yes a back replacement for those who like to mod would be cool!

Nice. If they were ever to sell the red one I would look for the red back. Lol. That's the one I really wanted but couldn't resist.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using XDA

There was finger marks on it already you say?
I know people are saying about the GPU and CPU but they're on the same chip aren't they?

psjw12 said:
There was finger marks on it already you say?
I know people are saying about the GPU and CPU but they're on the same chip aren't they?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was actually surprised at how many fingerprints were inside the unit and very visible on the copper foil and metallic coating on the inside of the cover.
I cleaned most of them off of the copper with some alcohol but couldn't get them all. Some of the ones on the inside of the cover were very clear and would be easy to get a clear print off of those. I figured they would probably wear gloves while assembling them as I've never seen this many prints on the inside of a new device, or at least give it a wipe down after assembly, no harm done though.
The CPU/GPU reside on the same chip, here's a good article from Anandtech showing the architecture of the chip.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5072/nvidias-tegra-3-launched-architecture-revealed/

chili_red said:
Yes, I was actually surprised at how many fingerprints were inside the unit and very visible on the copper foil and metallic coating on the inside of the cover.
I cleaned most of them off of the copper with some alcohol but couldn't get them all. Some of the ones on the inside of the cover were very clear and would be easy to get a clear print off of those. I figured they would probably wear gloves while assembling them as I've never seen this many prints on the inside of a new device, or at least give it a wipe down after assembly, no harm done though.
The CPU/GPU reside on the same chip, here's a good article from Anandtech showing the architecture of the chip.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5072/nvidias-tegra-3-launched-architecture-revealed/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look for a port to put a 3g receiver

poor quality control on these items

archondragon said:
hey can you post a youtube video man on how to disassemble it? i am seriously having a touch screen issue, i'm afraid to take it apart unless i see a video on how to do it, but so far i found none. hopefullly maybe you can show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Issues like that?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28416198&postcount=9

LOL
You got some nerve!
I’m very afraid of taking apart my electronics. (Sloppy hands)
You know who assembles for ASUS? Because I’ve seen pictures of FOXXCON workers wearing gloves, or fingertip cover if not whole gloves.

Ripped mine apart today.
Buster99 said:
Issues like that?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28416198&postcount=9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dropped mine three days after I got it - doesn't take a hit very well.. Still powers up and operates but glass/touchscreen is shattered and no touch response, so it's basically a doorstop..
Ripped into it after seeing this post - no video of the process though, sorry.. Getting the back off is indeed easy.. Video connector is right there and easy to get to in order to re-seat if you suspect a bad connection.. It is the metallic micro-connector that actually has wires and is taped down with a clear tape.
Also, touchscreen plastic ribbon connector is also easy to get to in order to re-seat.. It is the wide plastic strip type ribbon (with internal wiring strips) that ends up splitting into two connections with little foam rubber pieces on top of them to keep them from backing out.. When you pull the connections out, as I did today, it's good to know how they work. The two touchscreen headers (connectors) on the pcb are a hinged/clamping type. The back of the connector (away from the ribbon) hinges up and the ribbon is free.
Anyway, removing a shattered touchscreen is a bear - lots and lots of sticky adhesive. Double-sided sticky tape (half inch wide) holding the touchscreen to the flimsy plastic bezel all the way around, and double-sided sticky foam (2mm wide) holding the touchscreen to the TFT display assembly all the way around.
I need confirmation, please, from anyone; is this touchscreen for the TF300 the same one used for the TF201. I would assume it is, but do not want to order one based on an assumption.. I have the whole unit reassembled and working w/o touchscreen. Installing it will be miles easier than taking it out for sure..

Sanded, polished, etched the back case of my phone.

THE STORY:
Since I bought this phone I wanted to do something to the back cover, I just wasn't sure what. Plus I wasn't really set on the idea of doing something to risk damaging a perfectly good (and new at the time) phone. That was until about 2 months ago when I managed to put a small hairline crack in the digitizer. Since the phone was no longer undamaged, yet still 100% functional, I figured why the hell not customize it.
I read awhile ago on XDA about some users discussing what the phone would look like with a polished look but no one was willing to take the plunge. This seemed like a good/fun project now that I didn't care if I screwed it up.
First I used 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove the anodization. While this method was working, it was painstakingly slow to get to bare metal. The interesting thing about 1000 grit though, it doesn't remove the anodizing right away yet takes out a lot of the minor blemishes due to everyday use. This could in turn be used carefully to remove any dings you have without removing the anodizing. In this photo it is hard to see, but the top half near the camera hasn't been sanded, while near the HTC logo it has.
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Since 1000 grit was taking too long, I switched to 400 grit. This seemed to be a decent middle ground. It wasn't too coarse to tear up the aluminum but just enough to take off the anodization a little quicker. You can see I managed to scratch the camera lens cover a bit... don't worry FYI: anodizing can be removed via a chemical bath, but who would be willing to put their whole phone in a vat of liquid....
Now that I was down to bare metal I switched to 3000 grit sandpaper I picked up from O'Reilly's Auto Parts. This smoothed out a lot of the larger scratches from the 400 grit paper and gave a good dull, almost brushed, look to the aluminum.
Now that I had a mostly blemish free surface, I used Turtle Wax Polishing Compound to smooth out any remaining small imperfections. The final step was to use Mothers Aluminum Polish to get a nice mirror finish.
I was pretty satisfied with the result, however, I had to do more...
I recently stumbled across this article on Hack A Day which gave me the inspiration to do the same.
For everyone's information, after polishing the back, this is what your phone will look like after 2 weeks of typical use (for me at least).
Before I started the etching process I had to give the back cover a good re-polishing. Once that was complete I decided on the design I wanted. Typically in most DIY etching, people use some kind of paint or resist to block the areas they don't want etched. Luckily I have an awesome brother-in-law who recently got a hold of an old plotter. So I whipped up a design in Illustrator and he took care of getting me a vinyl cutout to use. Of course I had to go with the two sites I frequent the most as my design... (yes, I know it's a little off center. I got in a hurry ha-ha)
Instead of going with a vinegar and salt solution for my etchant. I decided on a mix of Copper Sulfate, Sodium Bisulfate and table salt. I used a 45% Copper Sulfate, 45% salt, and 10% Sodium Bisulfate mix.
The Copper Sulfate comes as a chunky blue rock/crystal. So I hit it with the mortar and pestle to make dissolve better in water.
After mixing everything in hot water it was time to etch. I used an old 12 volt 1000ma wall wart I had sitting around for my power source. I wired the phone by wrapping it with 1 foot of bare copper wire and tightly wrapping the wire with electrical tape to make sure it would contact the aluminum. I wrapped another wire around a cotton swab tip and connected it to the negative terminal of the wall wart. After making sure the phone was powered off. I connected the positive terminal of the wall wart to the bare wire attached to the phone, making sure it was in contact with the aluminum by testing it with a voltmeter.
Once satisfied with the etch, I cleaned the surface off with a damp paper towel. All that was left was another polish with the Turtle Wax and the Mothers Aluminum Polish. Here is the final result.
A couple of notes:
1. The phone "seems" to get warmer than what it did before (only while watching videos or playing a graphics heavy game). I haven't checked/compared the actual stats, it's just what I have noticed while holding phone.
2. The white plastic that separates the top and bottom will get a little grey from the sanding and polishing. Goof off seems to be a great remedy to make them white again.
3. The scratches on the camera lens protective cover were buffed/polished away while using the Turtle Wax Polishing Compound. Also, the scratches were never over the center portion and did not impact the picture quality while they were there anyway.
4. The speaker phone mic will get compound/polish in it, however a light tap on a table, with the mic facing down, while the compound is still wet removes most of it. Any residual stuff left in the small hole can be removed (CAREFULLY) with the tip of an exacto blade.
5. I have not had any issues with my signal, nor any issues with the mic on the phone since doing this.
I shouldn't have to say this, but anyone who tries this, be careful. You can seriously mess up the phone and I am not responsible if you follow my examples and something goes wrong. Do this at your own risk.
If you would like to do this and have questions or need help, let me know.
-Crack

Looks great mate. Don't know if I could be bothered with all the work myself, but props to you for creating such a unique result.

I wonder if it is posible to polish a black one?

zumyman46 said:
I wonder if it is posible to polish a black one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My brother-in-law's is black... He wants to try all this out, I may report back if he decides to go through with it..

Chrome One...It actually looks amazing.

kinda looks like the m8. Can you put a clear coat or something to seal everything so that it doesnt scratch so easily?

I remember I saw on a truck show there is a sealant that could be used on chrome wheels to keep them shiny and scratch resistant but forgot what the product was called. Without some type of sealant you will get scratches back in no time flat like the I phones do. This is a great idea of if you want a chrome look and the etching is icing on the cake. You are only limited by your imagination. Could really make your phone yours.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

That's awesome mate it looks great in chrome
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

UltraNoob said:
kinda looks like the m8. Can you put a clear coat or something to seal everything so that it doesnt scratch so easily?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought about this since this phone is mostly an experiment before picking up the new M8. I forgot who made it, but there is a spray paint that gives the "appearance" of an anodized metallic look in different colors. I know that sounds counterintuitive since I removed the stock anodization, again, this is mainly an experiment. I was thinking of doing some kind of a fade between two colors and then a clear coat.
robgee789 said:
That's awesome mate it looks great in chrome
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I almost wanted to keep it just chrome without the etch, and I almost stopped after seeing the dull brushed aluminum look because I liked it so much..

robgee789 said:
That's awesome mate it looks great in chrome
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about plastidip??
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Wow, I've never even imagined the One with a "chrome" look like that. It's gorgeous. Unfortunate that it gets scratched up like that, though.

Wow this is epic. How long did the entire process take all together?

tnx FOR SHARING..
I will start polishing very soon. Tnx for great idea and i will post picture result

Good Job!!

First look. After sandpaper i accidentally damage camera lens. But,i try a tip from youtube with toothpaste and now is maybe better than before everything. Just perfect solution for camera lens.. Now i only need to start polishing with some polish paste and we will see resoults soon..

Crackanug said:
My brother-in-law's is black... He wants to try all this out, I may report back if he decides to go through with it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will work the same. Anodizing only creates a hardened surface a few microns thick. The sand paper will rub through this quickly leaving the base aluminium colour underneath. The anodize process is what is used to surface harden and create different coloured aluminium surfaces. If your brother in law expects to have a polished black surface afterwards, he won't.

diselhead said:
First look. After sandpaper i accidentally damage camera lens. But,i try a tip from youtube with toothpaste and now is maybe better than before everything. Just perfect solution for camera lens.. Now i only need to start polishing with some polish paste and we will see resoults soon..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good so far. :good:
CaelanT said:
Will work the same. Anodizing only creates a hardened surface a few microns thick. The sand paper will rub through this quickly leaving the base aluminium colour underneath. The anodize process is what is used to surface harden and create different coloured aluminium surfaces. If your brother in law expects to have a polished black surface afterwards, he won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I recall, those microns sure put up a good fight against the sand paper...

Crackanug said:
If I recall, those microns sure put up a good fight against the sand paper...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
65-70 HRC..................yes...............very hard surface after anodizing. :fingers-crossed:
Sandpaper is also not the best medium for breaking through it either, but definitely the safest to prevent damaging the aluminium below it.

renehd2 said:
Are you talking about plastidip??
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hot damn this looks gorgeous just plainly polished. The chrome/mirror look is niiiice - might have get scrubbing this afternoon.

I kind of want to sand my One down and hit it with some automotive grade basecoat and a few coats of clear coat. Anyone have any experience? Will it give me the beautiful glossy finish I think it will?

DIY: Replaced my shattered camera lens

I thought I'd put this out there for anyone like myself who was suffering from a shattered back camera lens. Mine may or may not have broken when my phone slipped out of my pocket and hit concrete from about 6" height, but that's besides the point. It was broken, I scraped out the shards with tweezers and carried about my life until a replacement lens came in from Amazon (seller JM Int'L_Ships From Chicago; item name: ePartSolution-Samsung Galaxy S5 G900A G900T G900V G900P Camera Lens Glass Cover Repair Part USA Seller), which cost ~$7 shipped and arrived within a week. Anybody complaining about a $70+ bill to send this thing to Samsung or their carrier should seriously consider the DIY route. All you need is tweezers and some time, really.
Needed materials:
Tweezers
Replacement lens kit
Isopropyl alcohol
Cotton swabs for the isopropyl alcohol
30 minutes of your time
So here are the steps to fix your camera (or here's a video I found on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm1ngu_JtGA):
0. Disassemble phone and prep your work area.
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1. Remove old camera lens ring. It's the silver piece. Take tweezers and pry it off. It doesn't matter if you scratch this piece up because it's going in the trash. Note: these pictures show that my lens was already removed - little pieces of it kept falling out throughout the week, so I had to remove it before taking these pictures.
2. Remove any pieces of the old camera lens. There will be a foam-like adhesive (kind of like 3M outdoor double sided sticky tape, but thinner?) under the lens and it's a pain to scrape it all off. What you see in the picture is what happens after you scrape the adhesive off. Clean the area using isopropyl alcohol.
3. The kit of parts will come with a replacement lens (1), an adhesive ring (2), and replacement camera lens ring with adhesives (3). Assemble adhesive ring (2) to replacement lens (1), applying the adhesive on the side with concentric circles (visible side in the picture). Do not apply to the solid black side.
5. After verifying that camera lens and surrounding areas are clean and free of lint/debris/whatever, install the new camera lens. Press firmly so adhesive can adhere to phone body. Do not apply so much pressure as to crack the new lens, though. Remove protective plastic wrap off surface of solid black side of camera lens.
6. Install new camera lens ring, ensuring notched area aligns properly with phone body. You'll notice that the replacement lens kit from Amazon comes with both adhesives pre-installed. The black adhesive goes around the lens itself while the clear adhesive adheres the ring to the body of the phone. Press firmly using your fingernails or tweezers.
New lens with ring on left, old ring on right. :good: :highfive:
That's it. I'm not sure how water resistant my phone will be now that there is no foam-like adhesive under the camera lens, but I'll just keep my phone out of the swimming pool from now on.

camera replacement
How well did ur camera work after u replaced it is there a difference in the quality because that just happened to me and I need my camera for classes so I'm a little stressed on wht to do especially coz I'm a college student and don't have a lot of money to spend on fixing it

Thanks for the detailed post. I recently shattered the original lens on my S5 and bought a replacement on eBay, but it turned out to just be a cheap piece of plastic, not glass, so it doesn't allow the camera to focus. How does your solution compare to the original? Does it focus as well? If so, can you provide a link to the item so I can buy it? Thanks for your help!

Just want to let people know...this doesn't actually replace the Rear-Facing Camera. The only replaces the glass lens COVER for the Rear-Facing Camera. I was getting all sorts of blurry rings around my images taken with my S5. I thought following these instructions would fix my issue so I bought this replacement kit and tried it out. It turns out my issue is DEEPER......the actual Rear-Facing Camera is broken on my phone.

S5 camera lens scratched
I have just replaced the camera glass screen on my s5 using the method above! worked really well, however there are still black smudges/dots appearing when I try to take a photo. Is this a problem with the camera lens? How can I replace this? expensive?
Thankyou

curly8u said:
I have just replaced the camera glass screen on my s5 using the method above! worked really well, however there are still black smudges/dots appearing when I try to take a photo. Is this a problem with the camera lens? How can I replace this? expensive?
Thankyou
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i replaced the glass cover with no sweat but the camera still has a little dark (but mostly translucent) grey area that goes away when you zoom in. this youtube video is pretty good about showing what a real breakdown and rear camera replacement will look like: https://youtu.be/kqnOjT5lJeo -- he links to some ebay searches for replacement camera and tools. i got mine off ebay for $16 shipped. here's another good guide with tips: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Samsung+Galaxy+S5+Rear+Facing+Camera+Replacement/27057
i'm comfortable breaking it down, but i'm worried about the adhesive under the screen (both around the edges and the orange/copper strips inside)... does anyone know where/what kind of adhesive i need to buy to make sure i get a good, solid hold after putting the screen back together?

Thank you for the awesome instructions! One additional piece of advice: after removing the old glass and before putting on the new one, make sure that the camera focuses properly. If not, tap the phone against hard surfaces, blow against the lens, etc. to get any tiny glass fragments to fall out and un-jam the lens. It travels along its axis to auto-focus. With all that, my camera now seems good as new!

Anyone with the same issue knows which lens to get from Amazon? I broke mine and bought one here in Argentina, the thing is that pictures look awful. Really awful. I'm pretty sure that the replacement I got is just cheap plastic.
Also, does anyone know a way to clean the actual lens (not the cover)? Maybe is dirty because it took like a month to replace it.

I have just replaced my lens as well using the method above. Now it does not focus even when zooming in. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I usual get my repair parts at the HCQS or etardesupply

I don't know whether the cam module is soldered onto the pcb. If not, you could easily replace it, if there weren't the necessity to remove the display unit. And the main pcb. Then the cam, which should remain in the subframe, if not soldered.

Help pls
So,
I just replaced my s6 camera and I still have black dots (dust dots I guess) when I open the camera app.... So funny enough, the replaced camera shows the same dots as the old camera. So now you would think it is a software problem. But I downloaded "a better camera" and it shows the same dots. So I don't really know where the problem is coming from. Is the connector broken? I didn't try a factory reset.... Will try it but I don't think it will solve the problem, it really looks like dust but there the same spots than the old camera I replaced.... Pls what is wrong with my s6?
Grts!

Gold Frame, Black Phone

Hey guys,
I just wanted to share my phone modification with everyone, in case any one was interested. I bought a N910F gold frame and put it on my T-Mobile Note 4. Here are the pictures of the results. Let me know if anyone is interested in doing this with their phone, and I'll be glad to explain the process (it's super easy). You can do any frame you want (white, black, and gold), although I haven't see a pink one for sale.
Pictures

That looks pretty sharp. How much was the frame?

Face_Plant said:
That looks pretty sharp. How much was the frame?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, there's only ONE seller of the N910F frames that I could find, and that's a company called fonejoy. Their price was £45 (or $70) which was pretty steep considering the Chinese ones [which fit the Verizon model] are about $50. Also, my original frame is in mint condition (no scratches or anything), so it's resale value is around $40, if I were to sell it. I can also just put the old frame back on when I'm done with the phone and want to sell the phone itself, and the phone would be in mint condition, which increase resale value (over a scratched up frame). That's how I justified the purchase- but honestly, I just really wanted it.

Looks pretty sharp !

How hard was it to replace the frame? The chamfered edges on mine are starting to accumulate a ton of micro scratches so I'd like to replace it eventually

holycow1 said:
Hey guys,
I just wanted to share my phone modification with everyone, in case any one was interested. I bought a N910F gold frame and put it on my T-Mobile Note 4. Here are the pictures of the results. Let me know if anyone is interested in doing this with their phone, and I'll be glad to explain the process (it's super easy). You can do any frame you want (white, black, and gold), although I haven't see a pink one for sale.
Pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've actually removed my frame to remove dust under the camera that affected pictures, now the screen and frame aren't that flush. How did you re-glue it back together? What adhesive did you use?
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever

That can happen. What I did was I used a hair dryer to heat the top corners before removing the rest of the phone from the frame. If the screen is no longer flush, what I'd recommend is taking your phone apart again and using that hair dryer to warm the adhesive between the screen and middle frame. When the adhesive is warm, put the screen down on a soft surface and apply the pressure on the top portion of the boards (don't press too hard, just in case). Then when you're putting the frame back on, use the hair dryer to heat those top corners again and press together. Then put the screws back in.
You could also need more adhesive- I took my other phone apart to try to fix the GPS and the glass wasn't perfectly flush when putting it back together. I took it to the Samsung repair depot in TX and they put it in their oven and took it apart properly but when they reassembled it, it still wasn't flush (they didn't add more adhesive).
If you do need more adhesive, they sell it on eBay (search N910 adhesive) but they sell it in packs of 5 or more... and it's $9... kind of a rip off.

Face_Plant said:
How hard was it to replace the frame? The chamfered edges on mine are starting to accumulate a ton of micro scratches so I'd like to replace it eventually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Frame is not that hard to remove... My recommendation is to use a little heat (hair dryer) for those top corners. You do need a plastic pry tool (or a guitar pick would work).
The easiest way that I've found is to start at the back and lift up the plastic part then move to the side of the phone and use that pry tool to just work your way up and around the phone. Don't start at the bottom, for some reason its harder to start at. Once you have the top, it will open like a clam shell. Use a little heat when putting it back together- again on the top corners.

holycow1 said:
That can happen. What I did was I used a hair dryer to heat the top corners before removing the rest of the phone from the frame. If the screen is no longer flush, what I'd recommend is taking your phone apart again and using that hair dryer to warm the adhesive between the screen and middle frame. When the adhesive is warm, put the screen down on a soft surface and apply the pressure on the top portion of the boards (don't press too hard, just in case). Then when you're putting the frame back on, use the hair dryer to heat those top corners again and press together. Then put the screws back in.
You could also need more adhesive- I took my other phone apart to try to fix the GPS and the glass wasn't perfectly flush when putting it back together. I took it to the Samsung repair depot in TX and they put it in their oven and took it apart properly but when they reassembled it, it still wasn't flush (they didn't add more adhesive).
If you do need more adhesive, they sell it on eBay (search N910 adhesive) but they sell it in packs of 5 or more... and it's $9... kind of a rip off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! I guess if it gets out of control I will try that. It's OK for now. I might try the taking apart again to warm the glue up. Thanks!
Sent from the first Samsung Galaxy ever

LTE Connectivity Bands
Does the change in chassis from the 910t to a chassis of a 910f affect the lte bands accepted? I'm not sure if that is built into the logic board or the configuration of the metal chassis antenna which would be changed.

Kokorone said:
Does the change in chassis from the 910t to a chassis of a 910f affect the lte bands accepted? I'm not sure if that is built into the logic board or the configuration of the metal chassis antenna which would be changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No change in bands- all antenna terminals are the same.

Does anyone know if this frame would work for the AT&T version of the Note 4?

kodath said:
Does anyone know if this frame would work for the AT&T version of the Note 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't tell you 100% sure, but I believe so. The only frame that is radically different is the Verizon one which fits the Chinese frames found on eBay.
If you take off the frame and take a picture of it, you can compare it to the T-Mobile frame side by side. I can send you a picture of mine.

Thanks for the reply!
I will go open mine when I get home, can you post a picture of your original frame on here? It might help others out as well!

kodath said:
Thanks for the reply!
I will go open mine when I get home, can you post a picture of your original frame on here? It might help others out as well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Careful when you're opening it. Read my previous posts in the thread regarding heating corners and where to start.
Original T-Mobile frame:
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For reference, here's the Chinese frame (which I believe fits the Verizon model):
Notice the microphone holes at the bottom and the antenna locations are the major differences, and in fact causes the two not to be interchangeable.

Thanks for the reply, I will give it a try, it looks the same as the T-mobile one.

Black and white looks sick... saw someone did it. Cant remember where though.. i think it might have been a video. By zedomax.

holycow1 said:
Unfortunately, there's only ONE seller of the N910F frames that I could find, and that's a company called fonejoy. Their price was £45 (or $70) which was pretty steep considering the Chinese ones [which fit the Verizon model] are about $50. Also, my original frame is in mint condition (no scratches or anything), so it's resale value is around $40, if I were to sell it. I can also just put the old frame back on when I'm done with the phone and want to sell the phone itself, and the phone would be in mint condition, which increase resale value (over a scratched up frame). That's how I justified the purchase- but honestly, I just really wanted it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance you would be willing to sell your original frame? My white note 4 is pretty banged up (Tmobile)

Kokorone said:
Any chance you would be willing to sell your original frame? My white note 4 is pretty banged up (Tmobile)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah 800$ give you the whole thing lmaoo jk

Kokorone said:
Any chance you would be willing to sell your original frame? My white note 4 is pretty banged up (Tmobile)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really want to keep my frame for resale purposes, but here's an eBay listing for a white frame: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191521919910 ($35 incl. shipping)
It comes from a Sprint Note 4, and there's a misconception out there that the Sprint frame is not compatible with the T-Mobile phone when it really is. The Sprint frame is actually incompatible with the Verizon model.
Good luck!