iPhone 5 screen obliterated - will it still work?

[hetisjeboy]

Hi guys and gals,

I am new to this forum so I hope I'm in the right place to get some tech advice from, what I hope are, experienced iPhone people.
So, basically what happened: i dropped my iPhone 5 out of my pocket after which it was overrun by 3 cars (I saw it hopping around on the street everytime it was hit). Immediately afterwards I ran over to get it and picked up the phone. To my surprise it was still playing music through the speakers and I could see some colours - even the lock/unlock button on top still seemed to work!
Nevertheless, the screen was smashed to such an extent that the screen seemed to by scrying out drops of glass. The light I saw coming off the screen was mostly provided by the backlight inside the screen instead of being actual colours.
Once home, I removed the entire screen and threw it out. Also, I removed the glass that fell behind the screen into the phone itself. The frame of the iPhone itself seems to be okay, besides some dents (i had a case around the phone which protected most of the aluminium body itself).

My question here is nothing complicated; does anybody have any idea (maybe through gathered knowledge or through own experience) what the chances are my iphone 5 will still work after I replace the screen? I'm asking this because I have no option of turning it on etc since the screen is completely useless.

I decided to handle this job myself and have already ordered replacement parts (including a completely new screen including the backplate/homebutton etc).
I hope to hear from any of you iPhone 5 users out there!

ps. I attached a photo of my beloved iPhone to show the extent of the damage (this photo was taken AFTER I took some of the glass out and the homebutton fell out after which I decided it was better to take the whole thing out at once instead of picking at it).

 

[Charadis]

Wait!

Before you toss out your trash, there may be parts on the display assembly that you might can salvage! You'll need these parts; I don't know how much of the display assembly you've already purchased, but most vendors have the frame, outer lens, and LCD already assembled in one piece. You would usually just need to swap out, or acquire new, the Home button flex, Home button cover, Proximity sensory/front facing camera flex, and LCD back plate. You will also need to remove from the old assembly, or acquire new, the plastic brackets for the front-facing camera and sensor. If you cannot salvage the existing parts from your old assembly, assuming they are too badly damaged, then you will need to buy new parts.

Here is a list of the parts you need. I've set hyperlinks linking to examples of vendors offering these parts, so you know what to look for, but in no way endorse or am affiliated with the corresponding vendors (you may even search for your own parts, based on the examples below, and choose your own selected vendor):
1x Front-facing camera, sensor, microphone flex
1x bracket for ff camera and sensor
1x Home button assembly (flex, bracket, and cover)

1x LCD Back plate

You'll also need a full set of screws for whole assembly, assuming you can salvage the existing ones from your old one. You also need the metal support bracket for the front facing camera flex (see 2nd pic).

I've attached a couple of pics of a display replacement job I completed a few months ago. The first is a display assembly stripped of all the parts you need transferred, except that the camera and sensor brackets are still fixed to it; this is how your new display assembly would look if you bought it completed like this. The second is the new display assembly with all the above parts fully transferred and assembled onto the assembly. This is how it SHOULD look like before you plug it into your phone and reassemble.

Anyways, good luck with your project! I can't really tell the extent of the damage without seeing what it looks like under your display, but being able to hear it play music is a good sign. I hope your assembly that you already purchased comes with tools, or else you will need those, too! You need a "pentalobe" driver and a number #00 philips. A plastic pry tool wouldn't hurt, but since you already have the display out, you might not need it for much. Sent from my MacBook Pro.

 

[hetisjeboy]

Wait!

Before you toss out your trash, there may be parts on the display assembly that you might can salvage! You'll need these parts; I don't know how much of the display assembly you've already purchased, but most vendors have the frame, outer lens, and LCD already assembled in one piece. You would usually just need to swap out, or acquire new, the Home button flex, Home button cover, Proximity sensory/front facing camera flex, and LCD back plate. You will also need to remove from the old assembly, or acquire new, the plastic brackets for the front-facing camera and sensor. If you cannot salvage the existing parts from your old assembly, assuming they are too badly damaged, then you will need to buy new parts.

Here is a list of the parts you need. I've set hyperlinks linking to examples of vendors offering these parts, so you know what to look for, but in no way endorse or am affiliated with the corresponding vendors (you may even search for your own parts, based on the examples below, and choose your own selected vendor):
1x Front-facing camera, sensor, microphone flex
1x bracket for ff camera and sensor
1x Home button assembly (flex, bracket, and cover)

1x LCD Back plate

You'll also need a full set of screws for whole assembly, assuming you can salvage the existing ones from your old one. You also need the metal support bracket for the front facing camera flex (see 2nd pic).

I've attached a couple of pics of a display replacement job I completed a few months ago. The first is a display assembly stripped of all the parts you need transferred, except that the camera and sensor brackets are still fixed to it; this is how your new display assembly would look if you bought it completed like this. The second is the new display assembly with all the above parts fully transferred and assembled onto the assembly. This is how it SHOULD look like before you plug it into your phone and reassemble.

Anyways, good luck with your project! I can't really tell the extent of the damage without seeing what it looks like under your display, but being able to hear it play music is a good sign. I hope your assembly that you already purchased comes with tools, or else you will need those, too! You need a "pentalobe" driver and a number #00 philips. A plastic pry tool wouldn't hurt, but since you already have the display out, you might not need it for much. Sent from my MacBook Pro.

Hi Charadis,

Thanks for your response. As far as taking the old screen apart for salvage parts - I don't think it will be neccessary as this (http://www.**************/details/i...-Home-Button-Flex-Earpiece-Black-IPHONE5-933/) is the replacement screen I ordered. Seems to be the complete thing, doesn't it?
I will keep the old smashed screen around to compare with the new one, once I receive it.

Question:
- Do you have any idea if I can perform some kind of internal diagnostic test to see what parts may or may not be damaged?
-The phone still has microsized glass parts in it, extremely small. Could they damage the phone once I put it back together (I removed everything I could)?
-The battery inside the phone has a few little dents in it, no punctures. Is it neccessary to replace the battery you think?

ps. I added some photos of the interals. I did not have any better camera around than my replacement 3GS though - so sorry for the quality.

 

[Charadis]

Hi Charadis,

Thanks for your response. As far as taking the old screen apart for salvage parts - I don't think it will be neccessary as this (http://www.**************/details/i...-Home-Button-Flex-Earpiece-Black-IPHONE5-933/) is the replacement screen I ordered. Seems to be the complete thing, doesn't it?
I will keep the old smashed screen around to compare with the new one, once I receive it.

Question:
- Do you have any idea if I can perform some kind of internal diagnostic test to see what parts may or may not be damaged?
-The phone still has microsized glass parts in it, extremely small. Could they damage the phone once I put it back together (I removed everything I could)?
-The battery inside the phone has a few little dents in it, no punctures. Is it neccessary to replace the battery you think?

ps. I added some photos of the interals. I did not have any better camera around than my replacement 3GS though - so sorry for the quality.

No problem, hope I could help, hetisjeboy.
Yes, based on the item number and description, it looks like you've got the complete display assembly. Do you still have the pentalobe screws that flank the lightning dock? I couldn't see it in your pics, and they normally screw into the steel bracket of the display from the bottom end of the case.

Other than testing the phone with the screen, I'm not sure there is much I can offer on diagnosing the phone. While not recommended, you could reconnect the screen and sync to a computer to see if it iTunes recognizes the phone.
Thanks for taking pics of the internal, they don't look bad at all. I can't tell any significant damage to the internals. I'm assuming you reinstalled the LCD/Display flex bracket back on the board; I hope you didn't rip the flex connectors out from the logic board!
Yes, I would remove as much of the debris contaminating the internals as much as possible. I would at least take some canned air and gently blast some in some of the crevices or around the battery and camera. You'll never know if this could pose problems in the future, and I'm sure you would rather not open the phone up again once you have it reassembled.

Normally, I usually disconnect the battery from the logic board before I remove the display, and reconnect after the display is installed. I've never had problems skipping that part, but it has always given me with peace of mind knowing there is no power cycling through the circuit, and I think it is recommended.

Keep us updated on your project! I hope to see you have a fully functional iPhone soon.

 

[l.a.rossmann]

95% of the time, the phone is still fine even after the screen has been broken.

 

[Applejuiced]

Its just a little scratch

 

[Jman13]

I personally would not use that phone without replacing the battery. You may have small imperfections in the layers due to the denting you mentioned that will create hot spots and then a runaway reaction. LiOn batteries are not something to screw around with. I wouldn't risk the thing spontaneously catching fire in them near future just to save some bucks...you could be terribly burned or have more catastrophic damage to other possessions (or your home).

 

[11bE5]

I would try to replace it ICracked.com is 100% legit and very good quality and they back their products with a good warranty I would try it and get a new screen best of luck

 

[magilla]

Hi Charadis,

Thanks for your response. As far as taking the old screen apart for salvage parts - I don't think it will be neccessary as this (http://www.**************/details/i...-Home-Button-Flex-Earpiece-Black-IPHONE5-933/) is the replacement screen I ordered. Seems to be the complete thing, doesn't it?
I will keep the old smashed screen around to compare with the new one, once I receive it.

Question:
- Do you have any idea if I can perform some kind of internal diagnostic test to see what parts may or may not be damaged?
-The phone still has microsized glass parts in it, extremely small. Could they damage the phone once I put it back together (I removed everything I could)?
-The battery inside the phone has a few little dents in it, no punctures. Is it neccessary to replace the battery you think?

ps. I added some photos of the interals. I did not have any better camera around than my replacement 3GS though - so sorry for the quality.

Fascinating story! This might sound dumb but, since glass is an insulator, I wouldn't think micro-shards would cause any problem internally. They might however, ultimately shake out of the case while in your pocket and cause no end of worry there. You might try giving the insides a small, gentle shot of "canned air" (a small outlay considering all that you're doing now) to dislodge any obvious pieces.

Just a thought...

 

[barkomatic]

I dunno--if it were a simple drop with a cracked screen it would be worth it to go ahead with replacing the display--but it was run over by 3 cars. You may replace the screen only to discover additional issues later on.

Maybe you could take it to an Apple store and they could run a diagnostic to see what broken (besides the obvious). As much as it hurts, in the end it may be best to pay for an out of warranty replacement.

 

[Crichton333]

LiOn batteries are not something to screw around with. I wouldn't risk the thing spontaneously catching fire in them near future just to save some bucks...you could be terribly burned or have more catastrophic damage to other possessions (or your home).

I can vouch that this can be the most important thing to consider because a battery exploding or catching fire can be very serious. Seen a faulty iPad battery burn down an Audi A8.

 

[iamMacPerson]

OP, I would steer clear of non-genuine Apple displays. I've seen problems arise later from using fake (or "replacement") parts. I would look for something like this. (I'm in no way endorsed by this seller, just trying to help)

I would also recommend think about replacing the iPhone outright. I think Apple might still allow you to do an OOW replacement for ~$230-$300 (I forget), but if you are eligible for an upgrade, I would think about getting an iPhone 5s. It seems a lot of stores are discounting them now since the new iPhone 6 will be out just around the corner (~4-5 months).

Good luck!

 

[Crichton333]

I would also recommend think about replacing the iPhone outright. I think Apple might still allow you to do an OOW replacement for ~$230-$300 (I forget), but if you are eligible for an upgrade, I would think about getting an iPhone 5s. It seems a lot of stores are discounting them now since the new iPhone 6 will be out just around the corner (~4-5 months).

Good luck!

There are some bricked iPhone 5s on eBay, usually perfect condition with box. Just put your motherboard in and your good to go. They are around $100-150.

 

[iamMacPerson]

There are some bricked iPhone 5s on eBay, usually perfect condition with box. Just put your motherboard in and your good to go. They are around $100-150.

Pull the main board out and stick it in a new chassis? Now why would that make sense? The main board may have taken more beating from being run over by three cars then other parts of the phone (minus the screen and casing). If it did, I would not use that phone as something else may have broken off.

If the Apple Store doesn't classify it as catastrophic damage (since it is just a cracked glass/LCD assembly), they should only charge the OP $230 or so for a replacement with a 90 day warranty.

 

[Crichton333]

Pull the main board out and stick it in a new chassis? Now why would that make sense?

Hmm because the name of this thread is screen obliterated and the user says that he can still play music on it.

Yes I would just put my working mainboard in a mint condition bricked iPhone for $100 of eBay. Its actually not that hard to do yourself at home.

 

[magilla]

Its just a little scratch

Yeah ... and the Greek UPS guy has a package for someone @ Anystreet, City of Troy.

----------

There are some bricked iPhone 5s on eBay, usually perfect condition with box. Just put your motherboard in and your good to go. They are around $100-150.

Why are you guys all so het up on purchasing "used" equipment from e-Bray especially in this case (no pun intended)? Who KNOWS what you're getting from the professionals on e-Bray? Seems like trading one set of ills for another.

 

[zorinlynx]

Its just a little scratch

"A scratch?? The screen's GONE!"

"I've had worse!"

"You liar!!"

 

[richwoodrocket]

I would just get a new phone. But that's just me.

 

[Applejuiced]

"A scratch?? The screen's GONE!"

"I've had worse!"

"You liar!!"

LMAO
I've had better.