iPhone replacement LCD available, proceed with caution
by Michael Caputo 
posted Sep 20th 2007 at 7:28PM
If you've been unfortunate enough to have broken your iPhone screen and not had it replaced, we have a DIY solution that might (or might not) work for you. Apple has released its OEM LCD screen and digitizer that's available for sale through third party vendors for a cool $150. Fortunately, a handy video is on deck for the daring installer; it details the seven layers of parts needing to be removed for the lengthy replacement to be completed. If anyone is brave enough to try this, drop us a comment and tell us about your repair experience.[Thanks, Robby]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PJ @ Sep 20th 2007 8:32PM
I would like to try it, im just not going to break my iphone to test it out. Anyone have a broken one they wanna get rid of?
Jdog @ Sep 20th 2007 10:16PM
Aah. All the money people will have to waste on this phone. What a rip off.
Mursin @ Sep 20th 2007 9:42PM
I work @ at&t and I have yet to see one broken. Hell I even throw the phone on the floor and take a razor to show customers that the screen is durable.... has anyone truly broke their screen by dropping it?
Mark @ Oct 31st 2007 11:59AM
FYI, I was getting out of my car this morning - had the iphone for 3 DAYS, it slipped, hit the pavement, and (*&*&&^$^%$#$%
It's still usable but it has a crack from one side all the way to the bottom.
sherri stewart @ Nov 28th 2007 3:06PM
can you tell me how to disassemble my tilt phone to replace the lcd?
David LaCagnina @ Sep 20th 2007 10:35PM
I guess I'm an unlucky one. Mine fell ~3 ft onto a concrete floor and sustained a from the top left corner to the earpiece speaker. It's small though, and not worth the time, money and hassle of replacing the screen by hand. Also it doesnt affect the usability at all, since that area isnt used as the actual screen part.
thrlride @ Sep 20th 2007 10:51PM
you're lucky mursin, I got a scratch on my screen out of nowhere. I have no idea how it happened.
jer @ Sep 20th 2007 11:20PM
dont beleive any one who says that the iphone screens are good, mine broke with in the first 6 days and my buddys broke in about two weeks these are the only two ive really ever seen and they were both broke.... screw you apple. i hate you steve jobs.
insertAlias @ Sep 21st 2007 1:15PM
You're an ass...just because you and your "buddys" broke your screen doesn't mean that they are bad. I've had mine from almost the day they released, and I dont have a single scratch on the glass, and I've dropped it from about 5 feet onto a parking lot (small dent in the case on the back). I carry the damn thing in my pocket with my keys. Every review site has given the screen great reviews...you're just an apple hater who wants to complain.
CH @ Sep 20th 2007 11:55PM
I scratched my screen after two days by putting it in my jeans pocket for about two minutes along with my metal money clip. The Apple Store guys replaced my unit free of charge when I told them how fast it scratched. No restocking fee, just some attitude from the Pro dude...me = happy.
swatx @ Sep 23rd 2007 1:44AM
Unbelievable, 150$ for a screen? What a damn rip-off. I guess you cannot really blame apple. Since ignorant people buy it anyway because its made by apple.
Mass RipOffs + ignorant customers = Mass Profits!
dewerling @ Oct 20th 2007 4:08PM
My son dropped his iPhone from a height of about 3-4 feet in my presence, the screen cracked badly but everything else is is working. Damage is very similar but less than the one pictured here on Engadget. There is not a dink or even a scratch on the aluminum corner.
Apparently, if the iPhone falls directly on a lower corner with the glass face slightly pitched forward, the glass cracks easily on impact at its most fragile point between the button and the corner.
Having worked with glass as an artisan, glass will often do this with even slight pressure to a weak point. This is a design defect of the iPhone as the one physical button DID NOT HAVE TO BE PUT IN THE GLASS but could have been placed in the dead zone beneath the active area surrounded by plastic or Aluminum--they did these two materials on the case back.
This button-in-the-glass design is simply design vanity on Apples part and the glass should be replaced under warranty by Apple so that my son does not have to pay some outrageous $300 in repairs, especially as we paid the original, $200 plus premium price.
Borrow-a-Geek @ Oct 21st 2007 10:21PM
I am Midway through the replacement of my Iphone screen w/ digitizer. it fell out of my hand and fell flat on the glass on the sidewalk. shattering the glass. it did not break out of the phone, so i put a piece of clear packing tape over it to prevent the shards from falling out or cutting my face. i ordered the replacement glass/digitizer from www.pdaparts.com . It was $119 plus $9.55 for 2nd day shipping through USPS. My experience with PDA Parts was 100% positive. I would reccomend them to anyone. If there was anything I could say about everything thus far, it would be that it is NOT near as easy as it looks on the helpful instruction video on thier website. The information on the video was completely accurate, but things just didnt come apart as easily as i would have liked. and for what it is worth i have a lot of experience with repairing small electronic gadgets. well, my smoke break is over and im going back now to finish the re-assembly of the iphone. wish me luck.
Ryan Lama @ Oct 27th 2007 9:58PM
Pics of the fixes would be cool.