3 ms·

It's still doable, and lots of great online guides and videos on how to repair smartphones, laptops etc. I replaced my smartphone earpiece, following an ifixit

It's still doable, and lots of great online guides and videos on how to repair smartphones, laptops etc. I replaced my smartphone earpiece, following an ifixit.com guide. Was initially daunted, given the expense of the handset, but it just took a set of mini screwdrivers and a wedge, 20 minutes, and has been working good as new for the last 3 months. Very satisfying experience.

Infernal 9y ago
I had a similar experience, with my iPhone 6 wifi/bluetooth/GPS antenna. Started seeing degraded connectivity and Googled around till I had it narrowed down to that antenna. Was nervous about ripping it apart so first took it to the Apple store with my diagnosis - they said the only choice was to buy a new phone. So, I borrowed my buddy's pentalobe driver set and about an hour later had pulled the logic board out, replaced the antenna, and buttoned it all back up. That's been about a year ago and it's still working perfectly. And the new antenna was something like $6 on Amazon...
- userbinator 9y ago
  ...and chances are that was simply a solder joint or similar that cracked from the vibration of normal use, since antennae absolutely do not "wear out" from just transmitting or receiving.
  - Infernal 9y ago
    Oh absolutely, it uses an attachment that is kind of like a very tiny 9-volt battery terminal, with a nub on one side and a circular spring clip on the other. The one of the four spring clips on the antenna broke off and remained attached to the logic board as I recall, so just had to pop the now-orphaned clip off the logic board after removing the antenna and snap the new one into place.
jpindar 9y ago
Yep. I replaced my Nexus 4's USB connector (and the separate little PCB it's mounted on). It was really easy. The hardest part was getting the case open, which took some patience.

3 ms·

It's still doable, and lots of great online guides and videos on how to repair smartphones, laptops etc. I replaced my smartphone earpiece, following an ifixit

by walrus1066 9y ago

Infernal 9y ago
I had a similar experience, with my iPhone 6 wifi/bluetooth/GPS antenna. Started seeing degraded connectivity and Googled around till I had it narrowed down to that antenna. Was nervous about ripping it apart so first took it to the Apple store with my diagnosis - they said the only choice was to buy a new phone. So, I borrowed my buddy's pentalobe driver set and about an hour later had pulled the logic board out, replaced the antenna, and buttoned it all back up. That's been about a year ago and it's still working perfectly. And the new antenna was something like $6 on Amazon...
- userbinator 9y ago
  ...and chances are that was simply a solder joint or similar that cracked from the vibration of normal use, since antennae absolutely do not "wear out" from just transmitting or receiving.
  - Infernal 9y ago
    Oh absolutely, it uses an attachment that is kind of like a very tiny 9-volt battery terminal, with a nub on one side and a circular spring clip on the other. The one of the four spring clips on the antenna broke off and remained attached to the logic board as I recall, so just had to pop the now-orphaned clip off the logic board after removing the antenna and snap the new one into place.
jpindar 9y ago
Yep. I replaced my Nexus 4's USB connector (and the separate little PCB it's mounted on). It was really easy. The hardest part was getting the case open, which took some patience.