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You may be familiar with our
in-depth look at the differences between screen assemblies for use with iPhone 5 series devices. We know this comparison is helpful when looking at
compatibility as well as before beginning repair of a new device. With the release of the iPhone 6s, you may be seeing more and more iPhone 6 screens come across your tech bench. Making sure you have the right parts for the job is vital.
There is nothing worse than THINKING you have a
LCD and digitizer assembly for use with
iPhone 5s but REALLY having a screen for use with an iPhone 5. The same goes for the
screens for use with the iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6s. If you haven’t had a chance to repair many of these devices, or you just want to see screens
side-by-side, here is a quick rundown for the differences between screens and challenges you will face when repairing these devices.
[embed]https://youtu.be/korEPq5y2xM[/embed]
First let’s start with the iPhone 5 series. Compared to the iPhone 4, the screen of an iPhone 5 is easier to replace according to the technicians we have heard from. With the iPhone 4 screen repair you have to go through the
back to get to the screen. An iPhone 5 screen can be removed by opening the cell phone like a book. There are two screws on the bottom of the casing that release the screen.
The biggest difference between the iPhone 5 series phones will be the flex cables located at the top of the screens. The
hardest flex cables to tell the difference between are the 5S and 5. The framing varies to accommodate the proximity sensor and some screw holes are slightly aligned differently. The difference with the 5c is the thicker and bulkier frame. When you replace the screen on a 5c there are cutouts like clips since the frame is plastic rather than aluminum.
[su_spoiler title="Common repairs:"] [su_expand more_text="Learn More" link_color="#e12023"]
iPhone 5s blue screen of death or iPhone 5s boot loop can be caused by using the wrong length of screws resulting in damage to the logic board. When a different length screw is used the potential to damage the logic board is high. The extra tension placed on the board from the threaded portion may cause a downward force, which can cause cracking and breaking. When this damage occurs, it reportedly causes a grounding issue that ultimately leads to the front facing camera/proximity flex cable to fail. When this cable fails the phone may experience a boot loop of Apple Logo followed by a temporary blue screen. This is apparently the device failing a hardware detection phase of the boot up. In some cases we’ve seen, replacing the front facing camera will fix the issue. If not, board level repair may be required.
Hopefully this helps prevent the “blue screen of death” from happening to you, but if you think this damage has occurred to a device you’re working on, you may need to perform board level repairs on the logic board to eradicate the issue. If you’re less than highly skilled in advanced micro-soldering at board level, and don’t have the time and resources to pursue training right now, there are many technicians and repair shops nationwide who take on soldering work for other repair shops all the time. These are great opportunities to network within our electronic repair community as well! [/su_expand]
Proximity sensor issues are another common problem. If there’s no proximity sensor hold included on the replacement screen, the proximity sensor will not work correctly. You must transfer the proximity sensor hold from the original screen (or
purchase a new one) and adhere it to the new replacement screen. [su_button url="http://blog.etechparts.com/2014/05/27/how-to-fix-iphone-55s5c-proximity-sensor-issue/" target="blank" style="flat" background="#e12023" color="#202020" size="5" center="no" icon_color="#202020"]Learn More[/su_button]
Battery issues due to use of faulty third party chargers and cables are also common. [su_button url="http://blog.etechparts.com/2014/06/23/heres-whats-causing-your-iphone-5-chargingbattery-repair-issues/" target="blank" style="flat" background="#e12023" color="#202020" size="5" icon_color="#202020"]Learn More[/su_button] [/su_spoiler]
[su_note note_color="#e12023" text_color="#000000"]Tech Tip: The hole for the home button is the same size on all assemblies for use with iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. LCD assemblies and screens will not work with any device other than the one it was made for. Each LCD connector is also unique to the device it was made for. It appears the digitizer cable for use with the iPhone 5s/5c is the same. Glass only repair may be a great option for your cell phone repair shop. Check out our cell phone training courses.[/su_note]
The 6 series is larger, clearly, but also
thinner. The thinner LCD screen means they are more fragile during repair (both removal and installation) which is important to note. All small parts (proximity sensors, front camera, and home buttons) are moved over to the new device during these repairs. The frame around the glass and LCD is thinner and the phone itself (the casing) needs to be in
good condition when performing these repairs since the screen sits on top and is screwed in.
The 6s and 6 are the same size but the 6s has the
pressure sensitive touch function built into the LCD. The back side of the backlight function has a shield on the 6s and a built in home button flex that runs down the side. All other small components (home button, proximity sensor, front camera, and speaker) are mostly in the same spots. Framing is slightly different between the two models (making them incompatible) but it appears quite similar overall.
[su_spoiler title="Common Repairs:"]
Of course the
screen repair is the most common repair seem on the iPhone 6 series. Usually when repairing the screen there is a chance that damaging a flex cable will occur when transferring over those small parts to the new screen assembly.
The
proximity sensor flex cable with camera and ear speaker contacts is the
most common flex cable damaged when transferring it over.
The
home button flex cable can also be damaged. It is very important to not damage this cable as it could brick the customers phone when attempting to do an update and will also disable the touch id function.
The
battery and charging port may also have issues. Due to the way the rear camera lens sticks out from the phone it tends to crack easier. Replacing this requires removal of the logic board inside the phone. It needs to be replaced from the inside. It is very difficult to repair from the outside. [/su_spoiler]
[su_note note_color="#e12023" text_color="#000000"]Tech Tip: Installing a 3rd party home button or a home button from another phone will not fix the home button flex cable issue. The home button is paired that exact phone. There is no fix for this.[/su_note]
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