My first DIY smartphone repair project got off to an inauspicious start.
I was able to remove the back of the Skyline HMD, but the next instruction required using a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit that worked well enough to turn a screw that lifted the corner of the back panel of the phone. But the T4 was just too big for the little screws holding the battery connector cover in place. I needed this T3.
The Skyline is one of HMD’s newest user-repairable phones. It’s a mid-range phone, one of the first Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging, plus a 6.55-inch OLED panel, three rear cameras and a large 4,600 mAh battery for $449. In my limited use, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 seems lag-prone, and the 1080p screen resolution really isn’t enough for such a large panel.
But most importantly, Skyline continues the partnership with iFixit. You can buy Skyline replacement parts on the iFixit website, follow the detailed repair instructions and pick up the tools you need for the job. My review unit came from HMD with the basic iFixit toolkit, which includes a good set of starter tools – but it wasn’t the T3 bit I needed.
Did you know you can walk into your local hardware store and buy something called a “smartphone repair kit”? I don’t, but I’m glad you can. I bought the kit as a kind of insurance; I contacted iFixit to obtain Skyline replacement parts for testing and was unsure whether the T3 would be included in my shipment. As it turned out, it came with extra tools, a replaceable battery, a replaceable back cover, and some great iFixit stickers. So thoughtful!
I spend a lot of time using phones, holding them, being around phones, and thinking about phones, but I rarely look inside phones. This is mainly because dismantling a $1,000 device loaned by a company is generally considered rude. Phone manufacturers would also prefer you to use their official channels instead of repairing it yourself. But I’m also a bit of a jerk. I’m not very useful and I get nervous about screwing up – traits I’m slowly learning to overcome as a homeowner.
The green tab is the one that broke, but I was able to remove the battery with the other two. Photo: Allison Johnson/The Verge
To be honest, removing the battery from the HMD Skyline made me a little nervous, especially when the disposable tab I was pulling to free it from the glue immediately popped off. But just like with home projects, I’m learning that if you have the right tools at hand, take your time, and consult with experts, you can do a lot more than you think. The iFixit guide suggested that the glue may be strong enough to require constant, constant pressure. By carefully pulling on the remaining two tabs, I finally freed the battery from the glue.
I successfully followed the steps to remove the back cover of the phone, disconnect the battery and remove it from the phone. All I had to do before installing the new faucet was remove a few sheets of glue. I peeled most of them with powder and tweezers, but the sticky residue also had to be removed. Adding one drop at a time, I applied about 90% isopropyl alcohol and scrubbed the remainder with a microfiber towel. This was the most tedious and rewarding part of the job.
The most tedious and satisfying part of the job
By the way, last week I had to do the same maneuver with a house project, only on a slightly larger scale. Apparently there is a small crack where the wire meets our outdoor breaker box which allows a small stream of water to flow to the wall during rain. This is something that the contractor has already worked on several times, but it didn’t seem to be effective in fixing it. It’s a big set, and “a little crack where a little rain gets into the drywall” is a minor thing to them anyway, so I took it upon myself.
This lands you on a ladder in front of the house, tearing the all-weather tape off the metal box, a few millimeters at a time. But I did as the people at the hardware store told me, removing the tape and residue underneath with rubbing alcohol and a microfiber towel. The crack is freshly sealed and withstood a downpour a few days later, and I plan on never forgetting how I fixed the leak in the wall myself.
Back to Skyline. I installed a new battery, put on a new back cover and re-sealed everything. It takes a disturbing amount of force and clicking to snap the lid back into place, but I managed. The phone turned on normally and is charging as I write this; iFixit recommends charging it to 100 percent and then leaving it plugged in for an additional two hours to calibrate.
The ease of this repair was not accidental
The entire process of replacing the battery and cover took several hours — including 30 minutes I spent running to the store to buy about 90 percent isopropyl alcohol. However, after reviewing other iFixit phone repair guides, I realize that the ease of this repair was no accident. If you want to replace the battery in Google Pixel 8, you need to follow 42 steps to remove the original battery; in HMD Skyline the entire procedure takes only 21 steps.
Honestly, the Pixel 8 is rated IP68 for full dust and water resistance, so it’s just going to be harder to access. The Skyline is IP54 rated, which is actually better than I thought considering its repairability. And it’s no surprise that the Skyline doesn’t feel as well-made as a harder-to-repair Pixel or Samsung phone. Maybe you can’t have everything.
If nothing else, the exercise of opening the Skyline made me an even bigger advocate of phones that can be repaired. California’s repair law, which went into effect over the summer, has certainly helped phone makers make parts and documentation available to more consumers. However, even those who are technically compliant with the law do not seem to fully follow its principles. Maybe these companies should put a little more faith in their customers. After fixing a leak in the wall and replacing the battery in my phone, my confidence in my self-repair skills was at an all-time high.
Credit : www.theverge.com
