Galaxy S4: Dropped and now screen is blank

[Timothy Ryan]

The phone fell less than three feet and it didn't appear to be much of a jolt, but now the screen doesn't work at all. No damage apparent, no bright pixels, just dead screen. The phone seems to otherwise work. I cannot confirm that the digitizer is functional. I cannot answer the phone when it rings, but I may be swiping in the wrong spot. I pulled it all apart and verified all the connectors. I also tried reflowing with a hot air gun on just the main board, but I chickened out before it got very hot. Any thoughts on cause or additional T/S steps? I would simply replace the digitizer/screen but I don't want to spend $250 on an experiment. Any way I can confirm that it's the front panel that is broken?

 

[Greg C]

I can't answer your question for you, but I can tell you that Radio Shack repairs phones. I would take it there and see what they have to say about it.

The phone fell less than three feet and it didn't appear to be much of a jolt, but now the screen doesn't work at all. No damage apparent, no bright pixels, just dead screen. The phone seems to otherwise work. I cannot confirm that the digitizer is functional. I cannot answer the phone when it rings, but I may be swiping in the wrong spot. I pulled it all apart and verified all the connectors. I also tried reflowing with a hot air gun on just the main board, but I chickened out before it got very hot. Any thoughts on cause or additional T/S steps? I would simply replace the digitizer/screen but I don't want to spend $250 on an experiment. Any way I can confirm that it's the front panel that is broken?

 

[mhinc]

The phone fell less than three feet and it didn't appear to be much of a jolt, but now the screen doesn't work at all. No damage apparent, no bright pixels, just dead screen. The phone seems to otherwise work. I cannot confirm that the digitizer is functional. I cannot answer the phone when it rings, but I may be swiping in the wrong spot. I pulled it all apart and verified all the connectors. I also tried reflowing with a hot air gun on just the main board, but I chickened out before it got very hot. Any thoughts on cause or additional T/S steps? I would simply replace the digitizer/screen but I don't want to spend $250 on an experiment. Any way I can confirm that it's the front panel that is broken?

Like I have said to all the other people that come on here and drop their phones. Get a good case. Sorry this happened to you but dropping that phone even 3 feet with a crap case or no case is going to damage it. Plane and simple. Obivoulsy something happened when it fell and you are going to need to get it repaired. There is no simple fix to a phone drop that causes damage.

 

[Timothy Ryan]

Your advice about a case is well received and the lesson is learned. However, I am still interested in fixing this phone and to be clear, I understand the fix will not be simple. I was hoping someone with some experience with similar incidents might be able to point me toward a strategy to identify the root fault and repair it. If this isn't the best forum to ask for that kind of info, can someone point me to another site that might be able to assist.

 

[Rami A2]

haha I dropped my phone this morning and I have the same problem, but i can see a inch (internal crack) on the top right corner of the screen. I went to a repair shop and the guy told me i need to replace the whole LCD screen ($200)

 

[mhinc]

Your advice about a case is well received and the lesson is learned. However, I am still interested in fixing this phone and to be clear, I understand the fix will not be simple. I was hoping someone with some experience with similar incidents might be able to point me toward a strategy to identify the root fault and repair it. If this isn't the best forum to ask for that kind of info, can someone point me to another site that might be able to assist.

It sounds like the LCD and the Digitizer, but it's hard to say, all you can really do is take it somewhere and at least get a quote?

 

[Sophia Zhao]

Even if you confirm the the digitizer is okay, it's really difficult to separate the touch panel from LCD screen. And may be damage both the touch glass and LCD screen.

 

[Fullmetaltackett]

I came here because the same thing happened to my phone today. I can see a crack inside the screen and the display is out. I have had an Otter case since day 1 and have dropped it numerous times with no damage to the phone. Today it dropped to the ground straight on it's back. I have a feeling, having this now happen to me in a good case, that this type of drop will ruin your phone no matter the case. I really thought my phone would be indestructible in the Otter case.

 

[clickerman]

I would not bother trying to get it fixed. You can buy a new s4 phone for a little over $200 on Swappa<

 

[USMC ROMP]

Yea, about that, "Get a good phone case" I had the Otter Box, which was supposedly the greatest case, nothing could happen to it, well like this gentlemen i dropped my phone sitting down not even 2 ft and it hit the corner of my phone with the case and the screen blacked out, phone still works, but the screen is out. So the get a good phone case, isn't the solution, yea sure it will help but there's always a chance. And for Otter Box to have a "certified drop protection" is BS. I sent them an email awhile back, and they never responded.