Front glass cracked on Samsung A8 (SM-A530W) - what needs to be fixed?

[archerynut]

So my new A8 slipped out of my pocket while exiting my vehicle and hit the pavement with a sickening crack. Noticed that the front glass was cracked starting at the point of impact(top left hand corner) and spreading basically all over the front. Touch functions and display are still working fine. Just appears that the front glass is cracked. Looking online there appears to be kits available to replace the glass. Also a number of youtube videos cover this procedure as well. How doable is this repair without having to take it into a repair shop, which I do not have the money to afford(plus my wife WILL kill me).

 

[Rukbat]

Also a number of youtube videos cover this procedure as well.

Supposedly done by people who are doing it for the first time. As someone with a few years of experience repairing cellphones, let me warn you that if you do it the first time as well as the people making the videos do, without cooking the screen to death, or underheating the screen and tearing it, you can get a job in any phone repair shop doing glass replacement.

I've never seen anyone do it without a problem the first time - even after having watched an experienced person do it.

How doable is this repair without having to take it into a repair shop, which I do not have the money to afford(plus my wife WILL kill me).

With no experience? As I said, not very. Which is why a lot of shops will tell you to have the whole screen replaced. The price difference isn't much (replacing the screen isn't much labor, replacing the glass is a lot of labor, so the total price for the repair is close. (The reason they'd rather do the whole screen is that if they goof and damage the screen, while doing a glass replacement, they eat the price of the screen minus the price of the glass. And not all repair people can replace the glass. The entire half that you're lifting off has to be within a few degrees of the melting temperature of the adhesive at the same moment. Then the other half. It's not easy.)

 

[archerynut]

Hi and thanks for your reply! I tend to be a pretty methodical/procedural type of guy. I'm a scale modeler so doing things right the first time is something I'm proud of. So, with that being said, I'm going to ask a couple questions just so I have a good understanding of what I'm about to get myself into.

I already own a heat gun. All the info I've read and the tutorials I've watched indicate that the release temp. of the glue is between 80 and 100 degrees C. Does this sound about right? I have a laser/infrared thermometer so I am able to keep a good eye on the temp of the glass as I begin to ease the phone apart. The kit I'm looking at includes all the little gadgets for gentle prying of the glass covers. The kit also includes the replacement adhesive strips. Assuming I get the adhesive strips in the right place and the new glass on without screwing anything up, will my phone retain the IP68 water/dust resistance rating?

This repair for me is necessary because I just do not have the money to take it to a shop and have it done.

 

[treetopsranch]

We all here wish you 'Good Luck'. Let us know how it went after you finish.