Dropped GS5 on screen, display now dead... sometimes (battery?)

[cruizinbiker]

I dropped my GS5 squarely on the screen side from about 24". Phone is protected by Otterbox Defender, so glass never touched pavement. Glass is NOT cracked. Display was dead. Power button and Home button bring phone to life as normal, but display is dead. I removed battery for a bit, then reinstalled battery (along with back cover), but same dead display. Phone vibrates on boot up as normal and lower lights are lit when they should. It seems the display is dead, BUT... if I gently place the battery in place and power up, I get a normal display, albeit a bit dim (but not exactly dim. I believe a color is missing, if that makes sense). If I apply pressure on the battery, the display gets normal, but if I continue pushing (all very gentle, no more than replacing the battery cover), the display goes dead again.

Is it possible that during the fall the battery pushed on something on the backside of the display (like a dead-blow hammer hitting the back of the display) which is causing the intermittent display issue?

Thank you in advance for any ideas...

 

[nahoku]

Wow... only 24 inches! More than likely the connector for the screen got loose inside the phone. In disassembly of the S5, to disconnect the screen connector, you would have to move the connector "towards" the screen as you disconnect it from the motherboard. When the phone fell on it's "face", the jolt probably loosened the connector. This is why when you put pressure on the back of the phone, the screen sometimes returns to normal as applying that pressure is pressing the connector back in. You will probably need to take it to a repair shop, or send it to Samsung for repair. The screen connector cannot be reliably seated without removing the screen.

 

[Rukbat]

I'd agree with the connector being the most likely culprit. I've dropped a Note 3 from more distance than that in a Defender, and it's still working fine. It's difficult to break a phone with that case on it.

 

[cruizinbiker]

I'm beginning to think that the display connector is loose. To get to this connector, does the whole front glass have to come off or can you get to it from the back (battery compartment area)?

 

[nahoku]

You'll probably have to pull the screen to do it "right". Check youtube for videos about disassembling the S5. There may be a way to do it without pulling the screen (doubtful).

EDIT... just found a pdf for disassmbling your phone... https://www.fixez.com/media/guides/Samsung-Galaxy-S5-Disassemble-Guide.pdf

 

[cruizinbiker]

I gently pressed the upper right of the display in an attempt to reseat the display connector. It seems to have worked so far.

 

[nahoku]

I gently pressed the upper right of the display in an attempt to reseat the display connector. It seems to have worked so far.

That's great! Hopefully it'll last for a while. Good luck to you!