My first DIY smartphone repair project got off to an inauspicious start.
I successfully removed the back of the HMD Skyline, but the next instruction required a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit, which worked well enough to turn the screw that raised the corner of the phone's back panel. But a T4 was too big for the small screws that held the battery connector cover in place. I needed that T3.
The Skyline is one of HMD's latest user-serviceable phones. It's a mid-range phone, one of the first Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging, as well as 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 prone to lag and the 1080p screen resolution really isn't enough for that large panel.
But most notably, Skyline represents the continuation of a partnership with iFixit. You can purchase Skyline replacement parts on the iFixit website, follow the detailed repair instructions, and pick up the tools you'll need for the job. My review unit arrived from HMD with a iFixit basic tool kitwhich has a good set of starter tools, but not the T3 bit I needed.
Did you know that you can go to your local hardware store and buy something called a “smartphone repair kit”? I didn't, but I'm glad you can. I bought the kit as a kind of insurance; I contacted iFixit to get some replacement parts for the Skyline for testing and wasn't sure if a T3 would come in my shipment. It turned out that it came along with additional tools, a spare battery, a spare back cover, and some radical iFixit stickers. How thoughtful!
I spend a lot of my time using phones, holding them, being around them and considering them, but I rarely look inside the phones. This is mainly because dismantling a $1,000 device that a company lends you is generally considered rude. Phone manufacturers would also prefer that you go through their official channels rather than carrying out the repair yourself. But I'm also kind of a dick. I'm not very handy and I'm afraid of messing something up, traits that I'm slowly learning to overcome as a homeowner.
I'll 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 adhesive immediately broke off. But just like with home projects, I'm learning that if you have the right tools on hand, take your time, and consult experts along the way, you can do a lot more than you think. iFixit's guide suggested that the adhesive might be strong enough to require constant, constant pressure. Carefully pulling on the two remaining 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 battery was remove a couple of adhesive patches. I used a spudger and tongs to peel most of it off, but the sticky bits should be gone too. Working one bead at a time, I applied 90 percent isopropyl alcohol and dabbed the residue with a microfiber towel. It was the most tedious and satisfying part of the job.
The most tedious and satisfying part of the job.
By the way, last week I had to perform the same maneuver on a home project, just on a slightly larger scale. There appears to be a small crack where the conduit meets our outside breaker box. that lets a small trickle of water enter the wall when it rains. It's something a contractor worked on a couple of times, but their solution didn't seem to work. They're a big team and “a little crack where a little rain gets into the drywall” is a small deal to them anyway, so I took care of it myself.
That's how you end up on a ladder outside your house removing all-weather tape from a metal box, a few millimeters at a time. But I did what the nice people at the hardware store told me: I removed the tape and the residue underneath with some isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber towel. The crack is freshly sealed and withstood a downpour a few days later, and I plan to never shut up about how I fixed the leak in the wall by myself.
Back to the horizon. I installed the new battery, replaced the new back cover and sealed everything again. It takes a worrying amount of force and clicking to snap the cover back into place, but I managed it. The phone turned on normally and is charging as I write this; iFixit recommends charging it to 100 percent and then keeping it plugged in for two more hours to calibrate it.
The ease of this repair was not by accident.
The entire process of changing the battery and cap took a couple of hours, including 30 minutes spent running to the store to buy 90 percent isopropyl alcohol. But after taking a look at iFixit's other phone repair guides, I can appreciate that the ease of this repair was no accident. If you want to change the battery of your Google Pixel 8, you will have to complete 42 steps just to take out the original battery; On the HMD Skyline, the entire procedure consists of only 21 steps.
To be fair, the Pixel 8 is rated IP68 for total dust and water resistance, so it will be harder to access. The Skyline is IP54, which is honestly better than I thought considering its repairability status. And, as expected, the Skyline doesn't feel as well-made as a less serviceable Pixel or Samsung phone. Maybe you can't have it all.
If nothing else, the exercise of opening the Skyline has made me an even bigger advocate for repairable phones. California's right-to-repair law, which went into effect over the summer, has surely helped push phone makers to make parts and documentation available to more consumers. But even those who technically comply with the law do not appear to be fully embracing its principles. Maybe those companies should trust their customers a little more. After fixing a leak in the wall and replacing a phone battery, my faith in my own self-repair abilities is at an all-time high.
