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The Samsung Galaxy S4, model i9505, features a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-inch 1080p display.

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How do I replace the front glass?

Is it possible to replace the Samsung Galaxy S4's glass screen? I've seen some glass screens and toolkits for the S4 available on Amazon. Can I do the repair myself, or does it require special equipment?

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Well if and when you guys fix you're phone they have military grade Droid armer the only place it don't cover my phone it at the headset jack best of luck

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Chosen Solution

Here's the guide you need to perform the repair:

Samsung Galaxy S4 Display Assembly Replacement

You can also replace just the glass itself, but we don't generally recommend doing so. Here's a user-contributed guide on how to perform that repair:

Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement

Samsung Galaxy S4 Display Assembly Image

Guide

Samsung Galaxy S4 Display Assembly Replacement

Difficulty:

Moderate

1 - 3 hours

Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Image

Guide

Samsung Galaxy S4 Cracked Front Glass Replacement

Difficulty:

Difficult

1 - 2 hours

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Yes you will need to use an lcd separator machine in order to be able to take the glass and lcd apart. There is a really easy good tutorial at lcdseparatormachines.com.

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WHAT?! No you don't! You heat it up and carefully pry off.

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I agree - use a heat gun / blow dryer for a few minutes to soften the adhesive - pry the glass off slowly and carefully, then use 99% rubbing alcohol to rub the glue off carefully. Be sure to get the LOCA glue and a UV light to cure. n actual separator is a HUGE expense

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@Crocker Racing Stable thank you for that the other comment clearly makes their living out of it or sells those machines and doesnt want to share!

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I have broken my S4 glass and figured i would repair it since the Glass is about $11 on Amazon. You do need the following

-Plastic Razors

-Regular Razor Blade

-Heat Gun or Blow Dryer

-Infared Thermometer ( Not needed but helps knowing exactly what temperature your glass is)

1. Remove the battery and sim card and sd card from the device

2. Using the heat gun or blow dryer Start heating up the glass to about 190 degrees (i usually keep it at 200 just to make it easier for the glass to seperate from the LOCA GLUE but be careful because direct heat in one are will burn the lcd)

3. Once at desired temperature, using regualar blade, place razor on the upper right corner underneath the glass and in a up-ward direction slowing slide the blade down, once you able to get the top half of an inch off the lcd, use the plastic blades and slowing slide down the right side of the glass and the loca will seperate ( apply more heat if you notice the glass isn't separating as well FYI Try to keep the glass at 180 degrees at all times if possible)

4. Do the Same thing on the other side of the phone untill the glass comes right up( Notice********** YOUR BOTTOM BUTTONS ARE CONNECTED BY ADHESIVE TO THE GLASS, BE CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE GLASS AND MAKE SURE YOU USE A PLASTIC BLADE REMOVE THE BACK BUTTON, HOME BUTTON, AND MENU BUTTON FROM THE GLASS BEFORE YOU TAKE THE GLASS OFF COMPLETELY.

5. Once glass is off remove the left over glue with your fingers, its comes right off. and to remove any finger prints and smuges make sure to use rubbing alcohol to clean lcd with a micro cloth.

Now are far as applying the new glass ive done it a few way:

-Create a border with 2mm adhesive around the lcd and around the rim of the device and reapply the glass

or

-Sams as above but also install a screen protector between the glass and lcd/digitizer and then apply the glass. that way it creates a barrier between both the glass and lcd.

or

Same as first way but order some Prokit UV glue LOCA Liquid 50g optical clear adhesive for samsung LCD repair on amazon and apply between the glass and lcd, once in place make sure to push all bubble out and to seal/cure the screen place in sunlight for 60 secs.

Hope that helps alittle. if anybody has any questions let me know

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You should start a guide HERE

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So I tried removing the glass and I got most of it off, but the glass on the middle of the screen is still stuck on. Any ideas on how to remove it?

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Awww. I hope tije709 got an answer in the end poor thing!

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Ok, I replaced the glass on my Galaxy S4 utilizing the following items.

-=FROM AMAZON=-

* Prokit UV glue 3.5ml LOCA Liquid optical clear adhesive

-=FROM EBAY=-

* S4 glass lens

* Infrared thermometer

* Plastic razor blades

-=FROM AROUND THE HOME=-

* Heat gun (Ace Hardware)

* Standard screwdriver and spludger kit for smartphone repair

* Isopropryl alcohol

* Gauze sponges

* Lint free cloth

This was my first time and I learned the following things so I will share them here with you.

Like all the videos say, You need to go SLOW and really take your time separating the glass from the digitizer/LCD. The digitizer and LCD are pretty robust but if you don't go slow you can crack the LCD while separating the broken glass.

It would be VERY difficult using a heat gun without an infrared thermometer. The temperature of the glass fluctuated very quickly so I had to keep adjusting the distance of the heat gun from the glass to ensure the temperature stayed around 180-190 degrees F.

Use gloves! The glass and metal frame get very hot.

Once the broken glass was removed it was slow getting the residual adhesive off the digitizer. Take your time and use rubbing alcohol and gauze. The texture of the gauze seemed to facilitate quicker and more efficient removal of the adhesive.

I chose not to use the 2mm 3M adhesive around the border of the digitizer/LCD. In hindsight this was a mistake. I left the old adhesive in place since it appeared to be intact and still sticky. I should have peeled the old off and used the 3M.

Using the Prokit LOCA: I should have removed the digitizer/LCD from the chassis and followed similar methods employed in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-swd_s7J...

Since I didn't I got time air gaps around the edge of the screen, seen here: http://i.imgur.com/Df6F1RA.jpg

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I had very few air bubbles under the glass and, again, this might have turned out better if I had removed the digitizer/LCD from the chassis.

I cured the LOCA by leaving the assembled unit in the sun for 15 minutes. I think that was enough time.

Since I had a second screen on my phone I only hooked the repaired screen up to the disassembled phone to test it. Here are some finished pictures.

http://i.imgur.com/5Af5BAI.jpg

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http://i.imgur.com/Dj3aZ1Q.jpg

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http://i.imgur.com/6kElo50.jpg

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Two additional problems. Since I used too much glue (I think) It went up into the space for the front facing camera and occluded the glass so I can't use the front facing camera.

It also leaked into the area where the back button and menu button are located. This made the buttons look a bit murky/dark, seen here: http://i.imgur.com/qcW4eVU.jpg?1

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The HOME, BACK and MENU buttons work fine, the screen is as responsive to touch as before and looks great despite the free tiny bubbles and tiny air gap around the LCD (this isn't visible on the actual screen.)

All in all it wasn't that hard of a repair. It took about 45 minutes and if I have removed the LCD from the chassis, it would have taken longer but probably only 30 minutes more.

I hope that helps some of you.

!!! UPDATE !!! !!! UPDATE !!! !!! UPDATE !!! !!! UPDATE !!! !!! UPDATE !!! !!! UPDATE !!!

I couldn't find ANYTHING on the internet about removing the LCD and digitizer from the chassis so I just bit the bullet and did it. I used several plastic razors to slowly pry the LCD/digitizer from the chassis. I probably should have used the heat gun to soften the adhesive that was holding the LCD to the chassis, but I didn't. The layers of insulation that protect the LCD from the rest of the phone got a bit wrinkled. Nothing I probably can't fix before I reassemble the phone.

Here are pictures of the results:

http://i.imgur.com/uFqbayW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Rw1Nf2A.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/qhG67AI.jpg

The silver layers in the 3rd picture have a silver paste like residue. It reminds me of the thermal compound you put on a CPU before attaching the heatsink/fan. Something to keep in mind when reassembling the phone.

Bare LCD/digitizer in use:

http://i.imgur.com/IBHiNhY.jpg?1

Hope this sheds some light on removing the LCD/digitizer from the chassis.

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This TEAR DOWN may assist you in disassembly. This VIDEO may also be useful.

PARTS available here amongst other places including eBay

HIH

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Hello all,

I uploaded a youtube tutorial for the Galaxy S4 front glass replacement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9oUxJkDP...

Hope this will help you replace your broken Glass

Kind regards

Mr ScreenMan

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Hey preveen yes u can change just the glass but be sure to find a genuine part or you will suffer touch sensitivity issues as I did and found out the hard way to repair the screen follow the the youtube link mr screenman has kindly provided hope this helps :D I have successfully fixed 2x s4's 5x s3's 1x s2 and a tricky s1 lol

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my samsung s4 gorilla glass was damage but its work properly with lcd sreen can i replace the glass or total LCD screen please tell me

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Hi praveen, if the LCD screen still works, you only have to replace the glass lens, which is much cheaper. But it's also very difficult to replace the glass only if you have no skills of repairing phone. You can read the steps that other users posted above.

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BE VERY CAREFUL PEOLPLE.. THIS IS NOT A REPAIR THAT YOU CAN DO EASILY YOURSELF AND ALOT OF THE VIDEOS ARE DECEIVING! My brother tried this repair by watching videos and ordering parts himself and ended up breaking his phone completely!They and ifixit.com have been nothing but great to me! Hope this helps!

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It's either this Prokit UV glue 3.5ml LOCA Liquid optical clear adhesive or the 3MM right?

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Yes it is possible to replace the glass only on a Galaxy S4. This phones lcd is thinner than its predecessor the galaxy s3 so you can not use the same methods. It also has a chassis that is easily scraped or damaged. I would not recommend trying to remove the lcd from the frame it is very fragile. Anyone with some patience can do this repair. I do this repair about 15 to 20 times a week. Let me walk you through it.

Materials: Plastic Playing Cards, .36 or very thin guitar pick, razor blade, gloves

Tools: Heat source ( I use a Chinese hot plate)

Time: 10 min

1. Remove everything from the lcd assembly ie... motherboard, proximity, vibrator. You only want the lcd assembly. Subjecting the small parts of your phone to heat will shorten the life of the part.

2. Heat the assembly. 90c for about 60 seconds

3. Use the tip of the razor blade the razor blade to barely lift the glass in the top right corner.

4. Slide the thin guitar pick under the glass and remove the razor blade.

5. Carefully slide the pick down under the glass and over to the left. At this point reheat the glass 30 to 60 seconds.

Continue to use the pick and slide above the mesh lossening the adhesive.Then down toward the glass on the left side of the mesh. This is where the lcd cable is so it is very important that you are in the right spot before you start sliding over to the left. YOU WANT TO BE DOWN TO THE LCD far enough where air bubbles start to spread. Then push left.

6. Use the pick to push under the glass above where the mesh is. THEN OVER THE MESH. Once you have that the battle is over.

7. Reheat. Use the playing card and slowly push down where rhe pick is over the mesh. You will need to reheat several times.what you are doing at this point is letting air in. You will see the air bubbles run. When it gets hard to push reheat. Do this all the way to the bottom. It should take just a few mins.

8. The flex cable for the home button is adhesived to the frame. The settings and back button flex is adhesived to the glass and this is all one cable. You can simply pry this off the glass with your pick. No worries though if you can not or you damage it. Unlike the galaxy s3 it is easy to replace. I would order an extra light flex cable just in case.

That is it very simple. Putting the glass back on is even easier. If you have a question or want more info check out my glass only training course at icellular.wildapricot.org

Just Save Gadgets

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Supposing I did want to remove the LCD from the frame and put it into a whole new housing completely...how would I go about doing that? My glass screen has cracked but the LCD works fine, but there's also blemishes along the chassis that are an eyesore so I want to buy new front and back housings to make it look brand new in a sense.

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What is preffered, when mounting on the new glass, uca glue or 2 mm adhessive?

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Hi all. I have broken my gorilla glass :( 6 days after I have bought my phone ;( I want to ask you if the process of heating will damage the sensors at the top of the phone or anything else? Thank you for support :)

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If you need to know how we apply the UV glue here is our video of us doing so.

S4 LOCA UV Glue Application Guide:

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absolutely always use LOCA UV glue to properly re-adhere the glass. removing the lcd is very complicated because of its thin and long profile. Gold alloy wire is the safest way to remove the digitizer after you loosen the top edge enough to get it under horizontally.

but you are quoting temperatures that are not safe. heat guns are risky and inconsistent. always use a hot flat surface no hotter than 100 f or 77 c. any hotter and you run the risk of burning out low temp colors starting with blue.

as for LOCA glue, on the s4 apply roughly a dime width from 1/8 inch below the top to bottom right down the center. you always apply your glass starting at the bottom and slowly "press" the glue outward and up. the slower you lay the line of glue the less chance of trapping air, and never lift up on the glass and allow the glue to retract, it will get an air pocket.

excess glue is easy to remove, any glue not under the clear glass will not get the same UV exposure and remains liquid, just use a small foam paintbrush dipped in solvent to clean around the lcd. it evaporates so fast it will not hurt the set glue on the lcd if you dont use too much.

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hi, i work repairing all kind of screen and i having an issue with the LOCA glue. I changed the glass of one SG4 and after two weeks the owner told me that some lines appear on the screen. I cure the loca using UV lamp of 36w (for cure nails) during 3 minutes . I attached some pictures. Where is my error in this repair? Somebody had the same issue? Thank you!

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hello

everyone

i have been reparing cellphones for over a year and i made few videos with a lot details about how to separate LCD from the broken gorilla glass. Also i made a video explaning all the theory behind it and after that all the practices so you can see how it is made. I hope it help you all guys.

Theory of how to fix gorilla glass at any samsung galaxy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOAauYYN...

how to repair galaxy s4 screen glass replacement (gorilla glass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J458v0LN...

how to remove gorilla glass from LCD on galaxy S3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnuoCm_e...

how to change display from a galaxy s4 (complete frame LCD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85pOvI6O...

enjoy!

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Hi, does anyone know how much Samsung charge to fix the front screen?

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depend of where you are ! depend of your country, here in argentina , almost 200 dollars.

that is why i post these videos so you can do it for few dollars

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Help! My screen is crack on the upper right corner and my front camera is dim on my Samsung Galaxy S4. Do I need a glass replacement or a LCD one?

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Also, all my buttons work.

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don't just replace the glass its not a good idea unless you have professional equipment, fishing line and heat gun is not professional ... have a look at some before and afters here... do the full LCD replacement.

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