Featured

Featured Guide

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

38

Time Required

                          1 - 2 hours

Sections

9

  • Rear Case
  • 5 steps
  • Battery
  • 2 steps
  • SIM Card
  • 2 steps
  • microSD Card
  • 2 steps
  • Plastic Midframe
  • 2 steps
  • Headphone Jack/Speaker Assembly
  • 3 steps
  • Motherboard Assembly
  • 6 steps
  • Front-Facing Camera
  • 2 steps
  • Front Panel Assembly
  • 14 steps

Flags

1

This guide has been found to be exceptionally cool by the iFixit staff.

  • BackSamsung Galaxy S III

  • Full Screen

  • Options

  • History

  • Save to Favorites

  • Download PDF

  • Edit

  • Translate

  • Get Shareable Link

  • Embed This Guide

  • Notify Me of Changes

  • Stop Notifications

Introduction

What you need

Video Overview

Step 1

              Rear Case
  • The following four steps can be accomplished without a plastic opening tool. However, it’s recommended to use a tool to best avoid breaking any clips along the perimeter of the rear case.
  • Insert a plastic opening tool or fingernail into the notch in the gap between the rear case and the rest of the phone, located at the top of the device.
  • Gently twist the opening tool to disconnect the clips securing the top of the rear case.

The following four steps can be accomplished without a plastic opening tool. However, it’s recommended to use a tool to best avoid breaking any clips along the perimeter of the rear case.

Insert a plastic opening tool or fingernail into the notch in the gap between the rear case and the rest of the phone, located at the top of the device.

Gently twist the opening tool to disconnect the clips securing the top of the rear case.

1024

Step 2

  • Slide the plastic opening tool left along the top edge and repeat the twisting motion to widen the gap between the rear case and the phone.

Slide the plastic opening tool left along the top edge and repeat the twisting motion to widen the gap between the rear case and the phone.

Step 3

  • Continue to move the plastic opening tool around the perimeter of the top left corner, gently prying up along the rear case.

Continue to move the plastic opening tool around the perimeter of the top left corner, gently prying up along the rear case.

Step 4

  • Pry along the top right side, and continue prying down the right side of the rear case.

Pry along the top right side, and continue prying down the right side of the rear case.

Step 5

  • Lift up and remove the rear case from the phone.
  • You may need to peel the case up to separate it from any clips still holding it to the bottom of the phone.

Lift up and remove the rear case from the phone.

You may need to peel the case up to separate it from any clips still holding it to the bottom of the phone.

Step 6

              Battery
  • This step can be accomplished without the need of a plastic opening tool. Just use your finger if you want to.
  • Wedge a plastic opening tool into the small notch above the battery.
  • Pry the battery up out of its recess.

This step can be accomplished without the need of a plastic opening tool. Just use your finger if you want to.

Wedge a plastic opening tool into the small notch above the battery.

Pry the battery up out of its recess.

Step 7

  • Remove the battery.

Remove the battery.

Step 8

              SIM Card
  • Using your fingernail, push the SIM card slightly deeper into its slot, until you hear a click.
  • After the click, release the card and it will pop out of its slot.
  • For reassembly, push the SIM card into the slot until it clicks in place.

Using your fingernail, push the SIM card slightly deeper into its slot, until you hear a click.

After the click, release the card and it will pop out of its slot.

For reassembly, push the SIM card into the slot until it clicks in place.

Step 9

  • Use your thumb to slide enough of the SIM card out of its slot to grab ahold of it.
  • Grasp and remove the SIM card away from the phone.

Use your thumb to slide enough of the SIM card out of its slot to grab ahold of it.

Grasp and remove the SIM card away from the phone.

Step 10

              microSD Card
  • Using your fingernail, push the microSD card slightly deeper into its slot, until you hear a click.
  • After the click, release the card and it will pop out of its slot.
  • For reassembly, push the microSD card into the slot until it clicks in place.

Using your fingernail, push the microSD card slightly deeper into its slot, until you hear a click.

For reassembly, push the microSD card into the slot until it clicks in place.

Step 11

  • Use your thumb to slide the microSD card out of the slot.
  • Remove the microSD card from the phone.

Use your thumb to slide the microSD card out of the slot.

Remove the microSD card from the phone.

Step 12

              Plastic Midframe
  • Remove the ten 4.0 mm Phillips screws securing the midframe to the front panel assembly.

Remove the ten 4.0 mm Phillips screws securing the midframe to the front panel assembly.

Step 13

  • Grasp the left side of the plastic midframe with your thumb and forefinger and lift it away from the phone.
  • The midframe lightly snaps in place, and can be removed with very little force.

Grasp the left side of the plastic midframe with your thumb and forefinger and lift it away from the phone.

The midframe lightly snaps in place, and can be removed with very little force.

Step 14

              Headphone Jack/Speaker Assembly
  • Use a plastic opening tool to pry the rear-facing camera connector up from its socket on the motherboard.
  • Make sure you are prying on the connector and not the socket, or you may damage the motherboard.

Use a plastic opening tool to pry the rear-facing camera connector up from its socket on the motherboard.

Make sure you are prying on the connector and not the socket, or you may damage the motherboard.

Step 15

  • Insert a plastic opening tool outboard of the speaker portion of the headphone jack/speaker assembly.
  • Gently pry the headphone jack/speaker assembly up from the front assembly.

Insert a plastic opening tool outboard of the speaker portion of the headphone jack/speaker assembly.

Gently pry the headphone jack/speaker assembly up from the front assembly.

Step 16

  • Lift the headphone jack/speaker assembly out of the Galaxy S III.

Lift the headphone jack/speaker assembly out of the Galaxy S III.

Step 17

              Motherboard Assembly
  • Use a plastic opening tool to pry the front-facing camera connector from its socket on the motherboard.
  • Do not try to remove the front-facing camera just yet. Its cable is still routed beneath the motherboard assembly to the ambient light sensor.

Use a plastic opening tool to pry the front-facing camera connector from its socket on the motherboard.

Do not try to remove the front-facing camera just yet. Its cable is still routed beneath the motherboard assembly to the ambient light sensor.

Step 18

  • Disconnect the digitizer cable by gently prying its connector up from its socket on the motherboard.

Disconnect the digitizer cable by gently prying its connector up from its socket on the motherboard.

Step 19

  • Disconnect the display data cable from the motherboard.

Disconnect the display data cable from the motherboard.

Step 20

  • Pry the Wi-Fi antenna cable connector up from its socket on the motherboard.
  • Gently move the cable out of the way of the motherboard.

Pry the Wi-Fi antenna cable connector up from its socket on the motherboard.

Gently move the cable out of the way of the motherboard.

Step 21

  • Remove the single 3.0 mm Phillips screw securing the motherboard to the front panel assembly.

Remove the single 3.0 mm Phillips screw securing the motherboard to the front panel assembly.

Step 22

  • Carefully lift the bottom of the motherboard assembly away from the front panel assembly.
  • Remove the motherboard assembly from the front panel assembly, minding any cables that may snag on it.

Carefully lift the bottom of the motherboard assembly away from the front panel assembly.

Remove the motherboard assembly from the front panel assembly, minding any cables that may snag on it.

Step 23

              Front-Facing Camera
  • Remove the single 2.0 mm Phillips screw securing the front-facing camera bracket to the front panel.

Remove the single 2.0 mm Phillips screw securing the front-facing camera bracket to the front panel.

Step 24

  • Use a pair of tweezers to lift the front-facing camera/ambient light sensor/rear microphone assembly out from its socket in the front panel assembly.

Use a pair of tweezers to lift the front-facing camera/ambient light sensor/rear microphone assembly out from its socket in the front panel assembly.

Step 25

              Front Panel Assembly
  • Peel the antenna cable up from its channel in the front panel assembly.
  • Do not completely remove the antenna cable, it is still connected to the antenna board.

Peel the antenna cable up from its channel in the front panel assembly.

Do not completely remove the antenna cable, it is still connected to the antenna board.

Step 26

  • Wedge the tip of a spudger underneath the earpiece speaker and pry the earpiece speaker out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Wedge the tip of a spudger underneath the earpiece speaker and pry the earpiece speaker out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Step 27

  • Use the flat edge of a spudger to peel the top portion of the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable from the front panel assembly.

Use the flat edge of a spudger to peel the top portion of the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable from the front panel assembly.

Step 28

  • Carefully wedge the flat edge of a spudger underneath the ambient light sensor.
  • Continue peeling the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable up off the front panel assembly.

Carefully wedge the flat edge of a spudger underneath the ambient light sensor.

Continue peeling the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable up off the front panel assembly.

Step 29

  • Insert the flat edge of a spudger underneath the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable connector.
  • Gently run the spudger across to continue peeling the the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable from the front panel assembly.

Insert the flat edge of a spudger underneath the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable connector.

Gently run the spudger across to continue peeling the the earpiece/volume buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable from the front panel assembly.

Step 30

  • Insert a plastic opening tool in between the the buttons ribbon cable and the volume button.
  • Push the volume out of its recess in the front panel assembly.
  • Lift and remove the volume button out of the phone.

Insert a plastic opening tool in between the the buttons ribbon cable and the volume button.

Push the volume out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Lift and remove the volume button out of the phone.

Step 31

  • Wedge the flat edge of a plastic opening tool in between the the earpiece/buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable and run it down to loosen the adhesive securing the ribbon cable.

Wedge the flat edge of a plastic opening tool in between the the earpiece/buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable and run it down to loosen the adhesive securing the ribbon cable.

Step 32

  • Grasp and remove the earpiece/buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable out of the phone.

Grasp and remove the earpiece/buttons/ambient light sensor ribbon cable out of the phone.

Step 33

  • Use a metal spudger to carefully peel the antenna board off the front panel assembly.
  • Lift and remove the antenna board out of the phone.

Use a metal spudger to carefully peel the antenna board off the front panel assembly.

Lift and remove the antenna board out of the phone.

Step 34

  • Push the power button out of its recess in the front panel assembly.
  • Remove the power button from the front panel assembly.

Push the power button out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Remove the power button from the front panel assembly.

Step 35

  • Use the tip of a spudger to pry the vibrator out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Use the tip of a spudger to pry the vibrator out of its recess in the front panel assembly.

Step 36

  • Use the tip of a spudger to peel the vibrator assembly off the front panel assembly.

Use the tip of a spudger to peel the vibrator assembly off the front panel assembly.

Step 37

  • Lift and remove the vibrator out of the front panel assembly.

Lift and remove the vibrator out of the front panel assembly.

Step 38

  • Front panel assembly remains.
  • If you are replacing the front panel assembly with a new one, don’t forget to transfer all the parts you removed to your new front panel assembly.

Front panel assembly remains.

If you are replacing the front panel assembly with a new one, don’t forget to transfer all the parts you removed to your new front panel assembly.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Cancel: I did not complete this guide.

                                                                                      212 other people completed this guide.

Author

                                      with 7 other contributors 


                    Walter Galan

682,038 Reputation

                                      1,203 Guides authored                  



                       Badges:
                       54







                                                        +51 more badges

Akki S - Jun 13, 2013

Reply

Hi,

I wonder if this is guide to actually replace broken digitizer - if we have full Digitizer/LCD assembly?

Thanks

paczor - Dec 16, 2013

Reply

I’ve just watched the video and… that was pure pleasure to watch repairer. She’s professional and beautiful!

William Geisweit - Jan 26, 2014

Reply

Thanks. This is the second time I’ve used this guide.

Lea Efremov - Feb 4, 2014

Reply

And how Ill install thenew screen ?

James Lainchbury - Jun 26, 2014

Reply

Brilliant Step-By-Step guide. My phone needed new digitizer as just a black screen was showing when turned on, must have happened from a drop. I bought the digitizer screen combo from ebay and used this guide to dress across the components. Worked first time! There are a couple of other spongy or supportive rubber pieces around certain components that were in the original phone so I transferred those also, I guess they are there just to ensure tight connections etc. Absolute lifesaver!