Huawei P20 Pro Screen Replacement

Written By: Dominik Schnabelrauch

Comments: 15

Difficulty

Difficult

Steps

Time Required

1 - 3 hours

Introduction

Use this guide to replace a defective or cracked OLED screen and digitizer in the Huawei P20 Pro.

Note: This guide instructs you to replace only the display while leaving the original frame and motherboard in place. However, some replacement screens for this phone come pre-installed in a new frame (a.k.a. chassis), which requires a very different procedure—transplanting all your phone's internals. Make sure you have the correct part before starting this guide.

Opening the Huawei P20 Pro will damage the waterproof seals on the device. If you do not replace the adhesive seals, your phone will function normally but will lose its water protection.

Do not reuse the battery after it has been removed, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.
Before disassembling your phone, discharge the battery below 25%. If your battery is swollen, do not heat your phone. Swollen batteries can be very dangerous, so wear eye protection and exercise with caution, or take it to a professional if you're not sure how to proceed.

You’ll need adhesive glue to reattach components when reassembling the device.

Tools

Parts

Huawei P20 Pro Screen

Step 1

Switch off your phone.
Use an iOpener to loosen the adhesive beneath the rear glass. Apply the iOpener for at least two minutes. You might want to repeat this step several times during the back cover removal.
The adhesive of the Huawei P20 Pro is of moderate strength, however a hair dryer, heat gun, or hot plate may also be used if you aren't able to open the device with the iOpener. Be careful not to overheat the phone—the OLED display and internal battery are both susceptible to heat damage.

Ich hatte keinen iOpener. Daher hab ich das P20 Pro für ein paar Minuten auf eine Wärmflasche gelegt. Die Klebeschicht konnte relativ schnell gelöst werden.

David T. -

Step 2

If the phone's rear glass is cracked, a suction cup may not stick very well. Try lifting it with strong tape, or superglue the suction cup in place and allow it to cure so you can proceed.
Press a suction cup onto the rear glass close to the bottom edge of the phone.
Lift the bottom edge with the suction cup, opening a slight gap between the rear glass and the frame.
Insert an opening pick in the gap and slide it to the bottom right corner. Leave it there to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

if the back cover is not broken, i’d suggest NOT to use an opening pick as if the phone was not heated enough, you may crack the glass on the edges. better use the iPlastix, it is thinner and less stressful for the glass.

Stefano Restuccia - 24/09/19

It is better to put a peak on the side because the side opens first than the bottom of the phone.

이정일 - 16/06/20

I have to agree that is is much easier to start opening from the side. Do read the rest of the guide though, to make sure you won’t hit something when opening it from the side.

Jacob Cain - 09/10/20

Step 3

Insert a second opening pick and slide it to the bottom left corner. Leave it there to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 4

Insert a third opening pick at the bottom left corner.
Slide the tip of the opening pick along the left edge of the phone to cut the adhesive.
Leave the opening pick in the top left corner of the phone to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 5

In case you're having trouble to cut the adhesive, reapply the iOpener for another minute to loosen it.
Insert a fourth opening pick at the top left corner of the phone.
Slide the opening pick along the upper edge of the phone to cut the adhesive beneath the rear glass and leave it in the top right corner.

Step 6

Insert a fifth opening pick at the top right corner of the rear glass.
Slide the opening pick along the right edge of the phone to cut the remaining adhesive.
Don't open the phone all the way yet. The proximity sensor flex cable is still connected to the motherboard.

Step 7

Carefully lift the rear glass until you can reach the connector of the proximity sensor flex cable next to the rear camera assembly.

Step 8

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the proximity sensor flex cable.

Step 9

Remove the rear glass.
Before installing fresh adhesive and reassembly, remove any remaining adhesive from the phone, and clean the glued areas with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.

Step 10

Remove the nine Phillips #00 screws (3.4 mm length).

Step 11

Insert an opening pick under the left side of the motherboard cover that includes the NFC.
Slide the opening pick towards the top left corner of the phone and twist it to pry the cover out of its plastic clamps.

Step 12

Repeat the previous process on the right side and twist the opening pick to pry up the motherboard cover.

Step 13

Remove the motherboard cover.

Porque cuando desconectas el nfc no vuelve a funcionar?

Vanesa Gutierrez - 25/01/20

a teraz to zopakuj po vychodňarsky

Lukas Franko - 18/02/21

Step 14

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery flex cable.

Step 15

Remove the five Phillips #00 screws (3.4 mm length).

Step 16

Use a pair of tweezers to disconnect the antenna cable.
Use a pair of tweezers to pull the antenna cable out of its routing.

Step 17

Slide an opening pick under the left side of the daughterboard cover and start to pry it up until you can get a good grip.
Remove the daughterboard cover.

Step 18

Remove the two Phillips #00 screws (3.4 mm length) on both sides of the USB C port.

Step 19

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the upper end of the interconnect and charging port flex cable from the motherboard.

Step 20

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the bottom end of the interconnect and charging port flex cable from the daughterboard.
Use a pair of tweezers to move the antenna cable out of the way.

Step 21

Use a pair of tweezers to pull the charging port out of its recess.
Remove the interconnect cable including the charging port.

Step 22

Use an iOpener to loosen the adhesive beneath the battery. Apply the iOpener on the display for at least two minutes.
In the following step, only apply the spudger in the areas marked in red, which is where the battery adhesive is located.
Avoid the orange area where the display flex cable is running.

Step 23

In case you have trouble to pry up the battery the adhesive may not be loose enough. You can apply some isopropyl alcohol under each corner of the battery and allow it to penetrate for about two minutes to help weaken the adhesive.
Try your best not to deform the battery during the following removal process. Soft-shell lithium-ion batteries can leak dangerous chemicals, catch fire, or even explode if damaged. Do not use excessive force or pry at the battery with metal tools.
Insert the flat end of a spudger at the top left corner of the battery and start to pry it up.
Work your way down the left side of the battery and loosen the adhesive with the spudger.

Step 24

Insert the spudger at the top right corner of the battery and start to pry it up.
Work your way down to the bottom end of the battery to loosen all the adhesive.

Step 25

Remove the battery.
Do not reinstall a damaged or deformed battery, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.
Before installing a new battery remove any remaining adhesive from the phone, and clean the glued areas with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.
Secure the new battery with pre-cut adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape. In order to position it correctly, apply the new adhesive into the phone at the places where the old adhesive was located, not directly onto the battery. Press the new battery firmly into place for 5-10 seconds.

Step 26

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the display flex cable at the bottom left of the motherboard.

Step 27

Prepare an iOpener and apply it to the display for at least two minutes to loosen the adhesive beneath.
You may need to reheat and reapply the iOpener several times to get the phone warm enough on all sides. Follow the iOpener instructions to avoid overheating.
If your display glass is cracked, keep further breakage contained and prevent bodily harm during your repair by taping over the glass.
Lay overlapping strips of clear packing tape over the display until the whole face is covered.
This will keep glass shards contained and provide structural integrity when prying and lifting the display.
Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from any glass shaken free during the repair.

Step 28

Once the screen is warm to the touch, apply a suction cup to the upper edge of the phone.
Pull the suction cup upwards and insert an opening pick in the gap between the display glass and the plastic bezel. Start to cut the adhesive by sliding the opening pick to the top left corner.
Make sure you get in the right gap between the display and the plastic bezel. Do not pry between the bezel and the midframe.

There will be 2 gaps one under the screen glass(the one you should open) the secod notch down is where a fragile plastic frame is. Stay away from it and use the upper notch

Abdulrahman Alzahrani - 29/10/19

Step 29

Insert a second opening pick and slide it to the top right corner of the phone.
Leave the picks in their places to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 30

Insert a third opening pick at the top right corner of the phone.
Slide the opening pick down to the bottom right corner to cut all the adhesive. Leave it at the bottom right corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
If cutting becomes too difficult, reheat and reapply the iOpener.

Step 31

Insert a fourth opening pick at the bottom right corner.
Only slide the tip of the opening pick along the bottom edge of the phone to not damage the home button.
Leave the opening pick in the bottom left corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.

Step 32

Insert a fifth opening pick and slide it along the left edge of the phone to cut the remaining adhesive.
Try not to remove the display all the way yet, the display cable is still threaded through the frame and adhered on the opposite side.

Step 33

Use a pair of tweezers to peel the display flex cable free from the frame.
Thread the display flex cable through the gap in the frame and remove the display.

after this part, even after heating the screen it didn’t come apart in one shot, i had my digitizer, led, and protective all apart and still no access to remove the display flex cable, tore a cable connecting to the screen and now my phone is trash. somehow you managed to bypass this part and magically go to the part where you can see the home button? not happy. “Remove Display” you make it seem so easy yet this is the part that destroyed my phone. Please include the step 33b that we need, thanks

Bruce Chartrand -

Step 34

Use an opening pick to open the black flap of the home button ZIF connector.

Step 35

Use a pair of tweezers to gently pull the home button flex cable out of its ZIF connector.

Step 36

Use an iOpener to loosen the adhesive beneath the home button.

Step 37

Apply a spudger to the backside of the home button and push it out towards the front until it comes off the screen.
Carefully grab the home button and thread its flex cable through the gap in the screen.
Remove the home button.
Before installing a new display, it's important to remove all traces of the old adhesive from the frame, and clean the glued areas with isopropyl alcohol (>90%) and a lint-free cloth.

Conclusion

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.

The best way to secure the new screen is with adhesive glue. Apply the glue to the plastic frame, then carefully feed the display cable through its gap, align the screen and press it into place.

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

If possible, turn on your phone and test your repair before installing new adhesive and resealing the phone.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Dominik Schnabelrauch

Member since: 23/11/16

167366 Reputation

7 comments

Most detailed guide I’ve personally seen. And I love the detailed gif like steps, which are positively the best way to explain something. Hands down. Love it. Only the important stuff without the fluff easily accessible for back and forth.

Can’t stress enough how much I want you to keep using this formula.

*Throws happiness at screen* Here you go man

Ion Ion - 14/07/19

I need some help - I have the new LCD but it’s already in its housing. I am confused how to transfer all the existing parts (cameras, boards etc) onto the new frame! CL

Cameron Lawther - 01/08/20

Bonjour,

L’introduction du tuto stipule : “Ouvrir le Huawei P20 Pro endommagera les joints étanches de l'appareil. Si vous ne les remplacez pas, votre téléphone continuera à fonctionner normalement, mais ne sera plus étanche à l'eau. “

Comment remplacer ces joints ? Un produit en particulier ? Est-ce la colle qui fait office de joint étanche ?

Merci pour les infos,

Aurélien C - 06/10/20

ma compagne a cassé son p20 pro.On annoncait 340 € à réparer.Je trouvais ca beaucoup, mais avec la pièce à 220 €, et 1 à 3h de travail, ca s’explique…+ le cout des outils …Il se trouve à 300 € en 2e main ou fin de série….Mais si on est bricoleur, ca peut etre drole. Courage, et merci pour ce tuto !

gilou gilou - 10/12/20

Hello

I have a question.

We done everthing like it is explained. (Thank you for the amazing instruction!)

But now we want to instal the new lcd screen but there is no fixation for the home button (silver thing). And we can remove the old one. Any suggestions?

Illyris Van Der Meer - 19/02/21

Impresionante tutorial. Lo he seguido tal y como se indicaba, y he podido sustituir perfectamente la pantalla y la batería. Un 10. Gracias

Miguel Angel Lafarga - 30/05/21

Hello,

I´ve just replace the battery and the phone doesn´t not turn on. The screen works and the phone is charging ( i can see the percentage in the screen)

any suggestion? Thanks,

iñigo Diaz -