Introduction
Use this guide to remove or replace a defective daughterboard including the plastic cover in your Sony Xperia Z4.
Opening the Sony Xperia Z4 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.
Due to the phone’s design, we recommend removing the lithium-ion battery in order to get better access to the daughterboard and its cover. However, it’s possible to do it while leaving the battery in its place. Do not re-use a bent or damaged battery, as doing so is a potential safety hazard.
Before disassembling your phone, discharge the battery below 25%. The battery can catch fire and/or explode if accidentally punctured, but the chances of that happening are much lower if discharged.
You’ll need replacement adhesive to reattach components when reassembling the device.
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Before you begin, switch off your phone.
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Apply a heated iOpener to the back of the phone to loosen the adhesive beneath the back cover. Apply the iOpener for at least two minutes.
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Secure a suction handle to the bottom of the back cover, as close to the edge as possible.
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Lift the back cover with the suction handle to create a small gap between the cover and the frame.
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Insert an opening pick into the gap.
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Slide the opening pick to the bottom left corner.
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Insert a second opening pick and slide it to the bottom right corner to cut the adhesive.
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Leave the opening picks in place to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Insert a third opening pick at the bottom left corner.
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Start to slide the tip of the opening pick from the bottom left corner along the side of the phone to cut the adhesive.
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Leave the opening pick in its place at the top left corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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If the adhesive becomes hard to cut it most likely cooled down. Use your iOpener to reheat it.
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Insert a fourth opening pick under the top left corner of the back cover.
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Slide the opening pick along the top edge of the phone to cut the adhesive.
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Leave the opening pick in the top right corner to prevent the adhesive from resealing.
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Insert a fifth opening pick at the top right corner of the phone.
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Slide the opening pick along the right side to cut the remaining adhesive.
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Use a pair of tweezers to carefully peel the adhesive strip off the mother board and the battery and remove it.
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Use a pair of tweezers to peel the black adhesive strip off the battery connector and fold it out of the way.
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Use a pair of tweezers and grab the pull tab at the top right corner of the battery.
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Pull out the adhesive strip with a pair of tweezers.
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Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the small main flex connector next to the vibration motor connector.
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Lift the daughterboard cover using a pair of tweezers or a spudger by prying it up from its left side.
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Remove the daughterboard cover carrying the daughterboard.
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If possible, turn on your phone and test your repair before installing new adhesive and resealing the phone.
Secure the 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.
To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order. Apply new adhesive where necessary after cleaning the relevant areas with isopropyl alcohol (+90%).
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.
