Before you start
This repair guide will show you step-by-step how to use your newly purchased iTG® display glass repair set to repair your Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016) smartphone. It is compatible with model SM-A510F.
As the repair procedure is essentially the same, this guide can also be used with our repair set for the Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016) smartphone. It is compatible with model SM-A310F.
Please make sure all the parts of the supplied repair set are included. If you find that there is something missing or damaged, please contact us before proceeding.
WARNING: The display glass repair procedure for the Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 (2016) is particularly difficult, much more so than that for the A3/A5 (2015) and earlier models of the Galaxy smartphone. If not enough care is taken, it is quite easy to crack the digitizer while attempting to separate the display glass. Once damaged, the digitizer cannot be replaced by itself and a complete new display unit will need to be installed. Please only attempt this repair if you are not worried about possibly needing to purchase and replace a complete display unit if it is unsuccessful. If not, we highly recommend consulting a professional repair technician.
the repair procedure
Before starting with our repair instructions, we recommend first watching the following repair video made by Youtube user Jerry Mobile. While not exactly the same as our procedure, this will give you a quick overview of the steps involved as well showing you that it is possible to complete the repair successfully.
You Will Need
- The iTG® repair set for the correct model smartphone.
- Heat gun / hair dryer / our UFiX Heat Bag (available here) or other way to heat the display glass.
- EVOBOND Debonder (glue remover) / WD40 / isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.
- Lens cleaner / glass cleaner.
- Patience (usual repair time: 1 – 2hrs but can take longer depending on how cracked the glass is).
You May Also Need
- Infrared thermometer (available here).
- Suction Cup Pliers (available here).
- Clear packaging tape / sellotape.
- Tweezers.
- Rubber gloves.
- If attempting the glue bonding procedure (recommended): LOCA UV liquid glue, a UV light source and 2mm double-sided tape. These can be purchased together as part of our iTG® PROFI Smartphone Display Glass Gluing Set here.
UPDATE
We now included an iTG® metal opening tool and PVC seperator cards with every smartphone repair set that we sell. These tools are to be used in place of the plastic pick tools and playing cards mentioned in the following guide.
UPDATE 2
In addition we would like to recommend our optional new, ultra thin, flexible spring steel opening tool for seperating the display glass from the smartphone digitizer. While it is perfectly possible to complete the repair successfully using the included PVC cards, our opening tool is specially designed to be easy to handle, being thinner and therefore reducing the chance of causing damage to the digitizer while attempting to seperate the display glass. For more information or to make a purchase, please view our Amazon page here.
Let’s Begin!
Step 1
Remove both the SIM card and microSD memory card if present. To do this, insert the card tray removal tool into the small hole on the side of the phone. Press gently and the tray should pop out.
Remove the tray.
The following steps require lots of patience. Be careful and take your time!
Step 2
Using your selected heating method (such as our UFiX Heat Bag), heat the surface of the display glass to approximately 80-90°C. This melts the glue that holds the glass to the display. This will loosen the glue but should not damage the electronics.
If you have one available, use an infrared thermometer (recommended) to check the temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat the glass until you can no longer touch it with your bare finger.
When using a heat gun, hold the gun at least 5 cm from your phone (in the picture it looks closer). With the heat gun set to low, heat the glass for about 3 to 5 minutes (depends on the strength of your heat gun). When using a hairdryer it will take longer.
You must be careful when applying heat. If the display is heated up too much it may melt the digitizer and cause discoloration. It is however important to heat the glue sufficiently so that the glass can be separated without applying excessive force. If you start to see any discoloration then shut off the gun IMMEDIATELY. When using an infrared thermometer you should be able to avoid this.
Step 3
Using the supplied pick tools or pry tools, very carefully start to work at the edges to separate the glass. A thin flexible tool is useful to first insert under the edge of the glass to start the procedure. Make sure to work from the top of the phone to the bottom.
Leave the tools in place as you go, in order to keep the glass separated from the glue. You will need to keep reapplying heat to the glass approximately every 30 seconds for around 1-2 minutes while you work, as the glass will cool down quickly. For glass which is heavily damaged you will need to be extra careful not to damage the LCD with the shattered glass pieces.
Be careful along the bottom edge of the screen as the 2 touch keys and home button are glued to the glass. Leave these until last if possible. (They need to be detached before the glass screen is removed.)
Step 4
Once you have separated the edges of the glass, work your way in towards the centre, reapplying heat as needed.
iTech Tip! Old playing cards / business cards are useful here to work into the glue and separate the glass. Just make sure the material they are made from is flexible and won’t damage the digitizer.
Again work from top to bottom and keep reapplying heat as required. If needed you can use the supplied suction cup tool to pull up slightly on the glass as you work to separate it.
Step 5
Once you think the glass is completely separated, don’t immediately try to remove the whole piece! The 2 touch buttons and home button at the bottom of the screen must first be detached.
Carefully pull the screen from the top, opening it like a book. You should now be able to see the touch buttons.
With a plastic pry tool, carefully detach the buttons from the inner side of the glass. A little heat may be necessary.
Step 6
Remove the broken display glass.
If the display glass is very shattered you may need to pick out the small pieces with a pair of tweezers one-by-one. This will take extra time.
Step 7
Remove any adhesive tape that is left stuck around the edge of the screen. For this it is helpful to use a pair of tweezers.
To remove any leftover glue from the digitizer, apply a small amount of cleaning liquid and wipe with a lint-free cloth. (We recommend using special glue remover such as EVOBOND Debonder, but a small amount of WD40 applied to the cloth also works well. Just don’t use too much). You can then scrape off the loosened glue with your finger or a pick tool, just don’t press too hard.
iTech Tip! A piece of packaging tape folded back on itself (sticky side out) is useful here to dab onto the screen and remove any small loose spots of glue. Just make sure you don’t press too hard on the digitizer.
When cleaning off the glue, do NOT attempt to scrape glue out of the cracks between the digitizer and the frame. A very small amount of force towards the centre or from underneath will crack the display.
Step 8
Remove any leftover smudges from the digitizer using lens cleaning wipes or glass cleaner and a clean lint-free cloth. Try not to leave any fluff or dust on the display as it will be trapped in once the new display glass is fitted. Make sure the home and touch buttons are pressed back down into place.
At this point you can apply the LOCA UV liquid glue if you wish. It is not essential (see our disclaimer) but we do recommend it for this repair. Without it the functionality of the touch screen may become impaired. If you would like to attempt it, you can follow our universal guide here.
Step 9
Now you need to apply the 3M pre-cut adhesive included with your repair set to the glass. For this stage you must first prepare a clean, flat, dust free area.
Now remove the clear plastic protective layer from the adhesive such that it remains affixed to the coloured plastic.
Lay your new display glass front side down and remove the protective clear plastic from the back side. Be careful not to touch the display part of the glass as you do this as it can leave marks or smudges (wear rubber gloves if possible).
Affix both pieces of the adhesive onto the back of the glass in the correct position. Make sure the adhesive is pressed down firmly enough so that when you peel back the coloured protective layer it stays glued to the glass.
There should be small pieces of the coloured plastic still attached to the adhesive. Peel these back and remove them.
STEP 10
It is now finally time to install your new display glass!
Carefully move the glass into position above the frame of the phone. Start by fixing the bottom edge of the glass, making sure that the touch buttons and home button are correctly positioned.
Lower the glass down into position and press into place. Make sure it is properly fixed all the way round and is lying flush with the frame. You can now remove the top layer of protective plastic from the glass.
Step 11
Reinstall the card tray.
Step 12
Now pat yourself on the back for a job well done 🙂