Google Pixel 2 XL Motherboard Replacement

Written By: Adam O'Camb

Comments: 29

Google Pixel 2 XL Motherboard Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

This repair guide was authored by the iFixit staff and hasn’t been endorsed by Google. Learn more about our repair guides here.

Use this guide to remove or replace the motherboard in a Google Pixel 2 XL.

Tools

Parts

Tesa 61395 Double-Sided Tape

Step 1

Insert a SIM card eject tool or a paperclip into the small hole in the SIM card tray, located on the left edge of the phone, opposite of the power and volume buttons.
Press firmly to eject the tray.

Step 2

Remove the SIM card tray from the phone.
The SIM card will fall out of the tray easily.
When reinserting the SIM card, ensure that it is in the proper orientation relative to the tray.

Step 3

If your display glass is cracked, tape over the glass to prevent bodily harm and further breakage. This also makes a smooth surface allowing the suction cup to bond.
Apply a suction cup as close to the SIM slot edge of the phone as you can while avoiding the curved edge.
The suction cup will not make a good seal on the curved portion of the glass.

Shouldn’t this be “As close as possible to the volume rocker”?

Mihai Turdean - 12/05/21

Forget about the tiny toy suction cup they provide to battery replacement kits. I used a dent puller from an automotive shop. The smallest they had was just small enough for the Pixel's screen. I still needed to heat the edges with a heat gun.

Tamás Polgár -

I wish someone tell me in advance that if I doing this replacement after using phone for a few years it better to have spare "display adhesive" and be ready to follow Google Pixel 2 XL Display Adhesive Replacement

Original adhesive become dirty with time and fat chances it will be damaged during opening phase. In my case I replaced battery but can't use the phone, as still waiting for adhesive to be delivered

Maxim Vorontsov -

Step 4

Pull up on the suction cup with firm, constant pressure and insert an opening pick between the front panel and rear case.
This requires a significant amount of force and patience. If you have trouble, rock the suction cup and screen to weaken the adhesive, or apply heat with an iOpener, heat gun, or hair dryer.

Whatever happened to “Do not heat your phone. If needed, you can use a dropper or syringe to inject isopropyl alcohol (90+%) around the edges of the back cover to weaken the adhesive.”?

Mike Trieu - 08/02/20

It is in concern with swollen batteries.

Fernando Granco - 19/05/21

I spent an hour trying to get the glass screen apart from the body. I tried the hairdryer etc but made no progress. However, when I used a sucker to gently pull on the glass it was easy.

Ronald Morrison - 11/06/20

I used a heat gun, and the metal spatula in the iFixit kit. I broke the screen. Then, continuing with a blue plastic triangle, the screen continued to break. It seems to be quite brittle.

Rolf Kirby - 25/01/21

Never use metal tools on glass component

p43j77 -

Just broke the screen as well. I’d say heat gun is a must, otherwise it’s really hard to slide pick at the top and bottom without breaking the screen. It’s a very thin line of glass over there.

Vitaliy Kurokhtin -

I thought I did this perfectly. I used the iOpener to heat the glue, and the picks to slide around the screen to release the adhesive. I preformed the rest of the repair (charging assembly and the battery) with little issue. Just reassembled and the volume rocker side of the screen is white. I took less care on this side since the instructions said that you didn’t need to worry about how far the pick went in. NOT TRUE! There is a curvature to that edge that will push your pick up into the back of the unprotected display. It clearly doesn’t take much to damage it. I was so careful! F&CK!! I should have just created the e-waste and bought a new device. So mad!

Eric Marcot -

Step 5

In the following steps, extra caution is required in certain areas to avoid damage to the phone:
Do not insert the pick more than 0.25 inches (6 mm) into the bottom edge of the phone. If the pick contacts the folded portion of the OLED panel, it can damage the display.
Do not cut along the left edge; there are delicate display cables that can be damaged.
Only make very shallow cuts in the upper left corner; prying deeply can damage the front-facing camera.

Step 6

Slide the opening pick down the right side of the phone to separate the display adhesive.

Step 7

In the following steps, use the flat edge of the opening pick, rather than a corner, to cut. This will help prevent inserting the pick too deeply.
Slide the opening pick around the lower-right corner and along the bottom edge of the phone.

Step 8

Reinsert the flat edge of the pick at the top-right corner of the phone, and slide it around the corner and the top edge of the phone.

Step 9

Gently lift the display from the right side of the phone, opening it like a book.
If the display doesn't readily lift, do some extra prying to separate the last of the adhesive.
Don't try to fully separate the display yet, as fragile ribbon cables still connect it to the phone's motherboard.
Carefully lay the display flat on the table next to the rest of the phone, keeping it close to the phone to avoid straining the display and digitizer cables.

Step 10

Use the corner of an opening tool to pry up and unclip on the lower edge of the digitizer cable connector cover.
The clip securing this cover is along the bottom edge.
Pry carefully to avoid damaging the cable underneath, or losing the cover itself.
Remove the connector cover.
Make sure to keep this component so you can reinstall it during reassembly.

when it comes out, it can pop with some force and go flying. Ensure you have a clear desk/floor so you can find it after it flies away

hamiltont - 29/02/20

Lol mine shot off and Ricocheted off the ceiling! Then landed on my shoulder haha

john murfin - 19/08/20

It literally popped me right in the middle of the forehead. My wife is still making fun of me.

Jordan Toews - 05/10/20

Mine flew off while I was laughing you guys, never too be seen again: (

Shane Hadley - 31/03/21

I decided to work outdoors, didn't read any comments first, so when mine flew off I found it five cursing minutes later in a crack on the driveway. Should have read the comments first! Thanks hamiltont. Will now read every comment BEFORE attempting step.

Loose Drag -

Confirmed, this $@$* can fly!

Tamás Polgár -

These instructions are not 100% correct. There is little groove on this cover. Located close to proximity sensor. You can see it on picture. If you pry carefully with something sharp in there it won't fly off but will detach quite well. This is where clip is located.

Tom Baker -

Step 11

Use the point of a spudger to lift the digitizer cable connector up and out of its socket on the motherboard.
To re-attach press connectors like this one, carefully align and press down on one side until it clicks into place, then repeat on the other side. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.
If any part of your screen doesn't respond to touch after your repair, re-seat this connector, making sure it clicks fully into place and that there's no dust or other obstruction in the socket.

This small connector gave me fits getting it located correctly, is there a trick to getting it aligned since it’s difficult to see around edge of the connector?

Dennis Whitsitt - 06/02/21

Step 12

Use tweezers to remove any tape from the display connector cover.

Step 13

Insert the point of a spudger into the small hole on the edge of the display connector cover.
Use the spudger to pry the cover out of its recess.
Remove the connector cover.
Make sure to keep this component so you can reinstall it during reassembly.

Step 14

Use the flat edge of a spudger to lift the display cable connector up from its socket.
Remove the display.
During reassembly, pause here if you wish to replace the adhesive around the edges of the display.

BE EXTRA CAREFUL HERE, and during reassembly! There are 2 itty bitty parts directly under this ribbon cable connector that, if damaged, will render your loudspeaker unusable. The only sure way to fix it if you break it is to replace the motherboard. There are some reports of people being able to solder the spots and shorting it to make it work, and that worked for me for a time, but they’re really tiny (about 0.5 mm) and if you don’t get a secure solder, or if you bleed over, it will also mess up your top speaker.

Joshua Parnell - 02/12/19

Saw this comment after I’ve done replacing and sure enough, the loud speaker was broken. The resistor was knocked over but still hanging in place so I just stuck it back and it works for now.

They are 2 black resistors at the end of the cable’s connector. So follow the above photo exactly and pry the connector from the side, not from the end of the connector like I did

Tri Nguyễn - 23/10/21

What wasn't clear to me here (because I didn't put Step 13 together with Step 12, I suppose?) is that if your replacement part came with speaker grills and camera gasket, Step 12 is your final step. You are done, except for replacing the cables and covers, then placing the adhesive strips onto the replacement part and sticking the phone back together.

I ordered my screen from iFixit and it came with new grills and camera gasket already installed. I was able to use the thinnest strips on the supplied Tesa patch to line the entire screen perimeter piecemeal, then stick it back together like new.

Loose Drag -

Step 15

Remove eleven 3.8 mm Phillips screws securing the midframe.
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

Step 16

Insert an opening tool into the notch in the midframe near the volume buttons and pry the midframe up and away from the rest of the phone.
Remove the midframe.

How do I reattach the midframe? it seems like there are a lot of tabs that need to be reinserted carefully

Evan G -

Slide in the bottom part at an angle in first since it has some tabs. Otherwise it will get stuck halfway on top

Tri Nguyễn -

Step 17

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the battery connector.

Step 18

Use the point of a spudger to disconnect the front-facing camera connector.
During reassembly, it's easiest to attach the front camera to the motherboard, then insert the motherboard.

Please add picture to disconnect the top speaker and microphone connector next to the front facing camera. I missed this one during re-assembly twice and could not get it to work properly.

Don Orin -

Step 19

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the right Active Edge sensor connector.
Disconnect the antenna cable.

Also disconnect the antenna cable just to the right of the right Active Edge sensor connector

Mark Clear - 01/08/19

How do I disconnect the antenna cable? it doesn’t come out as easily as the other press fit connectors

Evan G -

Step 20

Use the point of a spudger to disconnect the fingerprint sensor connector.

Step 21

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the left Active Edge sensor connector.

Step 22

Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the charging assembly connector.

Step 23

Use the point of a spudger to disconnect the front-facing sensor assembly connector.

Step 24

Make sure all the cables and connectors are clear of the board, and use the flat edge of a spudger to gently lift the bottom of the motherboard.
The narrow part of the motherboard is very fragile. If it starts to bend when you lift, stop and make sure there isn't anything holding the board down. The board should lift up without any resistance.
Holding the wide part of the motherboard near the SIM card slot, carefully slide the board toward the bottom of the phone while lifting it out of the phone.
Remove the motherboard.
Try to keep the phone flat with the battery facing up after you remove the motherboard, as the front-facing camera can fall out of the phone case very easily.
When reinstalling the motherboard, move all the cables and connectors out of the way of the board and make sure all connectors are aligned with their respective sockets.

Need to take antenna connector off first, picture shows cable disconnected

michael - 27/03/20

Agreed. No mention of the antenna cable.

Michael Weiss - 25/05/21

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.

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

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

Adam O'Camb

Member since: 11/04/15

195421 Reputation

One comment

You jump from “eject the SIM tray” to “the display is already removed, check for speaker grills” … WTF?!

Ben Humpert -