Nexus 7 Display Assembly Replacement

Written By: Brett Hartt

Comments: 64

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

20 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

A broken display is something that every tablet owner has nightmares over. Use this guide to replace a damaged, faulty, or broken display assembly (includes the LCD and digitizer).

Tools

Parts

Step 1

In the following steps you will release the clips (highlighted in red) along the perimeter of the Nexus 7's rear panel.
Do not use excessive force while prying the clips. They can be easily broken.

Mine doesn't look like this. There is no metal band around it. The only opening looks like its between the front glass and back which is on the front. I'm afraid to try it for fear of breaking it. Any suggestions?

Kim McCauley - 25/09/18

There is no front or rear panel. There’s no sign of any seam whatsoever. The front and back are one solid piece of plastic.

Proud Liberal - 06/08/20

Step 2

Gently insert a plastic opening tool near the top of the Nexus 7 between the rear panel and the front panel assembly.
Carefully run the plastic opening tool along the top edge to pry the rear panel away from the front panel assembly of the Nexus 7.

My Nexus 7 looks nothing like this. These instructions are horrible as they do not work.

Andy Garcia - 17/09/17

someone help? my nexus looks completely different

Music Raider - 07/02/19

Step 3

Insert the plastic opening tool between the rear panel and the front panel assembly near the power button and pry up at several points along the right edge of the Nexus 7.

Step 4

Pry up the rear panel along the left edge using the method described in previous steps.

Step 5

Gently lift and remove the rear panel up off the front panel assembly.

Step 6

Using the tip of a spudger, push first on one side then the other to "walk" the battery cable straight out of its socket on the motherboard.

I have the newer version of Nexus and the battery connection inside is different from pictured here. I can't seem to get any part of the connector backed out. Any further details about how to accomplish this step?

indianowen31 - 01/01/15

After my post I tried it again, and realized the connector comes straight UP, not OUT. Once I went this direction, the process was simple.

indianowen31 - 01/01/15

I followed this, everything worked fine. Even though the battery is now charging, the OS doesn't recognise when the USB cable is connected to a wall socket or a PC. The battery icon when the tablet is shut down shows charging so it works, but the OS in itself doesn't seem to know about it...any ideas?

Daniel Zakrisson - 07/02/15

Thanks for your guide. It makes the process very straightforward. Easier than I was expecting.

Les Gordon - 10/02/15

Superb easy to follow guide. Thanks greatly, the nexus 7 lives on ! Just need to patiently wait for it charging now !

stuart - 17/02/15

Yes, this is a really helpful guide. I wouldn't have had a clue without it, but it all turned out to be very simple. Thanks a lot!

Ian Gibson - 08/05/15

I managed to break one of the two small golden pins to the right of the battery cable (obscured by the tool in the picture above).

Is this terminal (sorry for the pun)?

I tried re-assembling (without screwing the assembly back to the bezel) and the display doesn't work.

gravelld - 30/09/15

Step 6 could be much clearer. I thought it meant to pry the connector upward, away from the surface. When I did this, all the pins broke off. The correct procedure would appear to be to slide the connector along the surface toward the wire side and battery, leaving the pins at parallel to the surface.

Unfortunately I don't think my Nexus 7 is salveagable now.

Warren Harris - 21/11/15

Watching a YouTube video helped. Dislodge the battery first, then pull the battery away from the connector and the connector will become dislodged quite easily.

d_ratner_1999 - 01/05/17

Step 7

Peel the upper piece of black adhesive tape completely up off the Nexus 7.
Similarly, peel the lower piece of black adhesive tape, but only as far as the copper strip.
It is helpful to fold this piece of tape back on itself to keep it out of the way.
Whilst pulling the tape, be sure that the metal shield does not lift up. Hold the shield in place, and if it lifts up, re-seat it in the spring clips around the perimeter of the shielded area.

Step 8

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry the display data cable straight up off its socket on the motherboard.

Step 9

Use the flat end of a spudger to carefully flip up the retaining flaps on the digitizer ribbon cable ZIF sockets.
Make sure you are flipping up the white retaining flaps, not the black sockets themselves.
Use the tip of a spudger to pull the digitizer ribbon cable straight out of its socket.

Step 10

Remove the following screws securing the display assembly to the metal frame:
Thirteen 3.2 mm silver Phillips screws
Two 4.25 mm black Phillips screws
In 3G models, the two top-center Phillips screws are slightly lower and on top of the motherboard.
Note that the assembly for the non-3G model will NOT fit the 3G model. When looking for the 3G assembly, look for model 'ME370TG', and note that in pictures of the 3G verison the top 2 phillips screw holes are slightly lower than the upper right and left ones.

Hi, just tried to replace the display (but using the same frame). Got the original frame off the old lcd/digitizer combo and followed the rest of the steps on here. But now when I try to turn the nexus on I just get a red flash across half the screen and then nothing else. Any ideas what I did wrong/how to fix that?

maria -

Interestingly, my Nexus only had 11 3.2mm Phillips screws. (#3 and #5, counting downwards along the right side, were missing.) Did someone drop some on the assembly line? :-)

euangeleo - 09/08/15

Step 11

The display assembly is held in place by a large amount of adhesive on the underside of the large copper ESD shield. In the next few steps, you will be using a plastic spudger to release this adhesive.
Work carefully and slowly, making sure to not break the I/O data cable.

Step 12

Insert a plastic spudger on the left side of the Nexus 7, near the bottom of the battery.
Only insert the spudger enough to free the adhesive (about halfway across the Nexus 7)—if you go any farther, you may damage the LCD cable.
Slide the spudger toward the top of the Nexus 7, releasing the adhesive as you go.

As well as missing screws, mine had no adhesive whatsoever holding the main assembly to the display. (I purchased my 1st gen Nexus 7 in the last month before the 2nd gen came out, so I'm guessing it was likely one of the last few produced. Perhaps that's related to the peculiarities?)

euangeleo - 09/08/15

Step 13

Carefully rotate the metal frame away from the display assembly, minding any cables that may get caught.
You may need to apply heat to the display assembly before lifting it away from the device.
Display assembly remains.

To remove the bezel from the LCD/Digitizer combo, just heat the bezel with a hair dryer or heat gun. You can see that in the following Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtIFkIKtY...

It's even to separate the digitizer from the LCD (even if most people say that it is not). See this posts on the XDA-Forum:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthre...

Markus Laeng -

I put it face down on top of a toaster oven and toasted repeatedly. After four or five toasts most of the adhesive separated from the glass and I levered it off with one of those little tools in the iFixit kit. I was able to reuse the adhesive in the sense that it was mostly still intact.

ewkpates -

I used a hair dryer to separate the plastic bezel from the screen/digitizer assembly. Work carefully and slowly and you'll get it. Some glass remained but tweezers and a hair dryer worked for those. Remember to put those shards someplace where they won't bow around next time you reheat with the hair dryer. Note also that the adhesive tape is sticky and sturdy. If it sticks to the old glass, you can heat, pull it off and stick it to the bezel before applying the new screen. All told, this repair went as well as I could expect.

LymanSS -

I have used a heat gun and a hair dryer and i think the hair dryer is the best to use between the two. The heat gun gets too hot, i found this out by actually melting the plastic bezel and i had to order a new one.

Lou Flores -

Do you have a helpful lead in putting it back together? I replace a crack screen and when putting it back together the speaker and ringer didn't work again.

lena - 15/07/16

Conclusion

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

Author

Brett Hartt

Member since: 13/04/10

127755 Reputation

43 comments

great but where can i get nexus 7 digitizer, in stock reasonable price in uk please?

Rupert K -

eBay is a good source. I paid £14 for mine and it came with tools.

Robert Leather - 03/01/20

I don't feel that this guide is complete, how do you separate the display from the frame?

Chris -

That's because this guide is for the "Display Assembly". I just tried to remove the LCD itself, extremely difficult. I didn't succeed. Now looking for a whole assembly

Jeremy Cooper -

I've managed to do it using a heat gun. Be careful not to apply to much heat as I warped the frame slightly in one place. Use a prying tool from the top rather than trying to push from the back as the glue is quite tough and peeling it away is easier. You need to reapply heat as you work, it then comes out quite easily. I repurposed the glue strips from the old screen, however taking out bits of glass was a bit tough. The new display fits neatly after that.

Nadim M - 04/01/17

Agree with Chris. The LCD/Digitizer is held by the outer frame and a plastic retainer. Can't figure out how to remove the retainer to be able to replace the LCD. Replacement LCD does NOT have the frame/retainer.

Rick -

I'm trying to replace the display assembly on a cellular model, and those two screws at the top/center don't exist. Instead, something else is holding it in place, and I cannot figure out how to release it!

Daniel Horner -

If there are no more screws it is likely there is double sided tape that will eventually release. I seem to recall that on a non cellular device.

Lou Flores -

Scratch that, update on it.

Be warned, the display on the $200 16gb wifi model is NOT compatible with the 32gb cellular model. This does not work! Do not attempt to swap screens for these two, this is very important!

Daniel Horner -

Hi Daniel! How do you distinguish wifi model display from cellular? For example is there any 3G version compatible part from this list?

Thank you!

isabyr -

I just discovered that when I tried to replace a 3g screen with a non 3g device screen.

The comments do not show up yours should be on by default.

Dave

Dave -

When you are buying the display it does not mention for which model of nexus 7. Will that be a problem.

mushfiqur rahman Saad -

Hi there,

I just got this issue. I've got a 3g version and my replacement assembly has got a different layout for the screws at both short sides and one close to the sim-card tray. But is it just a mechanical issue or are they also electrical different? My hope is, that I can mechanically modify (remove wrong screw position with a plier). More than the half of the srew positions are ok.

Peter - 16/09/14

Ah, this happened to me. I have the 32GB 3G version of the N7, and bought the ifixit part listed above full screen+digitizer. All was going well until final reassembly and the screws don't match up. Maybe 1 or 2 of them. Just emailed ifixit support to see if I can swap the part, or if they even have this part at all. Anyone have a workaround for this?

Jack - 20/07/16

Is there any reason why, in step 11.12, that the battery is not removed for easier access to the adhesive on the copper?

junkyardjojo -

To separate the display from the frame, I put them in boiling (or just hot) water for a couple minutes, and then gently pried them apart, starting with the thin edge. I put them back in the water every minute or so, since they were cooling off. All the adhesive stayed on the frame, and it was sufficient to stick the new display to the frame.

I accidentally tried to pry up the zif sockets, not the locking tabs, as it warns about - the locking tabs are the white pieces on the far end, not the black pieces over the cable. It took me less than an hour to do the repair, and I got the part for $85 direct from China. I also needed the display data cable from step 8, from the old display assembly - make sure to save it (it is in a zif socket, with retaining tab, on the display end).

William Hesse -

Hi,have anyone manage to find a "display assembly" online that one can buy??

Is this guide actually for repairing the tablet or just taking one apart, leaving the display in the assembly?

Jakob Jensen -

I bought the LCD/digitizer on Ebay, the UK sellers are the cheapest.

After some forth and back mailing (the wrong address was used so the screen was shipped twice) I received it. The disassembly went smoothly although it took me a while to find out that the flat cables were locked in place with a retaining tab. Therefore I busted the data display cable. The screen came up in two halves, lots of snow, yellow or red. After straightening the display cable the screen was perfect but bending the cable back in place brought back the snow and discolorisation. For 10 Euro a new cable (also Ebay) and it works like a charm. Total cost 85 euro, 75 for the screen and 10 for the display cable.

Thanks for the guide.

Flip -

I have changed the screen.... but it does not display the content right.

The tablet is responding to touches and it makes sounds. Sometimes you can see some forms like login but it is all completely scrambled.

http://s12.postimg.org/8hqaz43zh/DSC_011...

I have 3g model.

Anyone has an idea what might be the problem???

levascena -

Hey

I have the same problem. Did you manage to solve it, or does anyone know how to solve this issue?

Belal Daabas - 12/08/15

i also have the same problem.

my screen has a crack but on the bottom left and the crack stretches to just over the touch capcitive buttons.

the screen is responsive but becomes unresponsive for 1-2 minuter every 5 minutes or so.

so which parts should i bur and replace?

Digitizer?

LCD Panel?

Glass Screen?

pls help.

Dhruv -

You need to buy and replace the LCD/Digitizer and Glass. You can buy the glass separately but i don't think it's worth the effort and cost savings for the average person.

Lou Flores -

My new screen did not have a ribbon cable so I pulled the one off the broken screen. It is NOT held in with a ZIF connector- just slide it back. When I got it all put back together, I though I had the wrong screen. I pulled it apart and adjusted the cable and faintly saw "Goo" on half of the screen. I then pulled the screws, and like a bad repair guy, left it hooked up and carefully moved my board while powering it on. There is an angle I can hold it at where everything will light up, but it won't stay on, so I went ahead and ordered a new ribbon cable. I've looked at my current cable with a microscope, and I can't really see a problem, but it is definitely there.

Summary - the cable is a friction fit, and very delicate. Even if it doesn't look broken, if you're having problems when you put it all back together, look at the screen under high light when you try to power it on. If you see any part of a "ghost image", try the cable. If you're wondering if the screen is the correct one, compare the numbers.

aaronjbryant - 23/08/14

I have discovered that lots of replacement screens/bezels have screw holes that are incompatible with the screws from the original Nexus 7 2012. The screws appear to be of a different pitch from the new holes. Does anyone have specs on the screws required by all these new bezels? The sellers do not appear to have such information.

gstovall - 05/09/14

I've seen a video, where you remove the lcd+digitizer from the "replancement assembly" and then you can just use this part. I'm not sure, if there electrical identical, but there is no reason for.

Peter - 16/09/14

The bezel of the WiFi (ME370T) only version is far different than the 3G Version (ME370TG). I bought the wrong one, too!

valuesphilippines - 29/05/16

Does this work with the 2nd generation Nexus 7? I'm seeing comments about it not working with the 3G one - is this the 2nd gen?

Zoe Carpenter - 09/10/14

Fixed my nexus using this guide, and it works. That said, the guide is pretty good, but it might be good to include a step on disconnecting the LCD flex cable to use it on the new display assembly. I figured it out myself, but it would have been nice to have.

kirkegeland - 01/11/14

easiest thing on the planet

jjghjgj - 15/11/14

I'd just like to comment on a slightly different way i have done this digitizer replacement. I managed to remove the digitizer & LCD without actually undoing a single screw from the frame. I did it with the help of a normal, every day, rubber HOT WATER BOTTLE. I filled the Hot Water Bottle 1/3rd full of boiling water & sat the N7 on a sheet of polystyrene packaging. The kind your replacement digitizer is sent in. I then placed the Hot Water Bottle on top of the glass of the N7 & left it for around 15 minutes. Once the heat had transferred through the glass & the frame, i then gently lifted the glass with one of the triangle plectrums & very gently slid it around the joint between the digitizer & the bezel. When i came to a section that was difficult to separate i left the plectrum in place & returned the N7 to the Hot Water Bottle for a few minutes to reheat the adhesive. Then tried to move the plectrum again.

gazza667 - 03/12/14

Once getting to the corner of the bezel i left the plectrum in place & used another to continue my run. I did this up until the next corner & repeated the reheating & using another plectrum until there were 3 in each corner. When i put the 4th plectrum under the glass i returned the N& back to the Hot Water Bottle & then released the Digitizer cable & the LCD cable from their respective connectors. While the N7 was still warming i then gently separated the charging cable from the adhesive that was on the underside of the LCD.

I did have to refill the Hot Water Bottle once, so's to keep the temp high. Then i turned the bezel & screen over & used a medium sized sucker to gently pull the loosened screen from the bezel. Keeping an eye on the ribbon cables so they didn't snag as the lot came away. The only trouble i had was the lower part of the screen assembly required a little coaxing with my scalpel due to the thickness of the adhesive there. But everything came away easily.

gazza667 - 03/12/14

If the digitizer is broken but not the LCD panel, should I still replace the whole assembly including the LCD panel or just the glass plate and digitizer? I'm asking because the digitizer + glass is quite cheap without the LCD but it might be harder to replace if I want to use my original LCD panel. Can anyone advise me on how doable this is?

Zeust the Unoobian - 10/01/15

This guide is missing critical information.

I only found this out after my LCD and DIGITIZER shattered while I was trying to separate them. While dealing with the millions of tiny glass shards, I threw away too much. Without good info, ordering replacement parts was guesswork.

So, it is important to realize that, if you need to buy replacement parts, the following are all distinct from one another:

1. LCD display (only visible in step 13 above)

2. DIGITIZER (glass surface)

3. FRAME (or bezel, that holds everything together)

4. LCD RIBBON CABLE (discussed in step 8 above)

You can buy an "LCD ASSEMBLY," which includes the LCD and DIGITIZER as one unit, but it will not include either a FRAME or RIBBON CABLE.

The original metal FRAME is likely much nicer than any replacement you can find (which will probably be plastic). You should try to save it at all costs. The RIBBON CABLE is easy to remove and save, if you think to do it.

These are important things to know.

Rick Prescott - 05/10/15

Finished putting new screen put on, but it has dead spots like it won't respond to touch, looks fine though, could this be a loose connection? Maybe it was just dropped too hard before I replaced it.

hiebertcaleb - 04/11/15

Thanks for the guide, it was very helpful!

BTW I used the hair dryer and guitar pick to lever the glass away from the bezel, it was slow but worked well and kept the bezel in perfect condition, the adhesive tape too. There's a bloke on YouTube called Andrew McNeil who shows how it's done, a useful complement to this guide.

The Grey Ghost - 08/11/15

Suggestion for those like myself, who own Nexus 7 3G versions (the ones that use SIM cards), not the WiFi only versions -- Unless you are very patient and have the skills to use the heat gun or blow dryer to remove the glass LCD from the bezel frame, DO NOT BUY the screen assembly part listed here, which is the complete assembly for the Wifi version of Nexus 7, 2012. The 3G screen assembly is not sold on iFixit.

You'll see a note for this part that if you have the 3G tablet you'll need to remove the glass from the assembly, and reattach to your original bezel frame. I underestimated how tough that process was to be. I personally had a tough time with the process of separating the glass LCD from the bezel frame, and cracked the new glass!

Others have commented already, that the plastic bezels & frame piece, have different screw placements between the 3G and WiFi versions.

I found a complete screen assembly w/frame for 3G version on Ebay, for roughly $32-37 and will give that a try.

Jack - 25/07/16

Thanks so much! By step 9 i pulled the white cable covers the wrong way and it snapped off. I put it back but now my touch is having issues. I was wondering, could that be the cause?

Sarah - 05/12/16

replace touch screen on nexus 7 2013 and all looks good, but screen is not responsive. Any Ideas/

williamtbartlett - 17/03/17

In the last stage using a hairdryer at high heat mode works well to remove the LCD from the touch panel. Heat it for 5 minutes and one can remove it without the use of any tools just by hands, but be careful or else you may break the LCD or its contacts. Heat it properly on the corners.

Yash S. - 20/06/17

By the way can anyone suggest from where to buy the full dispay assembly at cheapest price or is anyone having dead nexus tab with working display assembly?

Nexus 7 (2012) Gen 1 tablet

16 GB WiFi

ME370T- Model

Yash S. - 20/06/17

https://ru.aliexpress.com/item/For-ASUS-... ,958 RUB=16 USD

Elmer Boy - 07/07/17

Mine broke several years ago. It turns on, but no response from touch. What part do I need?

patdiddy - 10/02/19

BIG THANKS!

I’ve just fixed my old Nexus 7 2012 thanks to cheap new screen from China :D

Juraj M. - 04/05/19