Introduction

Use this guide to replace a broken screen on your Nokia G42 5G.

This guide is written for the genuine Nokia G42 5G screen assembly. The assembly consists of the screen and midframe together as one part. Make sure you have the correct part before you begin this repair.

Note: This procedure requires transferring your phone's internals into the new assembly.

For your safety, turn on your phone and allow the battery to discharge below 25% before starting this procedure. This reduces the risk of fire if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair. If your battery looks puffy or swollen, take extra precautions.

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    • Power down your phone and unplug any cables.

    • Insert a SIM eject tool, bit, or a straightened paper clip into the small hole on the SIM card tray on the upper left edge of the phone.

    • Press firmly to eject the tray.

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    • Remove the SIM card tray.

    • When installing either a SIM card or a microSD card, make sure they're in the correct orientation and sitting completely flush with the edges of the tray before reinserting the tray into the phone.

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    • The back cover is held in place by plastic clips.

    • Insert an opening pick under the small notch in the SIM card tray slot.

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    • Position the opening pick at a steep downward angle between the back cover and the screen assembly.

    • Slide the opening pick down the left edge of the phone to release the plastic clips.

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    • Turn the opening pick around the corner and continue to slide it along the bottom edge to release the plastic clips.

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    • Slide the opening pick up the right edge to continue releasing the plastic clips.

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    • Slide the opening pick along the top edge to release the remaining plastic clips.

    • Don't try to fully remove the back cover just yet, as it's still connected with a cable.

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    • With the phone laying screen-side down, carefully lift the right edge of the back cover, opening it like a book.

    • Take care not to strain or tear the attached fingerprint reader cable during this procedure.

    • Lay the back cover next to the phone.

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    • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the 3.8 mm‑long screw securing the fingerprint reader bracket.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the fingerprint reader bracket.

    • Take care not to puncture the battery with sharp tools—a punctured or creased battery may leak dangerous chemicals or cause a fire.

    • During reassembly, make sure to slide the bracket's edge back into its slot under the motherboard cover.

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    • Use the pointed end of a spudger to disconnect the fingerprint reader by prying the connector straight up from its socket.

    • 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. Don't press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend and cause permanent damage.

    • Remove the back cover.

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    • A white sticker might cover one of the top screws. Pierce through it with the tip of your screwdriver or use a pair of tweezers to remove it.

    • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the ten 3.8 mm-long screws securing the motherboard cover.

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    • The motherboard cover is further held in place by plastic clips.

    • Insert an opening pick under the right edge of the motherboard cover.

    • Twist the opening pick to release the plastic clips.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the motherboard cover.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the battery cable by prying the connector straight up from its socket.

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    • Insert an opening pick underneath the top right edge of the loudspeaker.

    • Avoid pushing down at a sharp angle, or you risk damaging the interconnect ribbon cable underneath.

    • Twist the opening pick to release loudspeaker from the plastic clips holding it in place.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the loudspeaker.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the interconnect cable by prying the connector straight up from its socket.

    • 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. Don't press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend and cause permanent damage.

    Hello there, I have damaged the interconnect cable during the screen replacement process, do you offer replacement cables for sale?

    oliver gray -

    Hello Oliver, unfortunately we currently do not have interconnect replacement cables available in the iFixit store. In this case, please reach out to Nokia Phones support!

    Manuel Haeussermann -

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    • Use a spudger to disconnect both antenna cables by prying their connectors straight up from the sockets on the motherboard.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to lift the antenna cables out of their recess in the frame.

    • During reassembly, connect the white antenna cable to the motherboard before connecting the black antenna cable. Then reseat the antenna cables into their recess.

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    • The charging port assembly is held in place with mild adhesive.

    • Insert the flat end of a spudger underneath the top right edge of the charging port assembly.

    • Pivot the charging port assembly up until you can grip it with your fingers.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the charging port assembly.

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    • The vibration motor is held in place with mild adhesive.

    • Insert the flat end of a spudger into the small recess on the upper right side of the vibration motor.

    • Pivot the spudger up to pry up the vibration motor off of the adhesive securing it underneath.

    • During reassembly, you can reuse the old adhesive if it's still sticky. If not, replace it with new custom cut adhesive, such as Tesa Tape.

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    • Use a pair of tweezers or your fingers to remove the vibration motor.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the display cable by prying the connector straight up from its socket.

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    • Use the flat end of a spudger to disconnect the interconnect cable by prying the connector straight up from its socket.

    • 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. Don't press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend and cause permanent damage.

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    • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the single 2.8 mm‑long screw securing the motherboard.

    2.5 mm-long screw instead of 2.8 mm-long screw.

    Loaurrine -

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    • Insert the pointed end of a spudger underneath the bottom right corner of the motherboard.

    • Pry the motherboard up until you can grip it with your fingers.

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    • Grip the motherboard on the right edge using a pair of tweezers or your fingers.

    • Remove the motherboard.

    • During reassembly, apply small dabs of thermal paste to the marked areas on the new screen assembly. Follow this guide to prepare the motherboard and apply the paste.

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    • The earpiece speaker is secured to the frame with mild adhesive.

    • Insert the flat end of a spudger underneath the bottom left corner of the earpiece speaker and pry it out of its recess.

    • Remove the earpiece speaker.

    • During reassembly, make sure the gold contact springs on the earpiece speaker are facing up and oriented closer to the bottom edge.

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    • Be extra careful to not puncture, bend, or deform the battery during the next few steps—a damaged battery may leak dangerous chemicals or cause a fire.

    • Use your fingers to peel the two outer adhesive tabs off of the battery.

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    • The battery is secured to the frame with adhesive. Pull tabs are provided to separate the adhesive and remove the battery.

    • Use your fingers to peel the center green pull tab off of the battery.

    • Using one hand to hold the phone steady, use your other hand to slowly and steadily lift the center green pull tab up to separate the adhesive securing the battery underneath.

    • If the green pull tab rips, use the outer clear tabs instead.

    • If you have any difficulties with stubborn battery adhesive, you can contact Nokia's phones support.

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    • Peel the battery off of the adhesive film and remove it.

    • Don't reinstall a damaged or deformed battery, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.

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    • Grab the bottom right edge of the leftover adhesive film and pull it towards the top of the phone with steady force to remove it.

    • During reassembly, follow these instructions to apply a new battery adhesive film:

    • Remove the battery adhesive film from its liners and apply it to the battery.

    • Align the bottom edge of the battery (the edge without adhesive) with the bottom edge of the recess.

    • Lower the battery down and press firmly to secure it in place.

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    • The interconnect cable is lightly adhered to the frame.

    • Grab the bottom of the interconnect cable and peel it up towards the top of the phone to remove it.

    • During reassembly, realign the interconnect cable with the etched-in markings on the frame. Before reinstalling the motherboard, make sure the interconnect cable’s top connector is at approximately the same height as the display cable next to it.

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    • Only the screen assembly remains.

    • During reassembly, compare your new replacement assembly to the original part:

    • If your part comes with battery adhesive pre-installed, remove its plastic liners before continuing to the previous step.

    • If your part has no battery adhesive, remove the clear liner on the pre-cut battery adhesive and apply the sticky section to the battery well. Remove the opaque liner before continuing to the previous step.

    • If you're reusing your original battery, carefully inspect it for any signs of physical damage. If it's bent, creased, dented, or scratched, replace it with a new battery. Installing a damaged battery is a safety hazard.

    After replacing the screen myself, the phone stopped receiving the network. I had to throw it away and buy a new phone. Waste of money for screen

    Igor Komarov -

    Hello Igor, sorry to hear that you experienced issues following your repair. It sounds like the issue might have been caused by the antenna cable being damaged or disconnected. In these cases, we recommend physically reseating the connectors of the antenna cable on both motherboard and daughterboard as well as checking the cable and connectors for signs of damage. If this doesn't help, you can contact Nokia's phones support to get further support.

    Manuel Haeussermann -

    This worked like a charm! It wasn’t too frustrating and my phone is as good as new!

    Jacqueline Taylor -

Conclusion

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

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

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Manuel Haeussermann

Member since: 13/07/22

15147 Reputation

18 comments

followed all your rules and snapped the inside of my phone thank you

Lee Slater -

Hi Lee, sorry to hear that you experienced issues during your repair. Could you provide me with additional information about which step / action caused this? If you assume the repair is not salvageable, please contact Nokia's phones support to get further support.

Manuel Haeussermann -

Pretty straightforward. Followed instructions to the letter - everything went back together fine.

Matthew Dove -

I followed the Instructions and it worked perfectly. Ready in under 1h.

Martin Scholer -

Unacceptable..., screen assembly parts are out of stock.

Could you make it more friendly to users?

Wang, Shou-Cheng -

Hi Wang, Shou-Cheng,

Good news: screen assembly parts are back in stock again! Additionally, we offer a notification option so you'll get an info email as soon when the item is restocked. Hope this helps!

Manuel Haeussermann -

Bought replacement screen and was sent just screen with digitizer no frame like all repair shown no frame so sat to replace now its in bit and uable to complete it

Chris Bryant -

Hi Chris Bryant,

Unfortunately, we weren't able to match your information with an order. Did you buy the replacement part from iFixit? If so, please contact our customer support (eustore@ifixit.com for EU orders or support@ifixit.com for Non-EU orders), so we can help you get the issue sorted out! Thanks!

Manuel Haeussermann -

The disassembly was fine, but the instructions for reassembly (i..e. NONE) were disappointing. Some guidance on how to align and re-connect the interconnect cable would have been helpful. I now have a phone with a beautiful new screen, but I can't use it because there is no sound and I can't charge it. I'm assuming because the interconnector was damaged in all my attempts to line it up. Of course, you can't buy this cable.... so now I get to throw away the phone AND the new screen

Caroline -

Hi Caroline,

sorry to hear about your problems during reassembly. We will add a reassembly note for the interconnect cable based on your feedback. Have you checked whether the cable connecting to the charging port assembly is seated properly? Please also note our basic troubleshooting information. If you assume the repair is not salvageable or in order to get guidance on a replacement interconnect cable, please reach out to Nokia phones support.

Manuel Haeussermann -

Just exactly the same thing happened to me. I was so excited about fixing my phone, everything was so easy and clear until the moment of re-connecting the interconnect cable. I was struggling few hours and then I realised that the speaker doesn't work and the phone is not charging. Caroline, did you manage to do something with it?

How and where can I buy this cable?

Monika Marchlińska -

Hi Monika Marchlińska,

I'm sorry that you encountered a problem with the interconnect cable during your repair. We've added reassembly notes to the guide to help with the realignment. If you assume the repair is not salvageable or you want to inquire regarding a replacement interconnect cable, please reach out to HMD support.

Manuel Haeussermann -

This repair kit is still out of stock... :(

toffvs -

Hi toffvs,

Screen assembly parts are back in stock again, with Fix Kits following shortly! Additionally, we offer a notification option so you'll get an info email as soon when the item is restocked. Hope this helps!

Manuel Haeussermann -

More steps than I initially thought there would be when I bought the phone, but generally quite straight forward. I had to adjust the interconnect ribbon after installation (removing the battery, again). Maybe the step of replacing the battery could be done a little later, when the ribbon cables are set? I think it could be done nearly at the end of re-installation.

Kyle Eyvindson -

Hi Kyle Eyvindson, thanks for the feedback! We've added reassembly notes to the guide to make realigning the interconnect cable more straightforward.

Manuel Haeussermann -

What a complete waste of time. followed the steps new screen didn't work. followed the troubleshooting and replaced the broken screen and phone works. tried the new screen a second time and no joy. So put phone back together with the old broken screen. Love the idea that the Nokia can be fixed. Shame the quality control on the replacment screens is poor.

pd1 -

Hi pd1,

I'm sorry to hear that you encountered issues during your repair. Considering that your replacement part might be non-functioning, please get in contact with our customer support (eustore@ifixit.com for EU orders or support@ifixit.com for Non-EU orders), so we can help you get the issue sorted out! If you assume the repair is not salvageable, please contact HMD support to receive further support.

Manuel Haeussermann -