OnePlus 5 Battery Replacement

Written By: Arthur Shi

Comments: 46

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

40 minutes - 2 hours

Introduction

Follow this guide to remove and replace the battery for the OnePlus 5. The hardest part is getting the frame clips free. Once that is done, the rest comes out easily.

If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions.

For your safety, discharge your battery below 25% before disassembling your phone. This reduces the risk of a dangerous thermal event if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair.

Tools

Parts

OnePlus 5/5T Battery

Step 1

Insert a SIM card eject tool, bit, or a straightened paperclip into the small hole below the SIM card tray, located near the rear cameras on the edge of the phone.
Press firmly to eject the tray.
During reassembly, be sure to properly orient the SIM tray you you insert it.

Step 2

Remove the two 2.6 mm T2 screws straddling the USB-C port on the bottom edge of the phone.

What are the reference of the screws ? They are missing in the one I bought !

Yôken Asakura - 01/05/19

Hi Yôken,

They help hold the back cover on. Most of the time, the clips are enough to hold the phone together.

Arthur Shi - 01/05/19

Just FYI, for whatever reason my brand new OnePlus 5 had 0,8 mm stars screws instead of T2 Torx.

strixaluco - 21/04/20

Same here, T2 doesn’t fit the screws on my Oneplus 5. More like T1’s

Shaze An - 09/06/20

Definitely T2 for me. Do watch out during assembly. I have a feeling that it’s easy to strip these.

Juno Grégoire - 21/07/20

T2 for me too. It was missing in my kit and iFixit sent it later when I asked them about it.

Gitanshu Sardana - 29/11/20

Step 3

There is a high risk of damaging the display panel if this opening procedure is improperly followed.
The following four steps show how to pry the rear case from the plastic frame. Read through the steps first before attempting the procedure.
There are two different seams between the body and the screen of the phone:
Display panel seam: This seam is part of the display assembly. Do not pry at this seam, or you will separate and damage the display panel.
Frame seam: This is where the plastic frame meets the back cover. Only pry at this seam.
There are twelve clips that hold the frame against the rear case. Be aware of their location as you pry the back cover off in the following steps.

Step 4

As you work, try not to accidentally power on the phone. If you do, turn the phone off before resuming disassembly.
Place a suction cup near the bottom edge of the display.
Pull on the suction cup with strong steady force.
Press the edge of an opening tool straight into the frame seam near the suction cup until the edge wedges between the plastic frame and the back cover's lip.
Due to tight tolerances, this will take substantial force. Using a new opening tool with an unmarred edge will help with this step.

I found pushing open the frame seam at the corner works better than pushing from the middle like it is shown in the pictures

Mark - 10/08/20

I found the suction cup to be more of a hindrance and kept hitting the power button, making it necessary to stop and turn the phone off again. I watched a youtube video where the person didn't use a suction cup at all and decided to try that. I also found that a guitar pick type spudger worked far better than the one shown in the picture. If you're having trouble getting it started, I suggest trying those two things.

Brett Gersekowski -

Step 5

Once the opening tool's edge is wedged in position, carefully slide the tool along the bottom edge of the phone.
Carefully guide the opening tool around the left corner of the phone while keeping the tool's edge within the seam.

This was extremely difficult & took a lot of force. I needed a thin flat metal spudger and wrecked a couple of plastic ones in the process. I left a few scratches along the join in the process. It would be easier if I had something to hold the phone, in my hand I kept turning it on by accident.

David Hoffman -

what was the metal spudger did you use? I am having trouble as well. I cannot seem to pry the back cover and it feels like it is shut tightly, there are no crevices I can pry into. What was your strategy may I ask?

Azure Shoti -

At first, I slightly opened the body with a plastic tool, but it was not enough to actually open the back cover. Then I used a thin metal screwdriver for this. It was difficult but nothing special. Just be sure that you are opening the correct seam between the body and the screen and don’t make sudden moves. I bent nothing, everything came back in place when reassembled.

ivan -

Same as David here: the plastic opening tools/guitar picks were doing nothing (not even creating the first "crack") . In the end I managed to open it using Jimmy (the metal knife/spudger), but not without scratching the whole metal cover.

Nessuno Nessuno -

Step 6

Lever the opening tool to release the first clip from the frame.

Step 7

Continue sliding the opening tool along the long edge, releasing the clips along the way.
The last clip in the top-left corner near the front-facing camera is recessed and can be difficult to release. Take your time and use the flat end of a spudger or an opening pick to help.

If you have difficulties with the last clip on the upper left. Try to go round the other side (right side), beginning at the bottom. This worked very well for me after having some difficulties with the clip near the front camera.

Sebastian - 10/04/20

Step 8

With the bottom and left edge of the phone freed, gently wiggle the frame to release the top and right edge clips.
The frame is still connected to the back cover by a long flex cable. Do not remove the back cover.
During reassembly, pause here to test your phone's functionality before securing the back cover.
To reinstall the back cover:
Align the top edge of the frame to the back cover and ensure that the top clips slip into place.
Squeeze along the long edges of the phone to snap the remaining clips into place.

Reinstalling the back cover stumped me for a second… If you’re struggling with aligning the top edge of the frame, remember that the camera is going to look off/pointed a bit too low until you actually clip the frame back in.

Really stupid but it was the only thing that tripped me up in this guide.

Roger - 25/07/20

Step 9

With all the clips released, flip the phone over so that the display is face-down.
Swing the back cover around and rest it on top of the exposed frame.
Be careful not to stress the flex cable connecting the back cover and the frame.

Step 10

Remove the 2.6 mm Phillips screw holding the cable bracket above the battery in place.
Lift up and remove the cable bracket.
To reinstall the bracket, position one end into place, and bend the bracket slightly to spring the other end into place.

Step 11

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the back cover flex cable 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. Do not press down on the middle. If the connector is misaligned, the pins can bend, causing permanent damage.

If it is damaged permanently is there a solution for it?

Run River -

If the flex cable pins are damaged, the flex cable can be replaced.

If the connecter pins (on the motherboard) are damaged, you might need to do microsoldering (or contact a microsoldering company) to replace the damaged connector.

Brendan - 24/05/23

Step 12

Remove the back cover.

Step 13

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery connector from its socket.

Step 14

Remove the six 2.6 mm Phillips screws securing the loudspeaker to the frame.

Step 15

Insert the flat end of a spudger into the corner of the loudspeaker assembly and pry slightly, loosening the loudspeaker from its recess.

Step 16

Remove the loudspeaker.
To reinstall the loudspeaker, align the loudspeaker's bottom edge to the frame, then press the assembly into place.
During reinstallation, make sure that the display cable connector under the loudspeaker assembly is still securely fastened.

Step 17

Use the point of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the interconnect flex cable from the socket.
If you are replacing the battery, bend the interconnect flex cable away from the phone and secure it out of the way with a rubber band or tape.

What if you’re NOT replacing the battery?

e nigma - 23/05/20

This step is used in multiple guides, and not all of them require the cable to be bent away. You can just leave it sitting there, disconnected.

Arthur Shi - 26/05/20

This image seems to show the daughterboard removed but there is no corresponding previous step. I see no way to remove the interconnect flex cable without removing the daughterboard. Possibly the volume switch can be removed with the cable still connected but I'm not confident enough to try this so will remove the daughterboard.

David Hoffman - 24/06/22

David,

Thanks for bringing this up. That's indeed a procedural error! I've added the missing steps in the affected guides.

Arthur Shi -

Step 18

Peel the green pull tab up from the battery.

Step 19

Brace the phone frame against the table.
Using a strong, steady force, pull the green pull tab upwards until the battery loosens from its recess.
If you are having a hard time, apply some high concentration (over 90%) isopropyl alcohol along the battery seam to help weaken the adhesive.
Swing the battery completely out of its recess and pull it off of the plastic liner.

Step 20

Remove the battery.
Do not reuse the battery after it has been removed. Reusing a battery that is bent or otherwise stressed is a potential safety hazard.
If your replacement battery did not come with a green pull tab, you can transfer the old tab to the new battery to help with subsequent replacements.
While installing a new battery, temporarily connect the battery to the phone to ensure proper battery alignment.
If you are installing a battery onto a new screen and digitizer assembly, be sure to peel off the dark blue adhesive liners to expose the battery adhesive for the new battery.

Conclusion

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

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery: Charge it to 100% and keep charging it for at least 2 more hours. Then use your device until it shuts off due to low battery. Finally, charge it uninterrupted to 100%.

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

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our OnePlus 5 Answers community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Arthur Shi

Member since: 03/01/18

248651 Reputation

26 comments

Thanks a lot for your contribution! It worked perfectly.

Kyuhwa Lee - 24/08/19

I follow the instructions but it said the battery is too slow

Jhonny Cheong - 15/10/19

Charge the battery for at least a few hours. If the battery does not charge, double-check all connectors, especially the interconnect cable. Does the phone react to a charging cable? If not, something may be broken between the USB port and the motherboard.

Arthur Shi - 15/10/19

It honestly took an hour to get the back cover off, and then another hour to take the rest apart and put it back together. But this guide was useful.

Matthew MacDonald - 23/11/19

Thanks so much for this guide. Worked out great!

johndbattles - 25/11/19

Followed the guide and worked perfectly. Thank you!

Collin Whiting - 14/12/19

Very nice and detailled guide. It was easy to follow the steps and change the battery :)

Sebastian - 10/04/20

Thank a lot, pretty easy.

Panithi Saktrakulkla - 15/09/20

Thanks a lot for these instructions. It took me about 20min. to undertake the full process.

ottavio.cremona - 17/10/20

Finally changed my battery after more than couple months of buying. My phone had started getting stuck in bootloop and after rebooting twice it would go blank with a light blue LED. I thought no way this is a battery issue. Guess I was wrong.

Opening the display part looked scary and I kept putting it off. Definitely takes a substantial amount of force to pry it open from the bottom, specially the bottom left corner for me. Make sure you read the whole thing first and Don’t go trying to open from top if the bottom feels tight.

Took me an hour tops. Thanks a lot!

Gitanshu Sardana - 29/11/20

After putting it back together I wondered what to do with the screw I had left over. Had to go through the process of opening it back up to find somewhere for it to go!

Great help, thanks for the instructions.

Jonathan Sebright - 20/12/20

Battery was slightly thicker than the available space. This is causing the screen to be pushed out from its frame a bit when put back together. otherwise everything worked as described.

Swathin -

I also had a battery that was 0.5mm thicker. the screen was bent and the glass on the sides was detaching from the display, I had to replace the old battery. do you know where to find the exact measurements of the battery?

Corrado Corradini -

After first charge of new battery, it seems that the battery will only charge to 85%. What should I do. It has been 2+ hrs that it is stuck at 85%, and (if I understand correctly) this is a critical step for battery conditioning.

J Barnes -

Just try to unplug then plug the phone to the charger again :)

Brendan -

Great guide. Mind you, the cover is REALLY, REALLY hard to get off. I broke a few plastic tools, tried it with a metal one but made a tiny crack on the screen under the home button, so don’t do that. You can also expect some blood, as I damaged my skin a few times trying to get it open ;) Once this was done it was quite easy, though some screws don’t come out very easily. Oh, and I had some cheap tools which wore out, so I had to find better ones. I’m currently attempting to calibrate the battery, and I’ll see how it goes. I also changes the charging port while I was there, which is even simpler than the battery. So if you’re changing the battery, change the port also, it’s really cheap and it does make a change.

Rok Novak -

La procédure est clair et je n’ai eu aucun problème à changer ma batterie!

Merci beaucoup !

Jerome -

Thanks for the guide.. only ended up taking me about 30 mins but I already have some experience with phone repairs. This guide was bang on!

astonradford -

Worked perfectly! Managed to get through the whole thing in half an hour. Thank you :)

Jem Walker -

Everything worked great! Full battery install complete! :D I'd say the only thing I was confusing was receiving the adhesive for the OP5 battery replacement. You don't really need the adhesive to do the install since the factory adhesive seems to do the trick just fine. That's maybe the only thing I'd explain more (how to use the adhesive's given, or not).

Thank you!

Josh Toczko -

I replaced my battery! It worked! Thanks author!

Tim Graboski -

The screws either side of the charging port are not T2 - they are T1. This is an unusual size and should be emphasised.

It would be useful to know what size Phillips screwdriver is needed for internal screws. I assume that the mentioned 2.6mm refers to the screw length. This does not help.

Ian -

Hallo, vielen Dank, sehr gute Anleitung! Hat alles gut funktioniert ... :o)

Tom Biel -

I ordered the battery and had to remove a piece of the tap as the cabel was bent way way way to far to be plugged in so i had to rebend it IM NOT A FAN OF BENDING THOSE FLAT CABELS! I took fotos of it was thinking i got send the wrong battery... Made me really !#^&@@ off rebended the cabel amd pluged it in... Pls check next time that the connect is in the right spot be fore sending out a battery

STARTJIM -

Did it! The screen suction handle did not work. I kind of pressed it very very hard, but after that it did not apply enough suction force. So I just used the Jimmy tool, which scraped the edge of cover from black to metallic a bit until I understood that it has to be not horizontal but pointing kind of down, then it worked and I could get in the blue plastic opening tools to pry the bottom side outwards.
Also reassembly had to be made first on the power button side, then top, after that it went well.

Uldis Seglins -

Muchísimas gracias por compartir vuestro conocimiento. Con esta guía la sustitución resultó extrañamente sencilla a la par de que resulta entretenido el reparar las cosas por ti mismo. Espero darle una buena segunda vida a mi móvil :) Thanks so much!!!

Diego Castillo -