How to Replace Broken Screen on HTC S740

Due to "careful" behavior toward my HTC S740, screen was broken and I needed to replace it. First step was ordering new screen from eBay.

There is quite a few replacement screens available so that should not be a problem. If you do not have tools be sure to get one with free tools included (case opener, T4 and small Phillips-head screwdriver). Although there are quite a few sets with triangle shaped case opener, I personally went for thin and flat opening tool. It makes job much easier.

Take off battery cover, battery, unscrew four T4 screws behind keyboard and then use case opener tool. Jam it on top ridge of keyboard and circle around it gently. This is probably most difficult part since keyboard will keep sliding back inside.

Disconnect two ZIF cables (top-left and bottom-right) and one antenna cable (bottom-left) from board and gently pull up board. It is held by four pieces of plastic and there is another flat cable behind so be very gentle. Pull backside flat cable out of it's socket and put whole module on side.

There are four Phillips screws holding keyboard and screen part together. Unscrew them and you will be able to put them apart. This will give you access to screen's part of assembly.

It is held together by five little T4 screws and one Phillips screw (behind keyboard slider mechanism). Once you unscrew them and open case with case opener, you should arrive to same situation as depicted on picture above.

What you see is metal shield behind yet another four Phillips screws. Once you unscrew it, just pull out metal shield (take care of flat cable and button connector above). Camera and volume buttons will fall out itself - just do not lose them. Little bit of stronger tap on the back of screen should be enough to kick it on phone's front side (notice yet another flat cable). Throughly clean points where screen was held by tape (all of it should be gone).

I could have used double-side adhesive tape to glue new screen in same place, but I opted for cyanoacrylate instead. Put a drop of it at four red-dotted locations and quickly put screen on it. Hold it together for minute or so in order to allow enough time for glue to activate.

After you are sure that everything is as it should be (watch keyboard alignment and tryout all keys), just put everything back in same order.

[2010-03-04: General clean-up of text.]

[2010-03-14: You can now download all pictures I took. Unfortunately they are not step-by-step instructions but they might prove to be useful.]

23 thoughts to “How to Replace Broken Screen on HTC S740”

  1. This is very useful thanks! Can you send me some step by step instructions? When you replace broken screen do you use some ground wires? I think only anti-static protection.. (sorry english, im from finland)

  2. i already replaced my screen and it looks good now, but when i was done i put my sim card in the phone and it worked for 20 mins. then i took my sim card out and when i put another one in the phone stopped recognizing all sim cards. do you have an idea why?
    venissatdude@aol.com

    1. Since timing is quite near, I would assume that something came loose during disassembly. I would try to open everything back up and reconnect it.

      This phone is quite sturdy so there is great chance that it will start working again once you “shake” it a little bit.

      1. i dont have the tools to take apart the phone now, but i will soon. i also wanted to say that when i go to sim manager it shows all my contacts on the sim card, but says no service at the home screen. could that mean its locked?
        venissatdude@aol.com

        1. There is too little information to answer that. It could be that phone went into some kind of “lock” mode, but it might mean disconnected or damaged antenna also…

  3. Thank you so much for this tutorial…i can open and close the S740 within like 10 minutes now. The reason being that I replaced my broken LCD, but now the LCD just lights up black, but no display. I’ve opened it back up many times and fiddled with connections, and even installed the old cracked LCD back in only to find the same problem. I messed something up. Do you have any ideas on if I messed a cable up or a connector? Can I order a new power cable, etc?

    1. Only fixable thing that I can think of are those two flat cables beneath screen itself. Bad connection at either of them will cause described behavior. It is quite hard to know for sure…

  4. Great Stuff!!! Thank you very much. Just paid to have the screen fixed and they didn’t affix the top glass properly, it lifted up and the screen got damaged again. Fix the damn the thing myself(Then i know it’s right).

  5. The glass of my HTC s740 is broken, now I’ve found a shop where I can buy the glass only, without the lcd screen. But is there even a possibility to replace the glass and leave the lcd in?
    Thanks,
    Tom

    1. It could be theoretically possible but I have no idea how would you do that without damaging LCD under it. They are glued quite firmly one to another.

  6. hi, my son has just replaced my screen and it looks great, but ive hardly any reception and sometimes screen doesnt recognise touch. When i try and answer phone i have to keep tapping for it to work.

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