Lumia 950XL - Replacing the screen

Lumia 950XL
23 Steps
Medium
45 min.

The screen is broken or remains black.

In this guide, we show you how to replace your Lumia 950XL’s defective display. You need this repair if the glass is cracked or no longer responds to touch, or if the LCD remains black or flickers.

Required tools

Hard Plastic Picks

Hard Plastic Picks

You need a flat but stable tool such as a pick to pry out parts that are glued in place.
€2.00 at the iDoc store
Tweezers

Tweezers

We recommend using tweezers to remove screws and various small parts from your device.
€10.00 at the iDoc store
Steel Laboratory Spatula

Steel Laboratory Spatula

You need a flat and sturdy prying tool to disconnect glued parts.
€7.00 at the iDoc store
Torx T4 screwdriver

Torx T4 screwdriver

You need the right screwdriver for removing Torx T4 screws.
€16.00 at the iDoc store

Show all replacement parts for the Lumia 950XL

Replacement parts and tools for this repair

Our tools plus the right spare part help you fix your device easily.

Wiha PicoFinish Torx Screwdriver T4

for €16.00

Steps

23 Steps

Switching off your device

Step 1

Removing the back cover

Step 2

Removing the battery

Step 3

Removing the SIM and microSD cards

Step 4

Removing the chassis

Step 5

Removing the headphone jack

Step 6

Disconnecting the contacts

Step 7

Removing the motherboard

Step 8

Removing the front camera

Step 9

Removing the vibrator motor

Step 10

Removing the control buttons

Step 11

Preparing the new display

Step 12

Installing the control buttons

Step 13

Installing the vibrator motor

Step 14

Installing the front camera

Step 15

Installing the motherboard

Step 16

Connecting the contacts

Step 17

Installing the headphone jack

Step 18

Installing the chassis

Step 19

Inserting the SIM and microSD cards

Step 20

Inserting the battery

Step 21

Attaching the back cover

Step 22

Testing the display

Step 23

Getting started with the repair of your Lumia 950XL

If you get stuck or have questions, you can post a comment. We’d be happy to help.

23 steps

Switching off your device
Turn off your device by holding down the power button until the “slide down to power off” message appears.

Slide your finger down over the screen until “goodbye” appears and your device is shut down.
Removing the back cover
Carefully disconnect the back cover from the enclosure frame. At the bottom, there’s a small slot where you can insert your fingernail or a tool.

Gradually disconnect the back cover from your device.

Take the back cover off of your device.
Removing the battery
Use your finger to lift the battery out of the device. There’s an indentation in the middle of the chassis where you can easily lift the battery.

Remove the battery.
Removing the SIM and microSD cards
Remove the SIM and microSD cards from your device.
Removing the chassis
Remove the twelve screws that attach the chassis to the enclosure.
12 x 4.5 mm T4 Torx screw

The chassis is hooked onto the enclosure below the rear camera. Carefully unhook it using the tweezers or spudger.

Lift the chassis and remove it.
Removing the headphone jack
Carefully disconnect the headphone jack’s contact from the motherboard.

Then remove the jack from the enclosure.
Disconnecting the contacts
Using the spudger, carefully disconnect the following four plug contacts from the motherboard.
Display
Front camera
Proximity sensor (back)
Control buttons

Start with the display contact.

Continue with the front camera connection.

Disconnect the control buttons.

The back of the proximity sensor is connected to the board. If it’s too hard to disconnect this contact, remove the board from the enclosure first (see next step).
Removing the motherboard
The board is hooked onto the enclosure at several points. Unhook it by carefully inserting the spudger below the board and prying it loose. Make sure you don’t break any components off the board.

Once you’ve detached the entire board, you can remove it.
Removing the front camera
Carefully remove the PCB with the front camera and other sensors from the enclosure by inserting the steel spatula between the PCB and the enclosure to detach the glue. Be careful because there are components on the back of the PCB.

Now peel the black protective film over the ribbon cables off of the frame by carefully inserting the spatula below the film.

Peel off all the film.

Carefully detach the two ribbon cables from the frame. Don’t use too much force.

Remove the board.
Removing the vibrator motor
The vibrator motor is glued to the enclosure. Carefully insert the steel spatula between the vibrator motor and the enclosure to detach the glue. Make sure you don’t sever the motor’s yellow backing material.

Remove the motor.
Removing the control buttons
You have to carefully remove the control buttons with the steel spatula because they’re glued to the frame. Carefully insert the spatula between the buttons and the frame until the buttons are completely detached.

Then remove the buttons.

Preparing the new display
The new display has protective film (green arrows) on its adhesive surfaces. Remove the protective film before you put together your device.
Installing the control buttons
Put the control buttons back in. Make sure they’re positioned correctly. There’s a little hole in each end and matching holes in the frame. The round holes have to line up.

Use your finger to press the buttons onto the frame so the glue will really stick.
Installing the vibrator motor
Put the vibrator motor back in. Make sure it’s in the right position. Use the two little tabs in the enclosure to position it.

Then press the motor on so it will stick.
Installing the front camera
Put in the PCB at the upper edge of the enclosure. Use your finger to press it on with a little force so it will stick.

Now route the two ribbon cables in the enclosure. The two adhesive strips are really helpful because they show you exactly where the cables go. Stick them on so they’re flat and exactly over the white adhesive strips.

Cover the two ribbon cables with the black film.
Installing the motherboard
Put the board back in the enclosure.

Press on the board until it clicks into the enclosure.
Connecting the contacts
Carefully connect the following four plug contacts to the motherboard. You’ll hear the contacts click into place. Use your finger to carefully press all of them into the appropriate sockets. Start with the proximity sensor. If the proximity sensor’s contact isn’t positioned right, remove the board from the enclosure and try connecting it again.
Display
Front camera
Proximity sensor (back)
Control buttons
Installing the headphone jack
Put the jack back in the recess on the upper end of the enclosure.

Then carefully connect the jack’s contact to the motherboard. You should be able to hear the contact click into place.
Installing the chassis
Put the chassis back on and press it into the enclosure. Make sure it hooks on below the camera again.

Then use the twelve screws to attach the chassis to your device.
12 x 4.5 mm T4 Torx screw
Inserting the SIM and microSD cards
Put the SIM card back in. Don’t forget to put in the microSD card if you have one.
Inserting the battery
Put the battery back in your device.There are three parallel slots on the bottom of the battery. The contacts are in these slots, so they have to line up with the three gold contacts in your device.

When the battery’s positioned right, it will be level with the enclosure.
Attaching the back cover
Put the back cover back on.

Use your finger to press it onto the entire frame so all the clips on the back cover click into place on the enclosure.
Testing the display
Turn on your device and then drag any app across the entire screen. Drag the app once around the entire border and then in a zigzag across the screen. The app should always follow your finger.