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Help Smashed Screen :(

Z

Zola365

Newbie
I have smashed the screen on my S4 somehow!

The touch doesn't work anymore. so its not just a glass replacement needed :(

Whats the cheapest way to fix it?

Someone told me its
 
Sadly, that sounds about right. The digitizer (which is the bit that seems to have broken) is the cheap bit but it is bonded to the LCD and replacing just the digitizer is both difficult and usually doesn't seem to work.

The only way you are going to get your phone back the way it was it to replace the full digitizer/LCD assembly and, since the LCD is probably the single most expensive part of the whole phone, it's going to be expensive.

However, I second anoniemouse's suggestion to check your household contents insurance. Mine would also cover this.
 
i wonder why so many i see can use their shattered iPhones, Samsung phones despite the shattered screen and touch works just fine, but in my case every time the screen may be fine but no longer responds to touch?

I probably see tons of shattered GS3s and Galaxy Centuras out there.
 
There are essentially three elements that can break. The protective glass at the front which doesn't actually do anything, the digitizer behind that and the screen. It is very common for the glass to shatter but leave the digitizer still working. It happened to my son's iPod and my iPad.

What you appear to have done is broken or disconnected the digitizer as well as smashing the glass.

I don't know why Samsung decided to bond the digitizer and screen (my guess is that it's to make the phone slightly slimmer) but it means people in your position have to spend
 
Having had a look on eBay there are (what look like) genuine S4 screen/digitizer assemblies for
 
i've seen a total of two dozen Galaxy Centuras with shattered screens still working fine otherwise, (of course, with cheap pre-paid phones and abusive use, it's bound to happen) but when my GS3 got busted the entire screen was dead. didn't light up, didn't respond, nothing. i could only make use of it by using the S Voice hotword 'Hi Galaxy' to do anything like make a call or toggle wifi, or interface with my Galaxy Gear (which i've found is one handy watch. i often leave my phone in my pocket, protected because of it). other than that it was essentially useless. i never had one just up and shatter leaving the entire LCD dead. i have lost some earlier models (mostly cheap Net10 stuff) to shatters, screen was ok but no response to touch.

Granted the GS3 was tough. it survived being run over by a golf car at work, got in the mud another time, dropped countless times while shopping and only popping the battery out, being thrown against walls when i got angry with it for various reasons (the main one being the 'not connected to internet' when i had perfect 4G service) and even drooled on by deer. but that last time i fell on my tile floor, bam! screen completely dead and shattered. not lighting up nothing. worked other than that. got the GS4. Samsung can make a damn good phone. Just wish that for once i got lucky enough to still have a working touchscreen until i can really afford the replacement.
 
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