Your phone can suffer from various issues due to damaged ICs.
In this article, we’ll discuss whether you can replace the damaged ICs on your phone and whether the IC replacement is worth it.
Here’s Whether It Is Possible To Replace A Damaged Phone IC
It’s possible to replace a damaged power IC, audio IC, touch digitizer IC, and several other ICs on many phone models, but it requires special soldering and desoldering equipment, and only qualified technicians can do it properly.
Is It Possible To Replace A Damaged Phone IC?
It’s possible to replace a damaged phone IC if the replacement IC is available.
Each phone model has a set of replaceable ICs, and you can find out which ICs are replaceable on your phone by referring to its repair manual.
Most phones allow you to replace a damaged power IC (power management IC or PMIC), audio IC, and touch digitizer IC.
How To Know Whether Your Phone Has A Damaged IC?
Your phone will show different symptoms depending on the damaged IC: the phone won’t turn on if it’s the power IC, the touchscreen won’t work if it’s the touch digitizer IC, and you won’t hear audio if it’s the audio IC.
You can also identify damaged ICs by inspecting the phone’s PCB; damaged ICs often have easily noticeable burn marks.
Additionally, you can test the phone’s PCB using a multimeter to detect short circuits and identify damaged ICs.
Can You Replace A Phone IC Yourself?
It requires special soldering and desoldering equipment to replace phone ICs, so you can’t do it yourself without having the proper equipment and expertise.
Your phone also has sensitive electronics that can get damaged easily from electrostatic discharge (ESD), and phone repair shops use anti-static measures to ensure the electronics are safe from ESD.
Moreover, opening your phone might also void its warranty.
How To Replace A Damaged Phone IC
You should send your phone to the official repair service to replace a damaged IC.
For iPhones, you have to send them to an Apple-authorized service center. You can also visit an Apple store and get your iPhone fixed.
If you have an Android phone, you should send it to the manufacturer’s official repair service or an authorized service agent.
There are also third-party phone repair shops that provide board-level repairs.
What Is The Cost For A Phone IC Replacement?
If your phone is still within warranty, IC replacement won’t cost you anything. Otherwise, the replacement cost depends on the damaged IC.
Most phone repair services will give you a quotation after an initial diagnosis, so you can decide whether the IC replacement is worth it.
Is It Worth Replacing A Damaged Phone IC?
If your phone has a hardware issue, like a damaged IC, you need to decide whether to repair the phone or get a new phone, and your decision should depend on the repair cost.
If the IC replacement is costly, you’re better off getting a new phone than repairing your old phone. A poor-quality IC replacement can also cause other hardware issues soon after the replacement.
Conclusion
The set of replaceable ICs depends on your phone model, so you need to refer to your phone’s repair manual to know which ICs are replaceable.
Because phone IC replacement requires special soldering and desoldering equipment, you can’t do it yourself and have to send your phone to a repair shop.
If the IC replacement is costly, get a new phone instead.
