HMD Pulse Back Cover Replacement

Written By: Spencer Day

Comments: 4

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

10 - 20 minutes

Introduction

Follow this guide to replace a cracked or damaged back cover on your HMD Pulse smartphone.

Tools

Parts

HMD Pulse Back Cover

Step 1

Let your phone's battery drain below 25% before starting this repair. A charged lithium‑ion battery may catch fire if damaged.
Unplug all cables from your phone and completely power it down.

Step 2

Firmly press a SIM eject tool, bit, or straightened paper clip into the SIM card tray hole on the left edge of your phone until the tray ejects.
Remove the SIM card tray.
During reassembly, use the tray's markings to orient and reinsert it properly.

There is a SIM eject tool inside the cap of the screwdriver that comes with the iFixit kit.

James Huggett -

I see descriptions of how to handle this or that (by the way, pushing in the tool, a matching pin or wire aso. wouldn't work, I had to bend some wire to form kind of a soft hook to fish the tray out - which worked very, very slowly, until ... the plastic part leaped out and off into somewhere: I can't find it anymore). But what about spare parts??

So, I got a brandnew HMD Pulse, now WITHOUT card tray, thus with no chance at all to activate it.

I contacted two support teams (hmd.com by chat, hmdglobal.ctdi.eu by contact form) and sent a message to store.ifixit.de. So far, I have been unable to find out even if a replacement SIM-card tray for this phone model is available at all. It's a mess that the loss of that little plastic thing, apart from its functional necessity worth just a few Cents, turns my new phone into a useless piece of hazardous, just recyclable waste, and my expense for it into a mere loss. If spare parts are that hard to get (or not even provided?), sustainability seems an illusion. Or a hoax??

Felix -

First problem luckily disappeared: I found the SIM card tray. Now I'm struggling with a different problem ,which has nothing to do with repair, only with Android. But my wish remains: to learn thet ALL losable parts are available as spare parts, and easy to discover. Yet, for here and now, bye.

Felix -

Step 3

Insert the tip of an opening pick between the back cover and frame, at the SIM card tray cutout.

Insert the pick between the glass screen and the side of the phone.

James Huggett -

Step 4

Position the opening pick straight down and slide it along the left edge to begin unclipping the back cover.

Step 5

Continue sliding the pick around the perimeter of your phone until the back cover is fully unclipped.
The corners can be tricky to unclip and may take some force. If you're having trouble, try prying up with the pick.
Don't try to fully remove the cover yet, as a delicate cable still connects it to your phone.

Step 6

Carefully flip your phone over so the back cover is facing up.
Lift the back cover off the frame and flip it over the left edge of your phone, laying the cover flat on your work surface.
Be very careful not to strain the back cover's delicate cable.
During reassembly, place the back cover onto the frame and firmly squeeze around the perimeter to reengage all the clips.

Step 7

Be very careful not to puncture the battery with your screwdriver.
Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the nine 3.6 mm‑long screws securing the motherboard cover.
The screw near the center of the top edge is covered by a sticker. Pierce through it with your screwdriver, or use tweezers to remove it.

Step 8

Insert an opening pick between the right edge of the motherboard cover and frame.
Twist the pick to fully unclip the cover.

Step 9

Remove the motherboard shield and its connected graphite sheet.
During reassembly, set the motherboard shield into place and press down firmly around the perimeter to reengage the clips.

Step 10

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery press connector from the bottom edge of the motherboard.
To reconnect these type of connectors, align the connector over its socket and press down with your fingertip—first at one side, then the other—until it clicks into place. Don't try to force the connector into place, or you may permanently damage it.

Step 11

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the back cover press connector from the bottom edge of the motherboard.

Step 12

Remove the back cover.

Step 13

Check if your replacement back cover has a power button and rear camera lens covers installed.
If it doesn't, follow the remaining steps to remove and transfer the parts.

Step 14

This step shows how to remove and transfer the power button.
Use a pair of tweezers to gently grip the power button's top rubber arm and lift it out of its slot.
Lift and remove the power button.
During reassembly, transfer the original power button to your new back cover:
Installing the power button can be very tricky and may take a few tries.
Insert the bottom rubber arm and cable together into their slot and push the button into its cutout.
Slide the upper arm into its slot.

Step 15

This step shows how to remove and transfer the two rear camera lens covers.
Apply a heated iOpener to the rear camera lens covers for one minute to soften their adhesive.
Alternatively, you can use a hair dryer to heat the lens covers. Be careful not to overheat them, as they may warp.
Wrap a soft cloth around the flat end of a spudger (to prevent scratching the cover) and push firmly on the back of the lens cover to separate its adhesive.
Remove the lens cover.
Use tweezers to remove any adhesive from the lens cover.
Repeat the process to remove the other lens cover.
During reassembly, transfer the original lens covers to your new back cover. To do this, remove the lens cover adhesive liners and press the covers into place to secure them. Use a clean cloth to wipe the lens covers before continuing with reassembly.