iPhone 13 mini Front Sensor Assembly Replacement
Duration: 45 minutes
Steps: 33 Steps
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to remove or transfer the front sensor assembly on your iPhone 13 mini. This piece is stuck to the back of the display, so when you’re putting it all back together, you’ll need some fresh adhesive to make sure everything stays in place. If you get stuck or need some extra hands, feel free to schedule a repair.
Step 1
Before you dive into taking your phone apart, make sure the battery is discharged below 25%. This keeps things cool and avoids any unexpected heat-ups if the battery gets bumped during the repair. And if your battery looks puffed up, handle it with extra care!
Popping open your iPhone's display will break its waterproof seals. Make sure you have replacement seals ready before moving forward, or be extra careful to keep liquids away if you put it back together without new seals.
- Make sure your iPhone is powered down before you get started. No one wants a surprise buzz mid-repair!
- Unscrew the two 6.8 mm-long pentalobe P2 screws hanging out at the bottom edge of your iPhone. Let’s get this show on the road!
Step 2
Be careful not to insert the opening pick too deep—going too far can hurt your device. To avoid that, simply mark your pick so you know exactly where to stop.
Feel free to add markings to the other corners of the pick too, using different measurements to be super precise.
Or, for a quick fix, tape a coin about 3mm from the tip of the pick. It works like a charm!
- Grab your trusty opening pick and measure 3 mm from the tip. Give it a little mark with a permanent marker to guide your way!
Step 3
Safety first! Pop on those safety glasses so you can keep your eyes safe from any glass debris that might fly around during the repair. It's a simple step, but it’ll save you a lot of hassle later!
Got a cracked iPhone screen? Keep those sharp shards in check and avoid any ouch moments by taping over the glass before you dive into the repair.
If the suction cup just won’t stick, no worries—try giving it a little superglue boost to get a better grip on the screen.
- Layer strips of clear packing tape over the screen, slightly overlapping each, until the whole front is wrapped up like a shiny present.
- If the suction cup just won't stick (it happens), grab some tough tape—duct tape is a classic—fold it over to make a sturdy handle, and use that to gently lift the screen.
Step 4
The next three steps walk you through using the Anti-Clamp, a handy little helper that makes opening your device a breeze. Not using the Anti-Clamp? No worries—just skip ahead three steps for another approach.
For a full breakdown on how to handle the Anti-Clamp like a pro, check out this guide.
If your iPhone's surface is feeling a bit too slick for the Anti-Clamp to grab, slap on some tape to give it a better grip and keep things steady.
- Give that blue handle a gentle tug to unlock the Anti-Clamp's arms.
- Slide the arms onto the left or right side of your iPhone, whichever feels right.
- Place the suction cups near the bottom edge—one on the front and one on the back.
- Press the cups together to create a good seal and apply suction to the areas you want.
Step 5
- Grab that blue handle and give it a gentle push forward to lock those arms in place.
- Now, turn the handle a full 360 degrees, or keep going until those suction cups start to stretch.
- Double-check that the suction cups are staying lined up. If they start to drift apart, just loosen them a bit and get everything back in alignment.
Step 6
Don't twist it more than a quarter turn at a time, and give it a minute between turns. Let the Anti-Clamp and patience handle the heavy lifting.
Want the full scoop on how to handle a hair dryer like a pro? Check out this guide.
If the Anti-Clamp isn’t opening up enough space, try warming the spot a bit more and twist the handle a quarter turn for better results.
- Place your iPhone on something solid like a hardcover book so it sits hands-free and flat, making the next steps way easier.
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the bottom edge of the iPhone until it feels just a bit too hot to touch.
- Give it a minute to let the adhesive loosen and create a small gap to work with.
- Slide an opening pick under the screen’s plastic bezel once the Anti-Clamp has made a big enough gap.
- Skip the next three steps.
Tools Used
Step 7
Keep your hair dryer moving—don’t let it hang out in one spot too long!
- Grab a hair dryer or heat gun and give the bottom edge of your iPhone a little warm-up for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a tad too hot to touch. It’ll be just the right temp for the next step.
Tools Used
Step 8
- Grab your single suction handle and stick it right at the bottom edge of the phone, as close to the edge as you can get it.
Tools Used
Step 9
Slide the pick between the plastic bezel and the metal frame—don’t go between the glass and the bezel, or your screen will be toast!
That watertight adhesive holding the screen in place is no joke—it’s super strong! Getting that first little gap open takes some serious elbow grease. If you’re struggling to pry it open, try heating it up a bit more, then gently rock the screen back and forth to soften the glue until you can slip your tool in there.
- Grab the suction cup and gently pull upwards with steady pressure to pop a small gap between the screen and the frame.
- Slide an opening pick carefully into the gap beneath the screen's plastic bezel to start loosening it.
Step 10
- Grab a hair dryer and warm up the right side of your iPhone—the one with the power button—for about 90 seconds. Keep going until the screen feels almost too warm for comfort. This helps loosen things up for the next step.
Tools Used
Step 11
Keep your pick to a maximum of 3 mm and avoid forcing it through those stubborn unheated adhesive spots. If it slips, it might end up causing some unwanted damage inside your device. Stay gentle and take your time!
- Glide your opening pick around the bottom right corner, then cruise up the right edge of your iPhone, cutting through that stubborn adhesive holding the screen tight.
- Pause with the pick chilling in the top right corner before you move on.
Step 12
- Grab a hair dryer and give the top edge of your iPhone some warm love for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a bit too toasty to handle.
Tools Used
Step 13
Keep your pick under 3 mm when diving in, or you might tickle those top sensors the wrong way!
- Gently slide the opening pick along the top right corner of your iPhone to break the adhesive free. It’s like a little magic trick, but with tools!
- Once you’ve got the pick in place, leave it snug in the top left corner and get ready to move on. Keep it there, and you’re on the right track!
Step 14
- Warm up the left edge of your iPhone with a hair dryer for about 90 seconds, or until it feels just a tad too hot to handle. You've got this!
Tools Used
Step 15
Be careful! There are some fragile cables snuggled along the left edge of your iPhone. Avoid sliding your pick in this area, as it could lead to some unintended damage to those delicate cables.
Step 16
Gently twist and turn—it’s all about that gradual approach!
If the adhesive is putting up a fight, a little extra heat on the left edge can work wonders.
- Slide a second opening pick into the bottom left corner of your iPhone.
- Gently twist both picks at the same time until the left edge clips pop free.
Step 17
- Give the small nub on the suction cup a gentle pull to detach it from the front panel.
Step 18
Hold up on pulling the display all the way off—there are still some delicate ribbon cables hooking it up to the iPhone's logic board.
- Turn your iPhone so the right edge is facing you—it's time for some action.
- Open up the iPhone by lifting the display from the right side, kind of like flipping open a book.
- Prop up the display against something to keep it steady while you work your magic on the phone.
- When you're putting it all back together, lay the display in place, align the clips on the top edge, and gently press the top edge down before snapping the rest into place. If it doesn't click in smoothly, check if the clips are in good shape—make sure they're not bent out of shape.
Step 19
- Take out the 1.2 mm Y000 screw holding down the cover for the battery and display connectors. Tiny screw, big responsibility!
- When you’re putting things back together, fire up your iPhone now to make sure everything’s working before sealing it up. Just don’t forget to shut it down again before you keep tinkering.
- Keep each screw in its own spot—your iPhone likes its screws just where they belong. Mixing them up can cause trouble, so a little organization goes a long way.
Step 20
- Grab your tweezers and gently lift off the cover sitting over the battery and display connectors. Easy does it!
Step 21
Keep that black silicone seal around the board connections in good shape—it's like a superhero cape for your device, blocking water and dust from crashing the party.
- Grab your trusty spudger and gently pop the battery and OLED panel cable connectors up from their homes on the logic board.
- Fold those connectors back a bit—just enough so they don't sneakily reconnect and power up your phone while you’re working.
- When it's time to snap the connectors back in, line up one edge and press down till it clicks, then do the same with the other. Skip pressing on the middle—if the connector isn’t lined up right, those tiny pins can get bent, and that’s a no-go.
Tools Used
Step 22
- Let's get this party started by removing three screws that are holding down the front sensor assembly cover:
- First up, we've got one PH000 screw that's 1.4 mm long.
- Next, there's a Y000 screw that's 1.8 mm long, ready to be unscrewed.
- And finally, don't forget about the Y000 screw that's 1.2 mm long. Time to take them out!
Step 23
- Grab a trusty pair of tweezers and gently lift off the cover protecting the front sensor assembly connector. You've got this!
Step 24
- Grab your trusty spudger and gently pop loose the front sensor assembly cable connector.
Tools Used
Step 25
- Carefully lift out the display assembly.
- If you're putting it back together and want to swap out the waterproof adhesive lining the edges, now's the perfect time to take a breather and handle that.
Step 26
- Take out the trio of 1.4 mm tri-point Y000 screws holding down the sensor assembly cover. Don’t worry, they’re tiny but you’ve got this!
Step 27
- Grab those blunt nose tweezers and gently lift off the metal cover. Easy does it!
Step 29
Be super careful not to mess up those light sensor ribbon cables while you're prying away!
- Grab the pointed end of your spudger and gently lift the ambient light sensor out of its cozy little spot.
Tools Used
Step 30
- Gently take the spudger's pointed end and wiggle it to carefully pop out the proximity sensor and the microphone from their cozy little spots.
Tools Used
Step 32
- Gently slide an opening pick under the front sensor assembly cable to break the adhesive seal. Take your time and be careful, it’s all about the steady hand here.
Step 33
- Double-check that your replacement part matches the original one—if you need to transfer any pieces or peel off any sticky backings from the new part, go ahead and get that done before installing.
- To put everything back together, just reverse the steps above. Don't forget to add fresh adhesive where needed after cleaning up the spots with some isopropyl alcohol (at least 90%).
- Got some old e-waste lying around? Take it to a certified recycler like R2 or e-Stewards to dispose of it properly.
- Having trouble? Don’t stress. You can always try some basic troubleshooting or if you’re still stuck, feel free to schedule a repair and we’ll help you out.
