Replace a Broken Screen on Chromebook
I recently broke my Chromebook screen and did not want to spend money to buy a new one, so I changed the screen myself.
Replacing a broken screen looks like a tough thing that only professionals can do. I never replaced a computer screen myself before that, I already did it on smartphones when that was still an easy task, so I thought to try replacing my Chromebook screen myself. I’ve made many searches to know if I could buy a new screen and what are the steps to remove the old broken screen and put in the new one.
Can a broken screen be fixed on Chromebook?
It was not an easy job but I did it without any issues, so the answer is yes, a broken screen can be fixed on some Chromebooks, but it does not mean it’s easy to do it on yours as every Chromebook is different.
My Chromebook is the Samsung Chromebook 3, it’s a quite cheap Chromebook like many others. So I had to find a replacement screen, I bought this one on Amazon, it was surprisingly cheap and definitely worth a try. To find a screen replacement you first need to know the model of your Chromebook, as every Chromebook is different you need to buy a screen specific to yours. Once you know the model, you can just search “model name replacement screen” on Amazon or Google.
I already had the other tools needed to replace the screen. You first need a screwdriver obviously, I have this one from Fertory and I really like it as it has a magnet that will help you to remove the screw. You will not only be able to use it on your Chromebook but also on every other electronic you want to repair. You also need an anti-static bracelet to avoid damaging your Chromebook while replacing the screen, and some plastic tools to open the computer, better to buy a small electronics opening kit so you are sure to have all the plastic tools you could need.
I won’t describe all the steps needed to replace the screen as it depends on the model of your Chromebook. There are a lot of tutorials and videos about it, you should try to look for a tutorial specific to your Chromebook, to replace the screen, or just how to disassemble the Chromebook. If there is not, watch multiple tutorials and you should be able to replace the screen of your Chromebook with all the needed knowledge.
Be sure to put all the pieces back where there was once you replaced the broken screen of your Chromebook or you will have issues later like the low power charger issue.
Is it worth it to replace a broken screen on Chromebook?
You need to do the maths to understand if it would be worth it to replace the screen of your Chromebook, it depends again on the model of your Chromebook, if the screen has a great resolution, it will be more expensive to replace the broken screen.
On my Chromebook, the screen has a poor resolution so I only spent $25 to buy a new screen. I already had the needed tools to replace the broken screen but it would have cost me $10 for the screwdriver, $15 for the opening tools kit, and $15 for an anti-static bracelet. If you have the same Chromebook as mine, you would need to spend $65 to replace the screen.
As the Samsung Chromebook 3 cost almost $200, it’s definitely worth it to replace the broken screen if you do it by yourself, as you will keep the tools. Even if you fail, you would not have spent too many dollars on the replacement screen. But it is not always the case, indeed with a Chromebook with a high-resolution screen, the screen replacement will probably cost more than $100. Even if the Chromebook price will be probably around $300, you must think twice before buying the new screen and the tools as there is a chance that you fail and either damage the Chromebook or broke the new screen, and therefore lost $100.
Author
Maxime Levesque is a technical engineer with more than 5 years of professional experience. He is an expert in computer and phones, mostly on Apple products. Maxime is also the founder of TechBrowser.
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