By now, those of you interested in picking up BlackBerry’s long overdue entry into the Android space have likely already done so. The BlackBerry Priv — now readily available on AT&T, directly from the manufacturer, and soon, Verizon — signals the return of the slide-out physical keyboard. You know, one of the main reasons “business types” stuck around with BlackBerry through the years, despite smartphones all moving to a similar all-display form factor.
Even with all those moving parts, the Priv is pleasantly solid. Because the phone doesn’t come cheap and a sudden drop or spill is always very real possibility, repairability is could be something sitting in the back of your mind. Sure you could find a case for it, but they’re still a bit hard to come by with the sliding mechanism and curved display making it difficult to provide adequate protection without added bulk. Even then, there’s no guarantees in life.
In a new teardown video from JerryRigsEverything (yes, it’s the same guy who sparked the Nexus 6P#bendgate controversy a few weeks back) he shows just how quickly and easily it is to replace the display on the BlackBerry Priv in the event something should happen to it.
Believe or not, the entire display can be removed in a little over 5 minutes. All it takes is heating the glue located only on the sides of the display, then using a card to lift and remove it from there. That’s it. There’s absolutely no need to remove the back cover, battery unit, motherboard, or any of that nonsense. Swapping in a new display is as simple as connecting it into the tiny port, then snapping everything back into place. Easy peasy. Check out the video for yourself and let us know if repairability is a feature any of you look toward when choosing a new smartphone.
