Unfortunately my brand new iPhone 4′s screen broke the other day (damn force of gravity). An official repair would cost 300 € in Europe. I searched the internet for alternatives. I learned that it is not enough to replace the glass only. With the iPhone 4 Apple glued the screen and the digitizer to the front glass, not to forget the new front camera which is build into the forefront assembly.
I found on the net that chinaontrade.com ships original apple components. As I was rather busy the past weeks, I ordered a new front panel assembly, but without the relatively expensive express option. I paid 110 € in total for a new glass with adhered screen and digitizer and integrated front camera. I was really surprised to get my shipment delivered only 6 working days after placing my order.
The page ifixit.com offers a lot of how-tos for repairing different phones. The following article is the needed tutorial for replacing the forefront assembly.
The video below shows how I disassembled the device. As the screws are very small and as such count with the fact that mounting will probably cost you 2-3 times longer than the disassembly. It is interesting to see that a replacement of the battery of the iPhone 4 is really easy. 4 screws and you are done!
After a 4 hours surgery my iPhone 4 worked again.
