iPhone motherboard repair is one of the most common types of mobile phone repair in Singapore.
Motherboard repair, along with battery replacement, cracked screen and charging port repair, are the most common phone problems. Find our iPhone repair prices here
This article explains why your motherboard may break down.
What is a motherboard?
The “motherboard”, also known as a circuit board, of an iPhone or Android device, is a very complex component. It’s the beating heart of your entire phone.
Almost every piece and part of your mobile phone run through the motherboard. It is hidden inside the mobile phone to minimize wear and tear. -source baltimorecellphonerepair
Why is the motherboard so important?
When a motherboard fails to function, alarm bells ring and rightfully so.
A cracked phone screen to a doctor is like breaking a finger – they could even amputate it and you would still survive. You will probably survive and live with a deformed finger.
When your phone motherboard breaks down, it’s a different ball game. The motherboard is akin to a malfunctioning internal organ – a surgeon needs to operate to save the phone. One tiny slip by the surgeon and the phone’s life may be gone forever.
Why does motherboard repair seem so serious?
Motherboard malfunction is the most terrifying issue any phone owner would face. He or she may be worried about the loss of data, and many times the cost of repair cannot be easily determined by a simple Google or Facebook search.
The cost of replacing a cracked screen or battery is very clear and direct, but there is a certain element of ambiguity to motherboard repair as there are many components in the motherboard and the price range may vary.
All these factors add up to cause stress and nervousness to the phone owner.
Hence, it is very important to select the right repairer who is reputable and transparent. This minimizes ambiguity and boosts your chances of successfully repairing your phone.
Why is it important to prioritize skill over price when it comes to motherboard repair?
Motherboard repair is complicated
As complicated as our brain, a phone motherboard is a complex assembly of ICs, capacitors, diodes and metal alloy. These components are so small – an inexperienced technician will invariably damage some working components.
In the worst case, it may result in permanent data loss and it becomes impossible to revive your phone any more.
Motherboard repair requires a delicate pair of hands
Motherboard repair requires soldering, blower skills, and a delicate pair of hands to handle the minute diodes and capacitors on a motherboard.
Due to the complexities of a motherboard, these works should only be done by experienced technicians. Soldering works involve high heat which could melt or damage working components.
Motherboard repair requires lots of practice
Motherboard repair for mobile phones is not easy. You wouldn’t be able to do it yourself even if you watch YouTube videos continuously for a month.
Thankfully, there are professionals at Mister Mobile to repair your motherboard in the quickest of time. Read more of our reviews here.
Mister Mobile’s professional technicians
At Mister Mobile, our technicians are trained and certified to carry out motherboard repair works and we only employ technicians with at least 5 years of working experience. We also regularly send our technicians for refresher courses.
We do not toy around with your phones, do not treat your beloved phone as test subjects. All our repair works are done in-house.
What are the symptoms of a faulty motherboard?
Just like a human body, there are countless symptoms for different types of motherboard issues. Most of the time, a simple parts replacement (such as the camera, charging port or Wi-Fi antenna) will suffice.
- Most commonly, your phone fails to power on.
- Wi-Fi not working.
- Audio issues especially during phone calls.
- Both camera not working suddenly
- Battery drains and phone heats up easily.
However, it becomes tricky when the motherboard components are faulty, disrupting the current flow of the motherboard.
What causes the motherboard to malfunction?
Here are 4 main reasons that cause the motherboard to malfunction:
- Prolonged use.
- Water damage.
- Serious physical impact.
- Manufacturing defect.
- Rooting android phone.
1. Prolonged use.
Heat to a motherboard is like Kryptonite to Superman. It is harmful. When you over-use your phone, it tends to heat up. Such heat gradually wears away the aluminum and copper materials which hold the components together. When these components lose contact with your motherboard, problems occur.
Smartphones nowadays have a safety protocol to protect themselves from overcharging. This means the battery will automatically stop charging once it is full. Even so, overheating will still occur if the battery is faulty. Read more about faulty battery addresses here.
Another scenario where the overheating issue kicks in is when you continue using your device while it is charging. The device is constantly in a state of discharging and recharging which is stressful for the motherboard. If your device heats up even when in an idle state, you should send your device to check if your phone is due for motherboard repair.
2. Water damage.
While a splash or minor water spill may not damage your phone, most smartphones cannot survive a 1-meter dive or even 10 minutes in the rain.
Although most modern smartphones are “water-proof”, read the fine details and you will realize that they are in fact only “water-resistant”. Some manufacturers do not even include water-damage as part of their warranty coverage.
Newer smartphones such as the iPhone XS and XS Max are IP68 water-resistant. Head over here to learn more.
It is not rocket science that water damages electronic devices. When water comes into contact with the motherboard, a spike in current will cause a short-circuit, causing your phone to shut down. Water contact also causes a chemical reaction which results in the forming of green moldy patches on the motherboard.
The longer a phone is running (electricity is flowing), the more short-circuited components and chemical produce there will be, and the more difficult it is to rescue your phone.
Hence, when your phone comes into contact with water, power off your phone immediately and find the fastest way to dry it up. Then proceed to repairers for a chemical wash on your motherboard.
3. Serious physical impact.
When you drop your phone, the first association that comes to mind is a broken screen. Most customers look past the fact that serious impact may also cause internal damage to a smartphone.
A more obvious example will be when your phone is run over by a car. Besides the broken screen and broken back glass, you may find your phone to be flatter than before or be severely bent out of shape. Obviously, a deformed mobile phone will mean a deformed motherboard. And that requires fixing.
Having said that, modern smartphones now come with very durable bezels which can endure such impacts, and we are seeing less of such cases nowadays.
4. Manufacturing defect.
Yes, you read it. It’s not a joke. Sometimes, there are flaws with the engineering design of the motherboard that causes some components to break down more quickly than other components. This is why you can hear us telling you “Oh, this is a common issue. Many customers have come to us to fix the same problem.”
And thanks to these manufacturing defects, we mobile phone repairers are able to earn a living by fixing their mistakes.
Here are just some of the known common issues with iPhone and Samsung phones:
iPhone 8 – Unable to power on. Read more about this addresses here.
iPhone 6 Plus – touch disease. This issue is so common. We do iPhone motherboard repair for the iPhone 6 Plus all the time. The flawed design of the iPhone 6 Plus causes the motherboard to bend 7.2 times more likely than the iPhone 5S after impact. Find out more about Apple’s lawsuit and Apple’s Multi-touch repair program for iPhone 6 Plus.
Note 4 – eMMC error causing the phone to auto-restart or get stuck in boot loop. It is a known Note 4 manufacturing defect where the eMMC (which holds the data storage in your phone) component on the motherboard breaks down. Heck, it is so common that most used phone dealers are not accepting used Note 4 devices any more.
Note 7 – Ok. Enough about this fiasco. You should have read all about the Note 7 by now.
5. Rooting Android phone.
The term rooting large associates with Android phones. Like any smartphones, Android runs on an operating system specifically designed for casual use. The operating systems usually come with limitations or restrictions in place to protect the stability of the components while in use.
Rooting is a process that removes these restrictions and limitations. This process allows seasoned users to actually change the operating system itself.
Rooting seems all mighty when it is going well. When the situation takes a turn, however, it is bad news for the phone and the owner. A rooted device allows users to overload the processor. Invariably, it makes the device run faster than it should. It is clear that making a device run faster than designed will generate more heat and eventually damage the components on the motherboard.
When your phone breaks down, motherboard repair is required to rescue your phone.
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Ending thoughts
Motherboard repair is very common and it requires a special skill set to perform a proper repair. At Mister Mobile, our technicians are all trained and professionals in the field.
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