Disassembling a modern smartphone is always a balance between repairing and damaging fragile components. If you’re wondering how to remove the Xiaomi lid, you’re facing the challenge of replacing the battery, screen, or dust-cleaning speaker. The process of dismantling on the Chinese brand’s devices has its own nuances, which vary dramatically depending on the year the model is released and the materials used.
In most cases, the back panel is attached to a two-part glue that softens when heated, allowing parts to be carefully separated. However, in budget models, there are often screws under plugs that are easy to miss. Incorrect force when opening can lead to cracks in the glass or deformation of the frame, so it is important to understand the design of your Redmi or Mi device.
Before you start, you need to assess your skills and tools. If you do not have experience, it is better to limit yourself to diagnosis or contact the service. In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions for different types of housings to minimize the likelihood of damage to the gadget if you intervene on your own.
Preparation of the workplace and necessary tools
You can't do a good job of disassembling without a well-organized space. You'll need a clean, well-lit table, preferably with an antistatic coating. Small screws are easily lost, so prepare a magnetic mat or a cell organizer to sort the fastener through the disassembly stages.
The main tool for working with adhesive compounds will be a hair dryer. Household hair dryer is suitable, but the building heats more efficiently, although it requires extreme caution not to overheat. OLED-The heating temperature of the back cover shall not exceed 80-90 degrees Celsius, otherwise the polymer glue can “float” too much or, conversely, coke.
To open the body directly, you need special suction cups and mediators, you can't use metal tools because they can damage plumes or break the battery, and you can use isopropyl alcohol to dissolve glue residues and tweezers with curved ends.
- 🛠️ Heating element: Hair dryer (household or building with temperature adjustment) or special heating pad for phones.
- 🔧 Setting screwdrivers: Cross (PH000, PH00) Torx (T2, T3) screw-hole.
- 🎴 Plastic shoulder blades: Mediators, cards or special opening tools (spudger).
- 💧 Liquids: Isopropyl alcohol or special adhesive solvent (B-7000 reverse-assembly).
⚠️ Warning: Before any work begins, be sure to turn off the device. If the screen is broken and the touch screen does not respond, press the power button on the device. 10-15 seconds before vibration or use a combination of buttons to force reboot to ensure that the system is powered down before the plumes are disconnected.
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Use a magnetic design mat with a smartphone diagram drawn, and place the screws exactly where you unscrewed them, saving hours of time when you reassemble them and avoiding unnecessary parts.
Design features: glass, plastic and metal
Understanding the back material is critical to your disassembly tactics. Xiaomi devices are divided into three groups according to the type of body design, each requiring a customized approach. Mistaking the type of mounting can cost you the entire back cover.
The glass panels, which are characteristic of the flagship Mi series and the upper segment of the Redmi Note, are attached exclusively to perimeter glue, and they are the most fragile and require uniform warming. Metal enclosures, often found in older models or the budget segment, may have hidden screws under the logo or stubs. SIM-map.
Plastic covers, popular in the Poco series and Redmi budgeters, are often easier to remove, but tend to crack when bending. In addition, plastic conducts heat worse, so you need to heat it longer, but more carefully, so as not to deform the geometry of the frame.
While low-end Xiaomi rarely have a full IP68, the presence of perimeter sealing gums suggests that the adhesive is more aggressive, with heat times increasing and the risk of damage to the frame increasing.
Step-by-step: Removal of the glass back cover
The process of dismantling the glass panel is the most common scenario for modern Xiaomi smartphones.Start with removing the tray SIM-Not only will this remove the extra details, but it will also give a point of support to the mediator, if the design allows.
Keep the perimeter warm with a hairdryer evenly. Move the hot air flow around, lingering at the corners because the glue freezes thicker. You can check the heating temperature with the back of your hand: if the hand is hot but tolerant (about 3-4 seconds of retention), then the temperature is optimal.
After 2-3 minutes of warming up, apply a suction cup at the bottom of the lid, closer to the center, but not too close to the edge. Pull the suction cup up, creating a microscopic gap, and immediately insert a thin plastic mediator. Don't pull it out immediately - lead along the edge, cutting the adhesive layer.
Algorithm of action:
1. Heat the perimeter (2-3 minutes).
2. Create a gap with a sucker.
3. Insert the mediator and lead in a circle.
4. Do not enter the mediator deeper than 3-4 mm in order to avoid damage to the plumes.Be very careful in the area of the camera and the fingerprint scanner. These are places where plumes often pass under the lid. If you feel resistance, don't push, you'd better add a little more heat. Sharp movements lead to broken glass that can't be hidden.
⚠️ Warning: It is strictly forbidden to use metal blades or knives to smack a glass cover. One wrong move of a slipped blade is guaranteed to cut the plume of the display or touchscreen, making screen repair a necessity.
☑️ Safety control when working with glass
Dismantling of plastic and composite structures
With plastic covers, things often look easier, but there are traps: In many Xiaomi models (such as the old Redmi series or some versions of Poco), the plastic panel is not only held on the glue, but also on the latches around the perimeter. Trying to unplug such a lid with a hairdryer without first snapping will lead to the breakage of plastic hooks.
Start by looking carefully at the ends of the device. Find the place where the plastic panel is most tightly attached to the frame. Usually, this is the area of the charging connector or the volume button. Carefully insert the mediator and make a turnaround motion to snap the first latch. A characteristic click will confirm success.
As you move around the perimeter, sequentially snap the remaining locks. Only after the lid starts to loosely dangle (holding only on the glue or completely free), you can apply heating if the glue is still present. In some budget models, the glue may be absent at all, and the panel is removed purely mechanically.
If the lid is composite (like a glass insert in a plastic frame), act as delicately as possible. Plastic and glass have different coefficients of thermal expansion, which can lead to stratification or cracks when heated sharply, in such cases it is better to heat less, but pull slower.
Reassembly of plastic elements often requires less glue than glass, and a thin strip along the perimeter and in the areas around the chamber is enough to ensure tightness and fixation.
Work with screws and hidden attachment elements
Some Xiaomi models, especially the protected or specific versions, may have additional screws.They often hide under stickers, rubber plugs, or even under the brand logo. Carefully examine the rear panel in good lighting before starting heating.
If you find screws under stubs, carefully remove them with a thin needle. Logo screws are less common, but in such cases, the logo has to be carefully tweaked with a blade, and be prepared for the fact that the logo will then have to be glued again.
| Type of screw | Where do you meet? | Tool. | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| PH00 / PH000 | Inside the hull, frame. | Cross screwdriver | Licking the hat at high pressure |
| Torx T2 / T3 | Camera module, speaker | Star | Breaking the faces when using a cross screwdriver |
| Y-shaped (Tri-wing) | Rarely, internal plumes | Special screwdriver Y000 | Damage to the thread with an inappropriate tool |
When twisting the screws, keep the screwdriver strictly perpendicular to the surface. The distortion will damage the threads in the plastic pillars of the case, which will make subsequent assembly impossible without using a locking glue for the screws or replacing the body.
What to do if the screw hat licks?
Completion of disassembly and typical errors
When you remove the lid, you'll see the inside of the smartphone, so don't be in a hurry to disconnect the battery right away, and first, visually assess the plumes coming from buttons, scanners, or speakers that might have been left on the lid, and you need to gently disconnect them from the motherboard or disconnect them from the lid itself, if the design permits.
A common mistake is to try to pull the lid off with a jerk. Even if the glue seems to be weakened, a sharp movement can tear thin plumes of side buttons or antenna wires glued to the inside of the case. Always check for connections before fully separating parts.
Another common problem is damage to the main camera module. In modern smartphones, the lenses often protrude, and if you sloppyly insert the mediator, you can scratch the lens or knock the focus off.
- 🔍 Trail check: Make sure no wires are pulled or clamped.
- 🔋 Battery safety: Don't puncture the battery with a tool. A ballooning battery requires special care.
- 🧹 Cleaning: Use the cleaning moment of old glue to install a new part.
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The principle of successful disassembly is, "measure seven times, cut one." If the part doesn't go, you miss the screw, the latch, or the glue is not warmed enough. Strength is the enemy, and patience is the master's main tool.
⚠️ Warning: If you damage the battery during the dismantling process (smoke, smell, deformation), immediately stop work, put the device in a non-combustible container and ensure that the room is aired. Lithium polymer batteries can catch fire if damaged.