01-24-22

Losing a phone is definitely a 'can't afford' these days. I can't afford to lose a phone because I can't simply afford to buy a new one since I am a full time mom and I don't have my own money.

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Me and my husband are planning to buy a new phone however, we are still looking for a good model and we like to buy 2nd hand stuff. Why? New models of phones are getting more expensive and most cellphone companies release new models every now and then. One more reason is some older models has better features than the new ones. I know buying 2nd hand phones are very risky, you just had to be extra careful and NEVER EVER purchase 2nd hand items without inspecting or trying it out first. Don't simply pay without testing it.

2nd hand purchases

Let me share my husband's spare phone that I used before I fixed my phone. He has an LG v20 phone. We all know that LG phones are very durable. My husband really loves this phone, by the way he bought it 2nd hand in Carousell (former OLX, former sulit.com.ph). He always tells me that this is one of the flagship phones when it was released. What I love about that phone is its camera features. One is the multi-view camera feature. You can record or take a picture using both rear and front cam at the same time. Another one is it's manual mode in it works like a digital camera. Another thing is it still has the removable battery and slim phone. Cons? Since it's an old model the battery is only about 300mah.

Another 2nd hand purchase is my husband's current phone, Xiaomi Mi 9T pro. Well, I love this phone too. My husband is a fan of Xiaomi products so we bought a Xiaomi TV too.

Repair

I have an Oppo F11 that I purchased in 2019. I've mentioned in my previous article that my phone broke due to LCD issue. My phone developed lines until one day it totally blacked out. One reason I stopped posting in read.cash for a week or so. I only borrowed my mother's old tablet so I can videocall or message my husband until my husband gets home. Since my husband has 2 phones, he let me use his LG V20 phone. I did use it for a few weeks and decided to buy an LCD replacement for my Oppo f11 phone. That way, we get to save by not buying a more expensive phone.

Let me share how I repaired my phone. Heads up, I grew up always observing my father fix things and sometimes help that's why I also like to butingting stuff. I always love DIY-ing, I build my own pc, I repair them even if I'm not that knowledgeable in pc parts but with the help of my friends, cousin and Youtube and through research I was able to do it. I find it very satisfying and frustrating if you needed to buy a new one. Anyway, I replaced my phone's LCD. My husband bought a laptop/cellphone repair kit. Oh, did I mention that my husband repaired his laptop too. Hahahahaa. See how we do things as husband and wife HAHAHAHA.

I know that replacing laptop or cellphone parts looks easy. You can also google or watch tutorials on Youtube how to get it done, but you will need a lot of patience, time and dedication. For us, I can say it was easy because were used to be a technician in our own gadgets.

Hey, here's the toolkit I was talking about.

My husband replaced the fan in his laptop. We did buy replacement fan from shopee too. We checked different sellers by the way to make sure that it works fine. Same goes when I purchased a replacement LCD from Shopee.

Oh when my husband went home last December, he wanted to at least try and see if he can fix my phone. He managed to open my phone which kind of helped me save time in fixing my phone. Removing the back cover (battery case) of the phone was really time consuming due to the adhesive. We don't have a heating gun but of course we improvised, he used our electric warm compress hihi.

Unfortunately, we really needed to replace the LCD then I bought one in Shopee.

The seller got good reviews and updated me about the delivery.

I didn't buy adhesive tape or glue because we still have one left. You can use these adhesive, I haven't researched the difference but you can use either glue.

Once I recieved the LCD replacement, I immediately tested it but of couse I needed to open the phone to test if its working properly. I asked my sister and my mother to look after Lil B while I fix my phone. I needed time in this one.

I searched on youtube how to replace the LCD of course. After I put it in, tested it, it worked and I somehow sealed, charged my phone and TADAAAAAAH! My phone works! That saved is money whew! Honestly, I am not ready to let go of this phone yet. I'm kind of sentimental and this is one of the most expensive things that I bought for myself aside from the computer parts that I bought.

Another satisfying moment for me.

I also find it satisfying whenever I replace my phone's screen protector/tempered glass and recently I found out that there's another screen protector in the market, Hydrogel. I watched a few videos on tiktok that they recommend using hydrogel as they are thinner, lighter and more durable than tempered glass. I can't deny that I am loving putting Hydrogel in our phones. What I also love is it doesn't compromise the quality of graphics on your phone. It feels and looks like the actual screen of your phone. It's also very very easy to install, easy to remove the bubbles and kind of self-healing when scratched. Oh I am really impressed because....kahit pawis o basa ang kamay ko di nagloloko yung screeen whoooooohoooo! Panalo to para sa mga basa at pawising kamay like mine!

Wala lang gusto lang ishare hihi.

If you don't have a lot of time or if you have money, go buy another one. But for me, I just want to save money cause I dont have a job that I can earn money.

Share your DIYs too! I'd really love to hear about it. I love crafts too. :)

Lead image, pictures posted are mine