My first DIY smartphone repair project got off to an unpromising start.

I had successfully removed the back of the HMD Skyline, but the following instruction required a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit, which worked quite well for turning the screw that popped out the corner of the phone’s back panel. But a T4 was just too big for the tiny screws that held the battery connector cover in place. I needed this T3.

The Skyline is one of HMD’s latest user-serviceable phones. It’s a mid-range phone, one of the first Android phones to feature Qi2 wireless charging, a 6.55-inch OLED panel, three rear cameras, and a large 4-inch battery. 600mAh for $449. In my limited usage, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 seems prone to lag, and the 1080p screen resolution really isn’t enough for this large panel.

But above all, the Skyline represents the continuation of a partnership with iFixit. You can purchase replacement parts for the Skyline on the iFixit website, follow the detailed repair instructions, and pick up the tools you’ll need for the job. My review unit arrived from HMD with a Basic iFixit Toolkitwhich has a good set of starting tools – but not the T3 bit I needed.

Did you know that you can go to your local hardware store and purchase what is called a “smartphone repair kit?” » I haven’t done it, but I’m glad you can. I bought the kit as a sort of insurance; I had contacted iFixit to obtain replacement parts for the Skyline for testing purposes and was unsure if a T3 would arrive in my shipment. It turned out to be some extra tools, a replacement battery, a replacement back cover, and some rad iFixit stickers. So thoughtful!

I spend a lot of time using phones, holding them in my hands, being near phones, and thinking about phones, but I rarely look inside phones. This is mainly because taking apart a $1,000 device that a company lends you is generally considered rude. Phone manufacturers would also prefer you go through their official channels rather than doing the repair themselves. But also, I’m a bit of a weenie. I’m not very handy and I’m afraid of messing something up – traits I’m slowly learning to overcome as a homeowner.

I’ll be honest, removing the battery from the HMD Skyline made me a little nervous, especially when the disposable tab I was pulling to release it from its adhesive broke. But as with home projects, I’m learning that if you have the right tools, take your time, and consult experts throughout the process, you can do so much more than you think. iFixit’s guide suggests that the adhesive might be strong enough to require consistent, consistent pressure. By gently pulling on the two remaining tabs, I eventually freed the battery from the glue.

I had successfully followed the steps to remove the back cover of the phone, disconnect the battery and remove it from the phone. All I had to do before installing the new battery was remove a few pieces of adhesive. I used a spudger and tweezers to get most of it off, but the sticky remnants needed to go as well. Working one drop at a time, I applied about 90% isopropyl alcohol and scrubbed the residue with a microfiber towel. It was the most tedious and satisfying part of the job.

In fact, I had to perform the same maneuver last week in a house project, but on a slightly larger scale. There appears to be a small crack where the conduit meets our exterior breaker box. which lets a small trickle of water pass through the wall when it rains. This is something an entrepreneur has worked on several times, but his solution didn’t seem to stick. It’s a big crew and “a small crack where a little rain gets into the drywall” is small potatoes to them anyway, so I took it upon myself.

That’s how you end up on a ladder outside your house peeling all-weather tape from a metal box, a few millimeters at a time. But I did what the kind people at the hardware store told me, removing the tape and residue underneath with rubbing alcohol and a microfiber towel. The crack is freshly patched and withstood a downpour a few days later, and I plan to never shut up about how I fixed the leak in the wall all by myself.

Back to the horizon line. I installed the new battery, replaced the new back cover and closed everything. It takes a worrying force and click to get the lid back in place, but I did it. The phone turned on normally and is charging as I write this; iFixit recommends charging it to 100%, then leaving it plugged in for two more hours to calibrate it.

The entire process of swapping out the battery and cover took a few hours, including 30 minutes spent running to the store to buy 90% isopropyl alcohol. But after checking out iFixit’s other phone repair guides, I can see that the ease of this repair isn’t a coincidence. If you want to replace a battery on your Google Pixel 8, you will need to complete 42 steps just to remove the original battery; on the HMD Skyline, the entire procedure consists of only 21 steps.

To be fair, the Pixel 8 is IP68 rated for full dust and water resistance, so it will be harder to access. The Skyline is IP54, which is honestly better than I thought given its repairability status. And unsurprisingly, the Skyline doesn’t feel as well designed as a less serviceable Pixel or Samsung phone. Maybe you can’t have it all.

If nothing else, the Skyline opening exercise made me an even bigger supporter of serviceable phones. California’s Right to Repair law, which took effect over the summer, surely helped push phone makers to make parts and documentation available to more consumers. But even those who technically respect the law do not seem to fully adhere to its principles. Maybe these companies should trust their customers a little more. After fixing a leak in the wall and replacing a phone battery, my confidence in my own self-repair abilities is at an all-time high.