Nexus 7 screen cracks easily

[leandroqm]

Just a warning to everybody: Use your Nexus 7 some sort of protection at all times!

I have a Motorola Xoom and a Galaxy Nexus since they were released and never had a single scratch on both.
Now I own a Nexus 7 for less than a month and it has cracked the screen dropping from the height of one open hand...

I have no idea what to do with a cracked screen Nexus 7... it am using it with a mouse with usb OTG support, but that's far from desirable :/
The worst part is that I live in Brazil and will have to figure out what to do about it away from the stores... :/
(Any idea is welcome, btw)

TL;DL:
Take GREAT care of your Nexus7 or it will crack the screen!

 

[Jdbye]

Just a warning to everybody: Use your Nexus 7 some sort of protection at all times!

I have a Motorola Xoom and a Galaxy Nexus since they were released and never had a single scratch on both.
Now I own a Nexus 7 for less than a month and it has cracked the screen dropping from the height of one open hand...

I have no idea what to do with a cracked screen Nexus 7... it am using it with a mouse with usb OTG support, but that's far from desirable :/
The worst part is that I live in Brazil and will have to figure out what to do about it away from the stores... :/
(Any idea is welcome, btw)

TL;DL:
Take GREAT care of your Nexus7 or it will crack the screen!

According to this article, even Gorilla Glass screens will crack easily if they fall on the right spot, regardless of the device: https://www.xda-developers.com/xda-tv-2/truth-about-gorilla-glass-drops-tests-composition-xda-developer-tv/. Dropping any handheld device is never a good idea, but especially heavier devices like tablets and laptops.

It's only the glass on the front that's cracked and not the LCD screen itself, right? You should be able to replace the glass without too much effort, I've seen replacement glass panels for a lot of other devices, the Nexus 7 is so new I don't think replacement parts for it are easy to find yet, though.
I assume the touchscreen no longer works since you say you're using a mouse, so most likely the touchscreen module is cracked as well. You can replace those as well but may have to wait a while for replacement parts to become available on eBay and such.
It should not cost you a lot in replacement parts but it may be tricky to replace. Certainly better than paying for professional repair though.

 

[drdeathley]

Same here mine fell 2feet onto a carpeted floor and it was in a sturdy leather case. Now I have 2 cracks running from opposite corners so having to use a mouse. Lucky it's insured through my bank so it should be no problem getting it fixed or replaced.

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda premium

 

[afreed1]

I just read an article that said the N7 does not use Gorilla Glass. Hopefully this is not the cause of the seemingly easy to break screen.

http://gizmodo.com/5923138/google-nexus-7-dissection-reveals-chips-chops-and-retina-macbook-ram

 

[Manatee Burger]

Same here mine fell 2feet onto a carpeted floor and it was in a sturdy leather case. Now I have 2 cracks running from opposite corners so having to use a mouse. Lucky it's insured through my bank so it should be no problem getting it fixed or replaced.

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda premium

That's really unfortunate, I dropped mine from about 4 feet onto tile floor without a scratch. You can bet my heart skipped a beat though.

 

[dirtyhamster73]

Unfortunately the N7 doesn't have gorilla glass I'll be holding mine extra tight :/ That really stinks, sorry

Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

 

[splotz]

ed.:
Could be its cheaper to buy a new one...
If it would have hdmi you could put ubuntu on it and use it as a pc on a big screen with mouse and keyboard.
but it doesnt...stupid google...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems the monkey glass is sealed to the display:
Step 20, Point two
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-7-Teardown/9623/3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read somewhere the display is thinner and lighter because of touch and display have no air beetween..
Do maybe some screens have tension because of the new way of production ?

 

[veeman]

According to this article, even Gorilla Glass screens will crack easily if they fall on the right spot, regardless of the device: https://www.xda-developers.com/xda-...ass-drops-tests-composition-xda-developer-tv/. Dropping any handheld device is never a good idea, but especially heavier devices like tablets and laptops.

It's only the glass on the front that's cracked and not the LCD screen itself, right? You should be able to replace the glass without too much effort, I've seen replacement glass panels for a lot of other devices, the Nexus 7 is so new I don't think replacement parts for it are easy to find yet, though.
I assume the touchscreen no longer works since you say you're using a mouse, so most likely the touchscreen module is cracked as well. You can replace those as well but may have to wait a while for replacement parts to become available on eBay and such.
It should not cost you a lot in replacement parts but it may be tricky to replace. Certainly better than paying for professional repair though.

You have to replace the whole display because the glass front is fused to the display. That makes it thinner but more expensive to replace.

 

[dirtyhamster73]

ed.:
Could be its cheaper to buy a new one...
If it would have hdmi you could put ubuntu on it and use it as a pc on a big screen with mouse and keyboard.
but it doesnt...stupid google...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems the monkey glass is sealed to the display:
Step 20, Point two
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-7-Teardown/9623/3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I read somewhere the display is thinner and lighter because of touch and display have no air beetween..
Do maybe some screens have tension because of the new way of production ?

I WANT that pro tech tool kit!!!!!!

 

[abowlofsoda]

I ended up with a Nexus7 because my Transformer TF300 tablet LCD cracked. Sold it on eBay and bought the Nexus. I didn't drop it or anything... just started happening.

Good luck everyone! lol

 

[jtrosky]

Now that makes sense, especially since Google never specifically mentions the word "Gorilla" anywhere in the specs - just "Scratch-resistant Corning glass" - so it's not Gorilla glass... Shouldn't come as a major surprise though, they had to keep costs down in order to sell these things for only $200!

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

 

[hb-kevin]

The way glass on tablets and smart phones work is like this:

Harder glass is more scratch resistant but cracks more easily,
Softer glass scratches very easily but is more resistant to shock and impact.

Supposedly Gorilla Glass 3 is supposed to be very hard but also flexible in order to absorb shock.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

 

[pxlitup]

Did you check the left side of your display for separation? That's a common flaw which could explain why your glass cracked from such a minor impact.

To see if the left side of your screen was lifting, hold the device with the right side facing you. Look across the display and use the left bezel as a silver horizon line. If the black display is higher at any point, you'll be able to see it interrupt that silver line.

Here is an example of a perfectly flush display, looking across the device from the right side.

 

[neotekz]

The screen doesn't crack easily. Op you just got unlucky with yours. No nexus device have gorilla glass, but that's just a trademark branding. The glass on the nexus is chemically tempered and is similiar to gorilla glass. It can still fail from a short drop if it hits in the right spot, this is at the edge where all glass is weakest. Notice how in those impact demos on YouTube they never hit near the edge always at the center. Just search broke gorilla glass on xda and you will see lots of threads about people breaking their screen with a one or two feet drop and its always on a corner or edge.

 

[Mwinggg]

the bigger the glass the easier to crack no?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[tezoide]

You're not alone...

The same happened to me. I dropped it from about 20cm and the screen cracked quite badly. I was thinking of sending it to ASUS for repair, but it seems the repair cost is quite high (they charge 60 euros only to have a look at it). Some people on the web say that ASUS wants about 160 dollars for a full repair, since the screen and digitizer are "glued" together. I looked everywhere for a replacement screen, but I couldn't find one. This is still a new device. Anyway, after a frustrating time I decided to sell my Nexus on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120976824...LX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1288

I just don't know what to do next:

1. Get another one and keep it in a cushioned safe with anti-gravity technology?
2. Wait for the Nexus 10?
3. ipad mini?
4. Forget about it and get a life?

 

[ProphetD]

The same happened to me. I dropped it from about 20cm and the screen cracked quite badly. I was thinking of sending it to ASUS for repair, but it seems the repair cost is quite high (they charge 60 euros only to have a look at it). Some people on the web say that ASUS wants about 160 dollars for a full repair, since the screen and digitizer are "glued" together. I looked everywhere for a replacement screen, but I couldn't find one. This is still a new device. Anyway, after a frustrating time I decided to sell my Nexus on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120976824...LX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1288

I just don't know what to do next:

1. Get another one and keep it in a cushioned safe with anti-gravity technology?
2. Wait for the Nexus 10?
3. ipad mini?
4. Forget about it and get a life?

Apple products do tend to get cracked sreens really easy too though

 

[Hexdecimal]

It's a general consensus at this point, where if it has a glass screen, Gorilla, Corning, or other, take care of it. It is glass after all, not shatter-proof polycarbonate.

 

[Toast95135]

For drop prone people the Gumdrop cases can't come soon enough lol. I've only dropped a tablet once *knock on wood*, my TF101 from a few feet onto carpet.

 

[Tennoh]

Mine cracked spectacularly from normal use. Holding in left hand, thumb the glass from left bezel and boom, cracked just from thumb pressure. I can't explain other than my N7 has screen lift issue where I hold it. In fact, the crack fractured in a semi circle from where my thumb would be holding it. I'm currently arguing with ASUS repair support on whether this crack is under warranty from manufacturing defect, the screen lift, or charged repair for customer damage which imo it shouldn't be.