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Beware of used Pixels with a replaced screen (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I very recently bought a used Pixel 6 with a replacement screen, not thinking too much of it. I even made sure that the screen looked good during pickup.

One thing I missed though, was that apparently my Pixel doesn't have a fingerprint sensor anymore. I did some research, apparently it's quite easy to break the fingerprint sensor (or some places simply just don't include a sensor in the repair?) when replacing the screen.

Today I also noticed (through Show refresh rate in developer options) that my screen will only do 60 Hz as well.

Also I have stupidly high battery drain, I'm not 100% if that's related though.

Long story short, learn from my mistakes and either don't buy a used phone with a replacement screen or carefully test all functionalities associated with the screen, mainly high refresh rate and the fingerprint sensor.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Yeah I found that link too, Thanks, but that's not the case here (I did also run the tool like 3 times).

This tool will only work if the fingerprint sensor shows up in settings and actively tells you it has to be recalibrated (neither was the case for me).

[–] alphapuggle 5 points 7 months ago (2 children)

I figured that would be the case. If you're comfortable opening the phone, and a return isn't an option, the fingerprint module is only about $15 on eBay. iFixit also has very detailed guides for disassembly. Do keep in mind the screen itself is ~$140, so if you're okay without it, it may be best to leave it.

You'll also probably want to buy the adhesive for the screen to get it watertight, which is only like $5, ~$10 with shipping but definitely worth it unless you've got a tube of B-7000.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for all your research, but due to battery drain and the cost of the screen (and me being 2/2 in terms of opening phones and breaking screens), I'm either going to keep the phone or sell it and try buying a "normal" Pixel 6.

[–] alphapuggle 3 points 7 months ago

Haha I've broken a number of screens taking apart phones as well, I totally get it.

If you're gonna be rocking it for a while, you might want to consider shelling out a bit more for one of the Pixel 8s. I saw you mentioned you're on graphene in a different comment, and the 8s are supposed to get 7 years of hardware support from Google, whereas the 6 has 3 out of the promised 5 years remaining. The 8s also have hardware memory tagging support from graphene, which isn't available on the other models due to the processor architecture supporting it.

I've owned a 6, 7 pro, and 8 pro. By far the fingerprint reader has been the best on the 8 pro. Seems they solved the long waits from the 6 and 7 series.

Not to mention the flat screen as well as DP Alt mode (usage for this apparently coming in Android 15).

If you're on more of a budget, keep in mind that the a series are really close to the normal models, with small downgrades like wireless charging & IP rating, but can be decently cheaper. The pixel 7a came out in May last year, you may be able to get a slightly better deal if you wait for the Google I/O announcement.