My first DIY phone fix made me a self-repair believer

My first DIY smartphone repair project was off to an inauspicious start.

I'd successfully removed the back of the HMD Skyline, but the next instruction called for a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit, which worked well enough to turn the screw that popped the corner of the phone's back panel up. But a T4 was just too big for the tiny screws holding the battery connector cover in place. I needed that T3.

The Skyline is one of HMD's latest user-repairable phones. It's a midrange phone, one of the first Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging, plus a 6.55-inch OLED panel, three rear cameras, and a big 4,600mAh battery for $449. In my limited use, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 seems prone to lagginess, and the 1080p screen resolution really isn't enough for that big panel.

But most notably, the Skyline represents the continuation of a partnership with iFixit. You can buy spare parts for the Skyline on iFixit's website, follow along with detailed repair instructions, and pick up the tools you'll need for the job. My review unit arrived from HMD with a basic iFixit toolkit, which has a good set of starter tools - but not the T3 bit I needed.

Did you know you can walk into your local hardware store and buy something called a "smartphone repair kit?" I didn't, but I'm glad that you can. I bought the kit as a kind of insurance; I'd been in touch with iFixit to get some replacement parts for the Skyline for testing and wasn't sure if a T3 was coming in my shipment. It was, as it turned out, along with extra tools, a replacement battery, a replacement back cover, and some rad iFixit stickers. So thoughtful!

I spend a lot of my time using phones, holding phones, being near phones, and considering phones, but I rarely look inside phones. That's mostly because dismantling a $1,000 device that a company is loaning you is generally considered rude. Phone manufacturers would also prefer you go through their official channels rather than self-repair. But also, I'm kind of a weenie. I'm not very handy and I'm nervous about screwing something up - traits I'm slowly learning to overcome as a homeowner.

I'll be honest, prying the battery out of the HMD Skyline did make me a little nervous, especially when the disposable tab I was pulling to release it from its adhesive snapped right off. But as with home projects, I'm learning that if you have the right tools on hand, take your time, and consult experts along the way, you can do a lot more than you'd think. iFixit's guide suggested that the adhesive might be strong enough to require constant, steady pressure. By carefully pulling on the remaining two tabs, I eventually freed the battery from the glue.