Hey guys, just got my S3 exactly 2 weeks ago. Already have very small surface scratches along the bottom, and a very shallow scratch going up diagonally from the bottom right up to about 3/4s to the top left. To be honest, Corning Gorilla Glass isn't very gorilla-ee. Now, before you go thinking i'm reckless, I don't remember dropping it at all. I watched a torture test on YouTube and TBH I think it got hit with some sand. My question is is it worth replacing the screen? I can post pictures if needed. New glass is only 20 greens on amazon so it wouldn't to pricey to replace it, but honestly I don't have the patience to do it myself. Are there any mail-in services that you guys recommend? Call me anal but after having this phone for only a week i'm kind of pissed it's already scratched, and I don't want to live with it for 2 years in the condition it's in. One more thing, do you think if I put a matte screen protector that it would cover up the scratches?
Thanks for taking the time to read my lengthy post
I had the same issue with small scratches appearing on the screen and I put on a screen protector and they pretty much vanished. I think that would be the way to go before replacing the whole screen. I would NOT recommend replacing the screen because of some minor scratches. People have had success replacing just the glass, but there is always a risk of damaging the digitizer, which makes a $20 repair a $200 repair.
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Adelaide. said:
I had the same issue with small scratches appearing on the screen and I put on a screen protector and they pretty much vanished. I think that would be the way to go before replacing the whole screen. I would NOT recommend replacing the screen because of some minor scratches. People have had success replacing just the glass, but there is always a risk of damaging the digitizer, which makes a $20 repair a $200 repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some pictures, like I said, i'm super anal about this kind of stuff, I just got the thing like 2 weeks ago, and I know it's not worth it. Maybe you could take a look.
Thanks
EDIT: The picture is blurry AF but you can kind of see it near the menu button.
Related
A while ago I read a comment somewhere saying that the glass could get loose/detaches itself slowly.
Now I got my Galaxy Nexus (Amazon Warehouse Deals "like new") and I noticed that the screen budges a little at the upper part.
I searched but I couldn't find any mention of something like this anywhere. Maybe I used the wrong keywords.
Is this a known problem?
Oh, and just a secondary issue:
Is there any way to actually buy something from the amazon appstore from outside the US? The "normal" amazon happily sells me downloads when I enter a fake US adress but it doesn't seem to work with apps.
well obviously the phone you have had the screen replaced, if they dont wanna fix that for free, id seach for a video on youtube on how to do it myself
Not sure if this is what you're referring to, but there was a fairly active thread in the Q&A section about the adhesive failing in the corners of the screen, causing one side of the glass to "lift" from the frame. I'd try to get it replaced.
That's not normal and shouldn't be happening.
That's like saying you heard that there are car manufacturers which have certain models where the wheels fall off. That is a critical hardware failure that I would try getting replaced. It's not acceptable for you to need to worry about your screen coming off, especially if there's been no neglect.
Mine is sturdy as hell and it looks like a fantastic and beautiful piece of hardware. If mine had any defects I'd call in to get it swapped right away. Hope it works out well!
toasterr said:
Not sure if this is what you're referring to, but there was a fairly active thread in the Q&A section about the adhesive failing in the corners of the screen, causing one side of the glass to "lift" from the frame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess that could be it.
Seems like I don't have luck with this phone. The first "like new" Nexus I bought had a deep scratch on the glass. And the Bootloader was unlocked.
Guess amazon doesn't inspect their returns too closely.
Oh, and what's the deal with this fortified glass? There are countless people reporting that they don't use any protection at all but still have a scratch free screen after weeks. While I already have 2 light scratches after barely 24 hours. I don't even know how this could have possibly happened.
It was either in it's pouch or in my hands.
Other people stab that thing with a knife and nothing happens while I get 2 scratches just by looking at it...
Yep, I broke my galaxy. Screen and touch sensor works awesome, but screen is fully shattered. Searching at the forum gave me one positive result: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23644712&postcount=6
But i cant find any guide anywhere. If someone know how to make this kind of operation please leave your post or guide, it would be great. Thanks in advance!
Hello,
youtube is your friend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65pvAINg2ME&feature=my_favorites&list=FLhOahoxI-440fS-S2edtp7w
glass only video - hmmm...
exeq said:
Hello,
youtube is your friend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65pvAINg2ME&feature=my_favorites&list=FLhOahoxI-440fS-S2edtp7w
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the above is for the digitizer w/glass - the below is for glass ONLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfuTVjI_Wao
It is very risky to replace the glass only. Doing it this way increases the risk of damaging the AMOLED panel, either by overheating it or scratched/cracked by the broken glass. I've explained it before; if you want to replace the glass only, you'll need to separate the screen assembly from the frame first, then separate the glass from the AMOLED panel. You might end up breaking the panel anyway, so might as well replace the whole thing. But you can give it a go. It should be possible to remove the glass while keeping the AMOLED panel in the frame, because the panel itself is very fragile.
I replaced only the glass on mine.
igor45 said:
the above is for the digitizer w/glass - the below is for glass ONLY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. This is my story about SUCCESSFULLY replacing only the glass of s2.
Background, you can skip this:
Few months ago I broken the glass of my beloved S2 in an accident, but because I had a screen protector the pieces of glass were kept together and the phone was 100% usable, only the image was distorted because of broken glass.
So I searched the available options: replace the whole display for a price of more than 100euro. Buy a defect s2 with good screen, but didn't found any lower than the previous price.
I had a previous experience with an Ipod Touch with the same problem, when I ordered the glass from ebay and went to a local phone repair shop that destroyed the Ipod. It was usable before going to that shop.
So I decided to give it a try and try to change it myself. I'm a programmer with what can be called poor electronic and hardware skills. So if I was able to do it, and you were able to find this post, you can replace it too. But after seeing some videos I had more confidence on my skills than of those repair specialists that were not careful with the other device.
First I found a clip on youtube about why you CAN'T change only the glass on S2. But I found also the above video with a interesting method, but it required a Molybdenum string that I couldn't found at a good price. Actually I believe that the shipment to Romania made the price to high for the string.
After researching I found the SOLUTION: on a page or youtube clip about how to remove the broken glass. But I've lost the link. Anyway, the procedure was simple. I remember that the video was about replacing the glass on a Galaxy S3.
So I ordered the replacement glass and some adhesive (finally not used) from ebay.
After I got the replacement parts, I opened the phone, you can find somewhere online the instructions how to do it.
For removal I used a pack of plastic poker card. It's needed something to not be to hard to scratch the digitizer, but hard enough to remove the broken pieces of glass.
I started removing the pieces around the Home button to get a feel of the process, and proceeded to remove all the pieces of glass and glue. It took around 3 hours to finish it and 48 cards. You need to lift the broken pieces with great attention and patience. It's not a hard job, but it takes time. Maybe with a hot gun is easier to remove, but when I received the replacement I was anxious to start and did not wait to procure one. During the whole process I kept the phone started to be sure that I did not broke the screen. In case of possible breakage or of a bad scratch I thought that I don't need to continue the procedure. Maybe is not recommended to keep it running, but it gave me a positive feedback that everything is ok.
After removing all the pieces of glass and glue I was able to see some fine scratches with a black background. I used some dust removing solution and then I attached the new glass. I only fitted the new glass on the place and I believe there were some glue left on edges that keep it in place because I did not added any other glue and it did not moved until now. With the new glass the scratches from the digitizer are not visible at all. And the phone works as new, the touchscreen was not damaged at all.
So it's completely possible to replace it.
Before fitting the new glass the cleaned touchscreen was like the touchscreen on S4: it was only needed to hoover with a finger at some distance above, but not touching . I remember that the replacement of my glass was before the release of S4 and when I found about this feature I knew that I already had something like this on my S2.
I don't remember having any other difficulties during the replacement except the removal of broken glasses. And I used this phone continuously without problems since.
Only last night the phone stopped charging and I had to replace the charging port, flex ribbon; but it was not related to glass replacement.
I don't remember if it was needed to open the phone for glass replacement because I opened it when it broke to inspect it and I opened it also few time since then for various tasks.
The total price of replacement parts was below 10$, with glass, screen protector and adhesive ordered from ebay. I ordered also a case to protect the edges for future dropping and was a smart investment. The pack of cards I had from poker set, but It shouldn't be so expensive.
Success with your replacement.
KAWIN tempered glass screen protector for SAMSUNG GALAXY S2
buffon95 said:
Yep, I broke my galaxy. Screen and touch sensor works awesome, but screen is fully shattered. Searching at the forum gave me one positive result: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23644712&postcount=6
But i cant find any guide anywhere. If someone know how to make this kind of operation please leave your post or guide, it would be great. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KAWIN tempered glass screen protector for SAMSUNG GALAXY S2 top quality with best price !
http://www.xkxfilm.com/en/samsung/40-41.html: :good:laugh:
Don't try this at home kids...
I now back to my desire z after the galaxy screen is toast. JUST the heating alone destroyed it. ... Now gonna buy the LCD/screen assembly and do it right.
Sent from my Desire Z using xda app-developers app
if you are not a technician, I suggest you give it to someone REALLY capable of, what do you mean it is not at all easy and the risk of doing damage is very high.
Otherwise follow the advice that was given to you, buy the whole block
Necro thread, but I agree, it is not worth doing so. In order to be done properly, you need to have a very thin wire to separate the two pieces. Not something i would do myself. Much better to replace the whole assembly instead.
Relevant
test
I was not a happy camper when I dropped my phone at work this morning and shattered the glass around the front speaker on my vzw gnex. Digitizer and led display are fine, so I'm looking to buy a new glass panel for it. Unfortunately, all the panels I see on ebay except for two are for the gsm one, not the cdma one. I know the battery door won't fit between the two, but the glass should, right? In the pictures everything looks to be in exactly the same spot. The two for the i515 are considerably more expensive than the i9250,which is why I ask.
For the record, I did pretty good; I got my first gameboy color at 6 or 7,and being just a few months away from 21 now, this is the first mobile handheld device that I've ever broken a screen on.
I remember reading on here somewhere that a person tried this and ran into all sorts of problems getting it to fit correctly. I tried searching but couldn't find the post. I would personally just recommend paying more for the i515 glass and knowing that everything will fit alright, rather than taking a chance on throwing your money away.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
tristandespain said:
I remember reading on here somewhere that a person tried this and ran into all sorts of problems getting it to fit correctly. I tried searching but couldn't find the post. I would personally just recommend paying more for the i515 glass and knowing that everything will fit alright, rather than taking a chance on throwing your money away.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember seeing that thread as well, I tried to find it, but could not.
justbecuz123 said:
I was not a happy camper when I dropped my phone at work this morning and shattered the glass around the front speaker on my vzw gnex. Digitizer and led display are fine, so I'm looking to buy a new glass panel for it. Unfortunately, all the panels I see on ebay except for two are for the gsm one, not the cdma one. I know the battery door won't fit between the two, but the glass should, right? In the pictures everything looks to be in exactly the same spot. The two for the i515 are considerably more expensive than the i9250,which is why I ask.
For the record, I did pretty good; I got my first gameboy color at 6 or 7,and being just a few months away from 21 now, this is the first mobile handheld device that I've ever broken a screen on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A user was able to replace the i9250 screen with the i515 screen, but from the post, it said he ran into a whole bunch of problems and that if you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't waste your time.
I would just play it safe and buy the screen that goes with the phone, unless you really want to save money and try it out, but you might waste money if you damage the screen during the process.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
707BeastMode707 said:
I remember seeing that thread as well, I tried to find it, but could not.
A user was able to replace the i9250 screen with the i515 screen, but from the post, it said he ran into a whole bunch of problems and that if you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't waste your time.
I would just play it safe and buy the screen that goes with the phone, unless you really want to save money and try it out, but you might waste money if you damage the screen during the process.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are we talking about the glass or the whole display? It makes a big difference. Assuming all 3 displays are the same (i9250, L700, I515), the problem is separating the display from the frame plate. Its very difficult and you can crack it very, very easily if you try to remove it. The cheaper GN LCD's on eBay are from working units and those already have the frame plate attached to it. The only way to remove it is to use a heat gun and apply it on the top and bottom front areas (as well as the sides). The apply heat to the back frame plate to loosen up the adhesive in the mid section of the screen. Then, slowly and I mean very, very slowly try to pry it open using a thin blade. Start from the top and work your way down. You should stop if you meet too much resistance and reapply heat. Like I said its a pain in the ass and not for the timid. I got to successfully remove an LCD from a frame for a Galaxy S (i500) not too long ago, its a similar in process as the GNex
I also tried to remove a L700 LCD (cracked glass) from a frame a while back and cracked it even more. I know what I did wrong and I think I wont make that mistake again. My mistake was that I did not know the exact location of the adhesive and applied too much heat in the front. Another mistake was that I thought I could remove the front glass from the digitizer. Now I know this is almost impossible and I don't know how people can buy front lenses without using some type of special tools (a true hot air bga station for instance) or a technique that I'm not aware of.
So, that's my long rant right there. I would really appreciate if any of you can confirm that any all 3 displays are the same (i9250, l700, i515). If it is then I would dare to try it out and take some pictures in the process if all goes well.
What about the oven?
I used to be into cars, and it was popular to smoke the headlamps on Nissans. They also have a lot of glue in them, and it was recommended to put em in an oven lol.
I'm sure it would get hot enough to loosen the screen, but 400 degrees may break something else in the process...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Did anyone ever find the answer to this question? I am wondering the same thing.
skier354 said:
Did anyone ever find the answer to this question? I am wondering the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't use the i9250 screen on the i515. The battery metal thingies and the vibration thing are in different places.
skier354 said:
Did anyone ever find the answer to this question? I am wondering the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have asked a bunch of eBay sellers for the last few days and have gotten mixed responses... I don't think that most of them get that I am talking about separating the display from the front case/plate. One guy told me that the digitizer/LCD combo is interchangeable from the i515 and i9250, but it won't work on the L700. One guy told me that he thought that the entire assembly including the front plate were the same between the L700 and i515. Several have said that they are model specific, but I don't think that most of them realized that I am not expecting to use the front plate from an L700 if i9250 on the i515...
It doesn't seem like Samsung would have a different display for each model. I can see the plates and cases being different because some of the other parts are different, but it seems like the LCD panel and the glass should be the same for each model. To me all of the screen connectors look the same from the pics I've seen...
Edit- I just found this online store that indicates they are the same screens http://www.globaldirectparts.com/OEM-Galaxy-Nexus-L700-LCD-Digitizer-Assembly-p/smsng6115350-qs.htm
tristandespain said:
I remember reading on here somewhere that a person tried this and ran into all sorts of problems getting it to fit correctly. I tried searching but couldn't find the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally found the post that you are referring to (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1780491). Sounds like he ran into problems because he tried to use the i515's front housing on the i9250. I think if he had removed the screen from the frame and re-used the frame that was original to his phone he would have been fine. It looks like it takes some heat and care to do that, but it looks do able.
I am ordering a L700 screen today and will report back on how it goes installing on my i515.
MrAreCool said:
I am ordering a L700 screen today and will report back on how it goes installing on my i515.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
L700 screen (not including frame) worked on my i515. Details here.
Hi,
I have GT-I9250 phone and only that glass is broken. Touch and screen is fine. So if I bought this kit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Outer-F...AU_MobilePhoneAccessories&hash=item5d371a5630
It's possible to change that glass or should i bought hole set? Digitizer+front cover + glass?
perusmuro said:
Hi,
I have GT-I9250 phone and only that glass is broken. Touch and screen is fine. So if I bought this kit: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Outer-F...AU_MobilePhoneAccessories&hash=item5d371a5630
It's possible to change that glass or should i bought hole set? Digitizer+front cover + glass?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a good LCD with broken glass that I was hoping to only replace the glass on and I ended up getting impatient and breaking the LCD. The glass is very difficult to get off. I tried heating it up and using fishing lines to separate the glass from the LCD, but I could not get very far. The glue seems to be spread over the entire surface and it does not take much prying to break the LCD.
Incidentally if the glass is shattered pretty badly you might have better luck than I did. I was able to get the broken "shards" off by heating up the screen and gently prying them off. Where I had trouble was the large section of unbroken glass. I tried to crack that glass to be able to continue to remove the shards, but I ended up breaking the LCD as well.
If you can't use the screen with the broken glass you might give it a go as you aren't really losing anything if you break it.
Good luck!
MrAreCool said:
I had a good LCD with broken glass that I was hoping to only replace the glass on and I ended up getting impatient and breaking the LCD. The glass is very difficult to get off. I tried heating it up and using fishing lines to separate the glass from the LCD, but I could not get very far. The glue seems to be spread over the entire surface and it does not take much prying to break the LCD.
Incidentally if the glass is shattered pretty badly you might have better luck than I did. I was able to get the broken "shards" off by heating up the screen and gently prying them off. Where I had trouble was the large section of unbroken glass. I tried to crack that glass to be able to continue to remove the shards, but I ended up breaking the LCD as well.
If you can't use the screen with the broken glass you might give it a go as you aren't really losing anything if you break it.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found few videos where that glass is possible to remove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlfO6TUj1DQ
But I think that I would buy that whole set and change that. But what is the best place to buy that? So I can real deal.
Ok guys, just wanted to confirm that front glass for the L700 and GT-i9250 the same. And I assume that i515 as well.
I got for repair Nexus Sprint (L700) with cracked front glass but then was surprised that glass for L700 on ebay about $15 and the same glass for i9250 less then $10. Not big deal but anyway.. So I bought the glass for i9250 and it fits great as original.
Good luck!)
When the purchase of parts and mobile phones are not matched, the proposed replacement.
I shattered my screen a few weeks ago and had great results replacing just the glass, not the digitizer, however I have a small problem. I didn't realize the adhesive was still on the LCD, I kind of ruined it along the left side of my phone, it doesn't stick properly, kind of looks like a bad screen protector. I have to keep pushing it down to get rid of the haze. What I'm wondering is, can I remove the adhesive all together and just replace the sticker bit along the border of the glass, so there's no adhesive between the glass and LCD without it affecting the performance of the touch screen? It works great as is, the haze is just annoying me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'd hate to do it and lose the ability to use my phone
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
May i ask how you replaced the glass, and where you bought it? Shattered mine couple of days ago...
Ghetto_Cowgirl said:
I shattered my screen a few weeks ago and had great results replacing just the glass, not the digitizer, however I have a small problem. I didn't realize the adhesive was still on the LCD, I kind of ruined it along the left side of my phone, it doesn't stick properly, kind of looks like a bad screen protector. I have to keep pushing it down to get rid of the haze. What I'm wondering is, can I remove the adhesive all together and just replace the sticker bit along the border of the glass, so there's no adhesive between the glass and LCD without it affecting the performance of the touch screen? It works great as is, the haze is just annoying me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'd hate to do it and lose the ability to use my phone
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My English is not my native language, but considering the word adhesive, you must referring to the double side tape part that holds the digitizer and the glass together.
Assuming that, from my own experience it is a no-go. If you are experiencing sticking parts (ie. it's not properly glued) I am afraid you might have to replace the whole adhesive.
I had the same issue on my Desire HD and about 1 month after replacement, same as you kept pushing it to take the haze away, the inevitable happened. A tiny opening not being able to see with the naked eye, left enough room for dust to enter under the glass. One month later, there was so much dust in it that I had to buy a new full screen.
However, months later, I tried some old trick for future experiments You can eventually take a paint dryer, and try to heat up the lose part then applying some light pressure onit. This process should make the glue on the adhesive very soft and with a bit of luck it might stick on the glass.
I'd say perhaps 60-70 degrees. Don't worry, even 100 degrees won't break your screen unless u're heating it up for more than 10 minutes or so
GL
Fantastic, I'll give heat a try to get it to stick. Unfortunately I can't find the double sided tape anywhere otherwise I'd replace it. I'm in Australia so shipping is pretty expensive from most places outside of the country. I really appreciate the reply
I bought the glass alone off eBay, I believe it was around $30. To replace it took a lot of patience, a hairdryer on low for 15 mins to heat the glue up, finding a spot to slowly pry the glass away from the LCD. As I said, a lot of patience and a lot of mess since my screen was badly cracked and kept breaking off. Was worth it to save $300 though. Figured I could do it for $30 myself and if it broke I'd have had to of paid for both either way
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
It seems you already build enough experience with heating up the device. I hope it does the trick for you. On the other hand the adhesive itself shouldn't be much of a problem. They are not made by Samsung itself and if it's not working and still refuse to buy a new glass, I'd just go to a repair shop as I did here in the Netherlands and ask the repair guy to order it. It shouldn't cost more than a few bucks. On top of that just google "note 2 screen adhesive" and look at some amazon/ebay hits, just take that picture/info to the repair guy as a reference to know what to order
matzone said:
It seems you already build enough experience with heating up the device. I hope it does the trick for you. On the other hand the adhesive itself shouldn't be much of a problem. They are not made by Samsung itself and if it's not working and still refuse to buy a new glass, I'd just go to a repair shop as I did here in the Netherlands and ask the repair guy to order it. It shouldn't cost more than a few bucks. On top of that just google "note 2 screen adhesive" and look at some amazon/ebay hits, just take that picture/info to the repair guy as a reference to know what to order
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im from the netherlands too, which shops do you recommend? I bought my phone at coolblue, but I dont want to lose my phone for 2 weeks with repair..
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Ghetto_Cowgirl said:
I shattered my screen a few weeks ago and had great results replacing just the glass, not the digitizer, however I have a small problem. I didn't realize the adhesive was still on the LCD, I kind of ruined it along the left side of my phone, it doesn't stick properly, kind of looks like a bad screen protector. I have to keep pushing it down to get rid of the haze. What I'm wondering is, can I remove the adhesive all together and just replace the sticker bit along the border of the glass, so there's no adhesive between the glass and LCD without it affecting the performance of the touch screen? It works great as is, the haze is just annoying me.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'd hate to do it and lose the ability to use my phone
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the link in my signature. You'll find what you're looking for with regards to the adhesive.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Hi, guys I have a question about the galaxy note 5 N920A. Is the display or should I say the digitizer screen is a two separate part?
My galaxy note 5 has a crack above and on top of the home button. the display and touch LCD works just fine without any kind of problems whatsoever. the only problem is that the crack seems to be spreading just like a crack windshield, which would soon look like a spider web. I would like to replace the crack plastic without changing the whole display screen:fingers-crossed:
I have check online for the display and to my dismayed the price is something I would like to ventured into. I also did further research and found quite a few which is describe as a panel screen for the display for only $10. So I am kind of confuse could this be also consider to be a tamper glass protector? Need advice please before I buy something that I might regret later on, since I am no novice with phone parts.
Thank you.
bnrrcast said:
Need advice please before I buy something that I might regret later on, since I am no novice with phone parts.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully you got your answer as its been a couple years since you asked, in case you didn't or anyone else thats curious about this, I recently replaced the screen on a Note 5, so have a bit of experience with it.
First to answer your question, a LCD screen and a tempered glass screen protector are 2 very different things. An screen is standard on every phone and is generally what you'd replace when your screen is cracked. On the other hand, a tempered glass screen protector is something you'd get and apply onto your phone's screen to protect it from hard drops onto the cement. They're quite effective depending on various factors but I definitely recommend them, if your screen is flat like the Note 5. Rounded edges screens like the S6 Edge thru S9, though tempered glass are available, reviews show they aren't nearly as effective, due to the "curved" wrap around edges, unfortunately.. Tempered glass screens have saved me a few times, after dropping my device, only the glass screen protector cracked, the phones LCD screen was undamaged. Tore off the cracked glass, $15 later, had a new on there. Small investment for the protection it gives, doubt a screen replacement will ever be around $15-20..
BTW, the Note 5s LCD screen is glass (Gorilla Glass 3, I think?) not plastic, as you mentioned..
Onto the bigger question, if you Google search "Note 5 teardown" you'll find quite a few tutorials w/ pics that breakdown the process, towards the end of them, after they've separated the LCD, you'll notice on back of it, there's a few small components, still attached. All of the teardowns, only mention the remaining removal difficulty is 5/5, the adhesive holding the screen much stronger than the LCD glass itself, though none have attempted the work..
Searching for LCD's on eBay, there's many listings of only the clear LCD glass, nothing else on back of it, which leads me to believe it is possible to do, but whoever attempts this may be the first and only one to have documented it.
If the pro's are semi-sketched from trying it, then, I'll trust their opinion, when replacing a friends Note 5 screen, we found a parts only device and did the swap, complete with all the little components on back.
I still have the rest of the parts, but it had water damage, so logic board is fried.
If anyone needs any other parts, PM me.