iPad repair
Screen and battery replacement, charging port and bent chassis.
iPad · 2018–2020
Repairing a 12.9″ iPad Pro from 2018 to 2020 in Barcelona: chassis and display
This is the iPad Apple had to speak publicly about because of its chassis, and it is still behind half a dozen enquiries a month at the workshop.
4,6 out of 5 · 138 reviews on GoogleDocumented design fault
What Apple actually said about the curve
In December 2018, faced with complaints from users receiving iPad Pro units with slightly curved aluminium, Apple explained that this was a side effect of the manufacturing process, related to the cooling of the metal and plastic parts. It added that it is not expected to worsen over time or to affect operation, and that it does not consider it a defect.
It pays to keep the whole sentence rather than the headline. A minimal curve that was there from the start is not a fault. An iPad that has bent since, from weight in a backpack or from a knock, is something else entirely: there the chassis has moved, and that does end up straining the display and the battery.
Telling one case from the other is half the diagnosis on this model, and it is done by looking at the frame, at how the glass sits in the corners and at how touch behaves near the edges. It is also why we would rather see it than say anything over the phone.
Where all this comes from
What we see most on this model
Display lifting at one corner
It almost always means the battery has grown or the chassis has shifted. Both get worse, so it is the enquiry least worth postponing.
Broken glass on a laminated panel
Unlike the 9th-generation iPad, here the glass and the panel are a single part. It is a bigger repair, which is why the diagnosis beforehand matters.
Face ID that has stopped working
This iPad has a TrueDepth camera in the bezel. A knock in that area or a strained chassis knocks it out of line, and it has to be checked with the display off.
Before you bring it in
Do not try to straighten it yourself
The videos of bending it back almost always end with a cracked panel and a punctured battery. Aluminium gives; laminated glass does not.
Keep it flat until we see it
If the display is already lifting, avoid pressing it shut and do not carry it squeezed in a backpack. Every press brings the glass closer to cracking.
The service this belongs to
This page digs into one specific model. If you want the full picture of what we do with this family of devices, start here:
Similar models with their own page
iPad (9.ª gen)
Glass and LCD are not laminated together: only the broken half needs replacing.
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple opened a programme for cracks that appeared on their own at the screen edge.
Frequently asked questions
Did my iPad Pro come bent from the factory?
It might have: Apple acknowledged in 2018 that a very slight chassis curve was a manufacturing side effect. What has to be told apart is that from a later deformation, and the difference shows in the frame and in how the glass sits.
Can a bent chassis be straightened?
It depends on how far it has gone and on whether the panel and battery have suffered. When the aluminium has moved a lot, the honest answer is that the device will not go back to how it was, and we prefer to say so beforehand.
Is it dangerous to use with the display lifting?
If the battery is the cause, then yes, stop using it and bring it in. A lithium cell that is growing is a warning, and carrying on charging it is exactly what you should not do.
Shall we take a look?
Tell us what’s wrong and we’ll tell you what it is, what it costs and how long it takes. No obligation, and the initial diagnosis is free.
4,6 out of 5 · 138 reviews on GoogleCarrer de Fontanella, 14, bajos · 08010 Barcelona — or drop by Fontanella 14, next to Plaça Catalunya