THL is one of the most popular Chinese manufacturers of the moment. Its mobile phones stand out for striking features and low prices. For these reasons, it is starting to become a well-known manufacturer and is increasing the number of devices sold in Spain.
However, this relationship between features and price has a counterpoint. The quality of the components and materials of these mobile phones is not comparable to that of the main brands. Consequently, these devices are more prone to breakdown shortly after their purchase.
In the case of THL, in some devices the camera stops working a few months after its purchase. Searching the internet, we found that this problem occurs, at least, in the series of T5 and T6 mobile phones, although it may be shared in other different models.
The symptoms of this breakdown are as follows. When running the camera application, the screen appears black, both when using the rear and front camera. The system slows down, or stops responding completely. After a while, the application closes with the message “Application forced close.”
As a Chinese manufacturer, processing the warranty can be difficult or impossible. Fortunately, this breakdown can be easily repaired. In this post, we will see the repair process, in my case on a THL T5s mobile phone, although the process is similar in other models.
THL Repair
The failure occurs due to a poor soldering process of the chips that control the camera. This causes a poor contact to develop over time, resulting in a malfunction error. To fix it, we simply need to apply some pressure on these chips.
First, we remove the back cover of the mobile phone.
We unscrew the screws marked with a circle in the image. The screw marked with a rhombus has a manufacturer’s label, so if we remove it, we will lose the warranty. To make this repair, it is not necessary to remove this screw, so it depends on you whether you want to remove it or not.
We remove the back cover. To do this, use a screwdriver to gently pry around the edges. The fasteners of the back cover are very delicate, so dismantle it carefully or you may break some fasteners.
The chips that make poor contact are those immediately near the camera. If we gently apply pressure and turn on the mobile phone, we should see the camera working again.
To exert permanent pressure, we insert some type of rubber that applies pressure when closing the back cover. It must apply enough pressure to be effective, but not enough to cause any damage. In my case, I have used sponges that are used for shipping electronic components, something similar is sufficient.
And that’s it! We reassemble the mobile phone carefully, paying special attention when reassembling the back cover and the buttons. We screw it back together and, if everything has gone correctly, when we turn on the mobile phone again, the camera should be working.
There are no guarantees that the breakdown of your mobile phone will be solved by performing this process. There are multiple reasons why a camera can fail. However, if you have symptoms similar to those mentioned, you can try it.
Repairing a mobile phone is a delicate operation that requires some experience and skill. We are not responsible for any damage you may cause to your device during the repair process.