With no exterior screws to guide the way, we attack the back cover as a possible point of entry—but after some unsuccessful heating and prying, we give up and try our luck on the display.

After some iOpener and iSclack action, the touch panel seems to separate pretty cleanly. Is this a repairable, non-bonded display like back in the old days?

Sadly, no—it seems we were foiled by some extra-strong adhesive under the sAMOLED panel, which held fast while the touch panel glue gave way. End result: busted display.

We unplug the protected connector and remove the newly unfused display assembly to continue our journey.