iPhone 5 or earlier Original iphone 1G just thrown a 'whoopsy'

[CooperBox]

I have an original AT&T 1G iPhone (complete with all accessories & original box with matching S/nos) stored in a safe, dry environment and occasionaly take it out to partially charge the battery - which still maintains an excellent charge.
Yesterday however when doing the same I had a fright in noticing that there is a horizontal line/loss of pixels near the top of the screen. The image on the rest of the screen is still as good as on day one. See attached photos - the line is still slightly visible with the phone switched off (ref photo #1). Those are a few specks of dust at the top - no other obvious loss of pixels.
Can anyone guess what may have caused this? And especially how to remedy it!
In the past I've taken apart several troublesome 3G and 4g iPhones just for the fun of it, and returned them to good working order, and although I never anticipated opening up my original 1G phone, I'd be prepared to do it in order to reurn it to it's almost mint condition.
Would appreciate any helpful comments.......

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Possible battery beginning to swell putting pressure on the back of the display? I know you said it holds excellent charge and you've been maintaining it but it's still 16 years old.. Just a guess..

 

[CooperBox]

Possible battery beginning to swell putting pressure on the back of the display? I know you said it holds excellent charge and you've been maintaining it but it's still 16 years old.. Just a guess..

Thanks for the comment. A similar thought had passed my mind having experienced a swelling battery in a Macbook which started to interfere with the control of the trackpad.
If it should transpire to be caused by the battery, does that announce a terminal malady for the screen?

 

[GoofyCyborg]

It’s old, it’s broken so throw it in the bin. It’s useless anyway!

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Thanks for the comment. A similar thought had passed my mind having experienced a swelling battery in a Macbook which started to interfere with the control of the trackpad.
If it should transpire to be caused by the battery, does that announce a terminal malady for the screen?

I'd say you have a fair chance that once the pressure is removed, the screen may return to normal

 

[CooperBox]

It’s old, it’s broken so throw it in the bin. It’s useless anyway!

So is my wife, but she's a jewel and a keeper - like this iPhone.
Seriously though boyo, if you have one aesthetically anything close to this, don't bin it. I'll buy it!

 

[CooperBox]

I'd say you have a fair chance that once the pressure is removed, the screen may return to normal

Ok, thanks for the reply. 👍

 

[Andeddu]

Aww, such a shame that this could be damaged given that it’s in cosmetically perfect condition. Let us know if removing the battery and replacing it fixes the screen.

 

[CooperBox]

Aww, such a shame that this could be damaged given that it’s in cosmetically perfect condition. Let us know if removing the battery and replacing it fixes the screen.

Will do, although I'm nervous about opening it for fear of marking the plastic casing, so it's possible I may decide to maintain as-is and sell to someone more adventurous than myself. I'm in Europe so anyone who may be interested, keep an eye open here on the Mac Rumors Marketplace - Collectables.

 

[Andeddu]

Will do, although I'm nervous about opening it for fear of marking the plastic casing, so it's possible I may decide to maintain as-is and sell to someone more adventurous than myself. I'm in Europe so anyone who may be interested, keep an eye open here on the Mac Rumors Marketplace - Collectables.

You can always have a professional open it up. Are there even battery replacements available for such an old device?

 

[CooperBox]

You can always have a professional open it up. Are there even battery replacements available for such an old device?

Thank you for your comments. I've watched a number of 'professonals' open up iPhones and iPads in shopping mall repair boutiques, and frankly I wouldn't want to leave a vintage iPhone or similar collectable in their hands. Prefer to trust my own meticulous way of working on similar small electronic items. Having the courage to start on this iPhone though is another issue.......
I'm pretty certain that batteries for the Gen1 phone are no longer available, but do note that there are still a number of ads for the gen1 phone powered-up ok, but cosmetically in a pretty rough condition.
Decisions, decisions........

 

[mebehere]

My original iPhone developed “touch disease,“ which was a strip in the same area as your line where the screen wouldn’t respond to touch. But I didn’t have a line.

Apple replaced it with a refurb, even though it was way out of warranty. That one barely lasted six months before it started overheating to the point where I couldn’t use it. That happened about two months before the iPhone 4 came out. Had to go back to a flip phone. That was a rough texting experience.

Anyway, hope you can get it back to normal somehow.

 

[CooperBox]

Perhaps I should try and get Apple to replace it with a rerfurb Gen1.........😆

 

[okkibs]

Just goes to show that no matter how careful you are with your phone, the display will just kill itself one way or another eventually. It's likely a damaged display, I would leave it as is, it would no longer be in this mint condition it's opened up and parts are swapped out. Then it would just be like any other iPhone. Although if the battery is swelling then it is a fire risk and should be fixed sooner rather than later. Though you'll find out soon enough, a swelling battery can force the phone to come apart eventually. You can open it up following an ifixit repair guide.

iPhone 1st Generation Battery Replacement

Battery not lasting long? Swap it out (requires soldering).

www.ifixit.com

Seems very simple to open it up - but similarly to the iPod Classic, it has the typical issue that during opening you will bend the housing a bit when you use a tool to pry it open. That's just awful design, but it's how Apple did things back then. If it happens you can either try bending the housing back afterwards, or get a brand new housing off Ebay. I don't know if these are still sold at all, and they might not be an original part. At the very least they wouldn't show the correct serial number if there is one on it.

Discharge the phone fully until it no longer turns on, before you open it up. If you end up removing the battery it is best if it's completely depleted, once it is out it is harder to deplete it.

 

[CooperBox]

Just goes to show that no matter how careful you are with your phone, the display will just kill itself one way or another eventually. It's likely a damaged display, I would leave it as is, it would no longer be in this mint condition it's opened up and parts are swapped out. Then it would just be like any other iPhone. Although if the battery is swelling then it is a fire risk and should be fixed sooner rather than later. Though you'll find out soon enough, a swelling battery can force the phone to come apart eventually. You can open it up following an ifixit repair guide.

iPhone 1st Generation Battery Replacement

Battery not lasting long? Swap it out (requires soldering).

www.ifixit.com

Seems very simple to open it up - but similarly to the iPod Classic, it has the typical issue that during opening you will bend the housing a bit when you use a tool to pry it open. That's just awful design, but it's how Apple did things back then. If it happens you can either try bending the housing back afterwards, or get a brand new housing off Ebay. I don't know if these are still sold at all, and they might not be an original part. At the very least they wouldn't show the correct serial number if there is one on it.

Discharge the phone fully until it no longer turns on, before you open it up. If you end up removing the battery it is best if it's completely depleted, once it is out it is harder to deplete it.

I thank you for the comments and advise.

 

[Fat_Guy]

Someone correct me if I’m wrong. But weren’t Gen 1 batteries soldered on? That ups the problem a bit.


EDIT: Yup, soldered on. Most shops are not keen on this… But you never know.