Nokia N91 & Variants

When dismantling any phone, great care should be taken to ensure that no damage is caused to any of the parts.  Rough handling may result in severe damage of many parts, and if proper anti-static procedures are not followed, electrostatic damage may result in any electronic component.

Before commencing, it is recommended that the correct tools are purchased for the job in hand - at the very least, you will require a Torx T6 screwdriver.

Pictures and text kindly provided by PajaP.

Step 1.  Remove the battery cover, battery and SIM card, then remove the four screws marked in red below.

Step 2.  Insert a small screwdriver into the hole indicated below and gently lever it until the edge of the cover pops loose.  Repeat on the opposite side of the cover and then slide the cover upwards to remove it.

Step 3.  You should now be at the position shown below.

Step 4.  Remove the two screws shown below marked in red.

Step 5.  There are two clips (one either side) holding the phone together.  Use a thin plastic shim to release these and separate the phone.

Step 6.  Remove the Engine Module (motherboard/screen half of the phone) from the housing. This is where things can get a little fiddly. The LCD screen is held in place by a very small and thin ribbon cable and connector (see the red ‘square’ in the right side image below). Though the screen also rests in its own frame, there are no screws or clips holding it fixed. Take extra care here.  Lay the housing with the LCD screen facing down and pull out the slide assembly ensuring it is on a surface where it cannot be scratched.  Then gently use the USB port (marked with a red ‘circle’ in the image below) to pull the engine module (motherboard) unit away from the housing (you will need to grip the housing with your other hand). Do not use too much force. If it is tight try ‘wiggling’ it gently and ensure the slide assembly is fully opened. The LCD screen may start to move about here if it comes free from its own housing/frame. If it does you will need to hold it in place with your spare fingers (don’t worry too much about getting finger prints on the LCD screen you can always clean them off later).
When you have the engine module (motherboard) free from the housing lay it down flat next to the now empty, front housing.

Step 7.  Pop out the keyboard cover bezel.

Step 8.  Remove the Slide Bezel. The slide bezel is held in place with a thin layer of adhesive tape. The bezel can be gently levered loose by using your small screwdriver as shown below. If using a metal screwdriver, protect the slide assembly with tape (though I used a small metal screwdriver with no tape and never marked the bezel or the slide assembly). Place the screwdriver it in the gap between the slide assembly and the bezel and gently lift. Work this slowly, moving in 1cm increments around the bezel. After a minute or so the bezel should work free.

NOTE: Stay away from the top-left quarter of the bezel. There is fragile ribbon cable in this area.

The adhesive tape is particularly good at retaining its ‘sticky properties’. I have removed the same one 3 times and each time I have put the bezel back, it has stuck fast.

Step 9.  Music Keypad Removal. The music keypad is held in place by 2 small plastic ‘lugs’ in the centre of the pad. If you look at the back of the slide assembly you can see where these lugs are. To remove the keypad you will need to slide your screwdriver underneath the keypad and gently lever it upwards. If it feels too tight, move to a different are of the keypad and try again (try in the area of the red arrows below).

NOTE: Stay away from the ribbon cable and the buttons themselves (you may damage the cable and/or pressure pads if you go too close).

With a bit of perseverance the keypad will eventually ‘pop’ up.

Step 10.  Slide Bezel and Music Keypad Removed. The picture below shows the slide bezel and the music keypad removed from the slide assembly. This image is provided to show the locations of the music keypad retention lugholes, the ribbon cable and the pressure pads for the music keypad.
This is to emphasise that caution is required when removing the slide bezel and especially the music keypad to avoid causing unnecessary damage.

Step 11.  Slide Assembly Removal. The Slide Assembly is held in place by a small metal spring clip (shown in red circle below). Use your small flathead screwdriver to gently lever the clip out. With a slight upward twist the clip can rest against the side of the Front Cover and the Slide Assembly can then be removed (it will now slide fully out of the Front Cover).

Step 12.  Button Joystick Removal. To remove the Button Joystick use your small flathead screwdriver. Place it under the Button Joystick and gently lever it up. Do not try to twist it from side-to-side, as this is likely to snap it off.

Step 13.  Once the joystick button has been removed lift the key mat away.

Step 14.  Hard Disk Removal. Close to the hard disk drive (number ‘1’ below) is the thin BB Unishield metal plate (number ‘2’ below). The BB Unishield can easily be popped out.
A Poron gasket protects the hard disk drive. This Poron gasket and the Flexfoil hold the drive in place.  The Flexfoil can easily be disconnected by inserting your small flathead screwdriver through the ‘Camera Window’ in the Antenna Cover. The clip by this hole is easy to detach. The other side of the Flexfoil is attached by a small plastic lug and this can then be easily popped up.  Once the Flexfoil has been disconnected from the phone body the hard disk can be removed. Insert your small flathead screwdriver between the phone body and the HDD Poron Gasket and gently lever the hard disk up. Once it has lifted a few millimetres you will be easily able to remove the drive with your fingers.  NOTE: Do NOT put the screwdriver directly again the hard disk. It should be between the Poron Gasket and phone casing to prevent damage to the HDD.

Step 15.  LCD Screen Removal. The LCD Screen is attached to the engine module (motherboard) via a small ribbon cable and connector. The connector can be detached from the engine module by inserting your small screwdriver under the end and gently lifting upwards. Alternatively you should also be able to remove the connector with your fingernail. The LCD screen sits in the display frame.
Once the connector has been released the LCD screen and display frame can be easily lifted away from the engine module (motherboard).

Step 16.  LCD screen in it's frame.

Step 17.  The LCD screen and frame separated.

Step 18.  Camera Module Removal. The camera module is held in place by 3 ‘spring’ clips on each edge of the camera module. Some of these clips are ‘locking’ clips (shown by red arrows below). The left-side of the camera module is held in place by a centre-locking clip. The right-side is held in place by the two outer locking clips.  The easiest way to remove the camera module is to first unclip the single left-side clip (centre clip) and then ease the camera module up just enough to stop the clip ‘locking’ again. Then unclip the two right-side clips (the two outer-edge clips) and pull the camera module up until it is free (it is likely to be a tight so will need a little effort).

Step 19.  Camera module removed.

Reassembly is a simple (or not so) reversal of the above steps taking extra time to ensure that everything works as it should, and that you have caused no damage whilst inside the handset.