Every fault has a method.
Here is ours.
From a half-hour screen swap to microsoldering a burnt charging circuit. Below is what we do, how we do it, and what to expect in both time and money.
Four commitments that apply to every single repair
Whether you bring in a thousand-euro iPhone or a hundred-euro Redmi, the process is identical.
Price before work
Nothing starts until you know the final figure. No surprises at the counter.
Named parts
We tell you the origin and grade of the part going in, and the cheaper alternative if one exists.
Tested in front of you
Before closing: touch, sound, cameras, sensors, charging and signal. All verified with you there.
Warranty in writing
On the receipt and the invoice, dated, with the part described. Just bring it back.
Screen replacement — the most requested repair in Porto
A phone falls a metre or so and the glass gives way. The question that actually matters is a different one: did only the outer glass break, or did the panel producing the image go with it? If touch still responds and the picture is clean, sometimes the glass alone can be replaced. If there are lines, spreading purple blotches or dead zones, the whole module has to come out. We check that in two minutes, in front of you, before anyone mentions a price.
- OLED and LCD modules depending on model — we explain the real difference in colour and brightness
- Glass-only recovery on models where it makes financial sense
- True Tone and Face ID preserved on iPhones when the original component is intact
- Full-surface multi-touch test before the phone is closed
A new battery — when the charger is not the problem
Lithium cells typically last between five hundred and eight hundred full cycles, which works out at two to three years of normal use. The symptoms are always the same: it shuts off suddenly at 20 or 30 per cent, it gets hot on charge, or the percentage drops in jumps. Before we sell you a battery we measure the health of the one already in there — and more than one customer has left with nothing more than a cleaned charging port and a solved problem.
- Cell health and cycle count measured before and after the swap
- Batteries matching or exceeding original capacity, never reconditioned cells
- Water-resistance seal replaced on models that have one
- Old cell recycled through a licensed electronic waste channel
A camera that is blurry, scratched or refuses to open
There are three distinct faults that customers describe in exactly the same words. Cracked outer lens glass, which is cheap and quick to swap. A camera module with a damaged stabiliser, which produces that rattling buzz and a shaking preview. And a connector that has worked loose on the board, where the app opens to a black rectangle. Only once we know which one you have does talking about money make any sense.
- Lens glass replaced alone when the sensor is undamaged — the cheapest route
- Wide, ultra-wide and telephoto rear modules replaced
- Front camera repaired without disturbing Face ID on compatible models
- Focus, HDR, night mode and video recording all tested before collection
Won't charge, charges slowly, or only with the cable held just so
This is the fault where we save customers the most money. In most cases nothing is broken at all: your pocket has packed the connector with compressed lint, the cable no longer seats fully, and charging fails. We clear it with the proper tool, no glue and no liquids, and we do not charge for it. When the port really has failed or its pins have corroded, we desolder it and fit a new one.
- Deep connector cleaning at no cost, even if you have nothing else done
- Lightning, USB-C and microUSB ports replaced by controlled desoldering
- Board-level charging circuit repair when the connector is not the culprit
- Wireless and fast charging verified after the repair
Water, coffee, wine or seawater damage
Forget the rice. Rice removes no water whatsoever from inside a phone; it simply delays the trip to a workshop while corrosion gets on with its work. What actually matters is speed and sequence: disconnect the battery immediately, open it, ultrasonically clean the board in the proper solution and dry it under controlled heat. Seawater and soft drinks are the worst offenders, because salt and sugar keep eating the traces long after the liquid has dried.
- Priority handling — a wet phone goes to the front of the queue
- Ultrasonic bath and controlled drying, not a hairdryer
- An honest assessment of the odds before we charge you anything
- Data recovery attempted even when the board will not boot again
Frozen system, failed update or a phone that crawls
Not everything that looks like a hardware fault is one. A phone that restarts by itself, sits on the logo forever, runs hot doing nothing, or died halfway through an update usually has a software answer. Our house rule is simple and we never break it: we work in strict order — first whatever preserves your data, and only then, with your explicit permission, whatever erases it.
- iOS and Android systems recovered from boot loops
- Interrupted updates resolved without losing your photos
- Malicious apps and aggressive adware removed
- Complete data migration between your old and new handset
Network unlocking, eSIM setup and signal problems
Brought a phone over from another country and your MEO, NOS or Vodafone card refuses to work? It is locked to the original carrier. We handle unlocking through legitimate channels and only charge if it succeeds. We also set up eSIMs for people who have just landed in Porto and want data the same day, and we repair SIM readers that have stopped recognising cards.
- Carrier unlocking by legal means, without modifying the phone's software
- eSIM configured while you wait, ideal if you have just got off a plane
- SIM reader and damaged tray repair
- Antenna fault diagnosis and signal loss in known blackspots around the city
Microsoldering — when other shops say nothing can be done
There is a line between swapping parts and doing real electronics. A charging circuit burnt out by a cheap charger, an audio chip that killed the sound on calls, a phone showing no sign of life at all. That work happens under a microscope, with hot air and fine solder, on components the size of a grain of sand. It is the slowest service we offer and the one we are proudest of.
- Charging and power management circuit repair
- Reballing and component replacement under the microscope
- Data recovery from boards that will no longer start
- Free second opinion if another shop has already written your phone off
Tablets and iPads — same bench, more patience
An iPad is not a large iPhone. The glass is bonded around the entire frame, it is thin, and it has to be heated and lifted slowly or it cracks again on the second attempt. We handle screens, batteries, buttons and charging ports on iPad, Galaxy Tab and Lenovo Tab, with the care that adhesive work demands.
- Screens and digitisers for iPad, Galaxy Tab and Lenovo Tab
- Higher-capacity batteries with the factory seal properly remade
- Charging port and physical button repair
- Realistic timescales quoted upfront, because adhesive needs curing time
Smartwatches and wireless earbuds
The watch cracks against a car door frame, or one earbud stops charging. These are small, fiddly repairs that almost nobody in Porto will take on — most shops simply tell you to buy a new one. We open it, take a look, and tell you frankly whether it is worth doing.
- Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch screens
- Smartwatch batteries with the water-resistance seal renewed
- Charging contact cleaning and repair on wireless earbuds
- An honest warning when the cost approaches the price of a new one
Full diagnosis — free and with no obligation
You don't know what is wrong with it. Neither do we, until we open it. The difference is that our guess costs you nothing. We put it on the multimeter, measure current draw, look for short circuits and inspect the board under the microscope. Then we tell you what we found, what it costs and how long it takes. Decide against it and we close it up and hand it back as it was.
- Current draw measurement and short circuit detection on the board
- Microscope inspection for corrosion and cold solder joints
- A clear verbal report, without unnecessary jargon
- Zero cost if you would rather not proceed
From the shop door to the phone back in your hand
Four stages, no paperwork and no invented waiting time.
1 · Arrive and describe
Tell us what happened and how it behaves. No appointment, served in order of arrival.
2 · We open and measure
Diagnosis in fifteen to thirty minutes. Watch the phone being opened if you like.
3 · Fixed quote
Price and timescale confirmed. Only after your yes does the new part leave its box.
4 · Test and go
We test it with you at the counter, hand over the warranty receipt, and off you go.
The questions that only come up after we explain the quote
Honest answers, including the ones where the honest answer is “probably not worth it”.
Do you use genuine parts?
It depends what exists for your model, and we always tell you which we are fitting. For some iPhones we can source Apple-origin parts; in other cases we use OLED modules from manufacturers who supply well-known brands, with very close image quality at a substantially lower price. What we never do is fit a cheap part and charge you as though it were genuine.
Will my phone still be water resistant after being opened?
An IP68 phone is sealed by an adhesive gasket which is destroyed the moment it is opened. We always fit fresh adhesive, which restores good resistance to splashes and rain. But let us be straight with you: no workshop anywhere can recertify the original IP68 rating. After any repair, don't go swimming with it.
Is it worth repairing a phone that is four or five years old?
We use a simple rule: if the repair costs less than a third of what an equivalent second-hand handset would, it almost always makes sense. A €35 battery in a Galaxy S21 that still runs well is money well spent. Spending €120 on a screen for a 2018 model is arguable — and we will say so to your face, even though it costs us the job.
Do you carry out repairs while I wait?
Screens, batteries, cameras and charging port cleaning are all done with you in the shop, in thirty to sixty minutes. Liquid damage, microsoldering and tablets need to stay with us, because they involve drying, adhesive curing or microscope work that cannot be rushed without ruining it.
What happens if the repair doesn't solve the problem?
We don't charge you. If we opened it, tried, and the phone is no better, you leave without paying for the labour. Where the fault turns out to run deeper than it first appeared, we ring you before continuing — we never add to a quote without speaking to you first.
Is my phone kept securely if it has to stay several days?
It goes into a locked cabinet inside the shop, tagged with your receipt number. We don't subcontract repairs and we don't ship devices out of Porto: everything that comes through this door is worked on at this bench.
Tell us the model and the fault. You'll have a price in minutes.
A single photo on WhatsApp usually covers half the diagnosis before you have even left the house.