Hi there
I've switched between smartwatches over the last 2 years and have had 3 gear s3 watches. The first two of them had pretty solid bezels, nice clicks, no wobbles or noises when tapped, I have just bought a new gear s3 and unfortunately the bezel is what I would call a little loose compared to the first two
I was going to take it back but the bezel is simply a metal bezel that sits on 4 ball bearings and a spring and it just pops off, you can actually replace the whole bezel for about 20 pounds these days
Knowing how the bezel works, reading information about other watches with bezels etc, I decided to try a bit of a hack fix before taking it back or replacing it myself
You might laugh but I looped a bit of dental floss under the bezel two times, you can't see the floss at all, you can get it in there very tight and it won't show at all. What it will do is stop your bezel from being loose, making a tapping noise and tightening up the bezel when you turn it
They use this fix on high end diving watches on some forums I read, it's also worked a treat on my gear s3, if your bezel is loose it's worth a shot
I used thin dental floss, I slid it under the bezel, then pulled it tight and looped it round the bezel, making sure it was pulled tight right into the bezel so it couldn't be seen, I kept testing the bezel to make sure it hadn't got to tight to turn as you can still remove it until you have cut the floss and tucked in the cut end with another piece of floss. Once you have fitted the floss simply cut the end and use another piece of floss to tuck in the loose end.
Mines been good for a couple of weeks but obviously the bezel is used a lot on the gear s3 so how long it lasts is something that I can't guarantee
I know that the quick fix won't be for everyone but if the bezel drives you crazy, you don't want to take the watch apart etc then this could be a handy little solution
Have a great day
Related
Why would you ever care if you damage the screen while taking it out since you're probably replacing it anyway? I have no clue. But I thought I would give it a try, and now i'm sharing.
So I managed to remove the screen and the frame without breaking anything (granted the screen wasn't working already)
i.imgur.com/cpKVP
What I did was cut off little strips from a credit card or any sort of plastic card. Then heated only the back side of the frame. I figured if I tried heating the screen from the front, the glass and screen adhesive might start separating. Then I worked the strips in between the frame and screen through the holes in the frame.
i.imgur.com/iql8z
You might be wondering why there are places ground down on the frame... I'll get to that...
Just worked at that for probably an hour constantly reheating. Just unsticking the adhesive from the back of the screen and the frame. I finally managed to be able to fit a card in through the bottom.
i.imgur.com/kuDuP
Then I just used that to unstick the rest of the adhesive.
Now, about why a lot of the frame has grinding marks. I have the Verizon GS3, but I broke the old screen. I found a water damaged sprint gs3 on craigslist for $100. so I figured I would see if it would fit, and if it didn't I could sell the screen for maybe 200-250 on ebay. It didn't fit, not perfectly... but I really didn't feel like waiting for it to sell. So instead, I made it fit, I almost got it perfect, and it all worked just perfectly when I had it all together. But I wanted it to fit perfectly, so naturally, on my last attempt, I ground down a little too far and nicked part of one of the ribbon cables. So I figured I'd try taking it apart without breaking it... If anybody has any suggestions on how to fix the ribbon, feel free to say something!
i.imgur.com/MN9Fl
how bad did you butcher the ribbon? you could maybe try circuitwriter conductive pen to draw the contacts back. http://stcwk.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-repair-broken-ribbon-cable.html
I got the S3 like 3 days ago, and earlier today it just slide out of my pocket when i was crouched, (I know, i placed an order on a case 2 days ago but thought i would be careful around the house with the phone til than) , Crack lower right corner, do you think you could seperate the glass/digitizer from the lcd screen? to just replace the glass/digitizer http://i46.tinypic.com/5lyx41.jpg
The pen might be worth a try. As for separating the glass from the screen, it's possible, but I really wouldn't recommend it. Just because of how the screen is manufactured, there is a film of glue between the front glass and the screen, it would be impossible to glue it back together without leaving bubbles in between, so it would look way worse than just the little bit of cracked screen you have.
Ever wanted to know what a Note 3 would like without the quasi chrome frame ?
It would look something like this...
I used wet and dry paper left over from my daughter sanding the bonnet of her car so I have no idea what grit it was. I simply took the battery cover off, I even left the battery in and the phone on as I was waiting for an important call.
The cheap screen protector has some great looking scratches on it. They weren't too deep so I've left it on until I can be bothered attempting to put on a new one.
Something to note, don't sand the buttons. I was doing this while having a cigarette outside and didn't realise I'd almost sanded the power button smooth (still works). I haven't got around to doing anything with the s pen yet, it's still quasi chrome with a chunk out of the end ... I will eventually post some extra pics when I have the time to use something with a finer grit and may even give it a coat of spray paint and clear coat (I'd have to remove the buttons first) It may be a month before I have the time to do this.
o0o.paw said:
Ever wanted to know what a Note 3 would like without the quasi chrome frame ?
It would look something like this...
I used wet and dry paper left over from my daughter sanding the bonnet of her car so I have no idea what grit it was. I simply took the battery cover off, I even left the battery in and the phone on as I was waiting for an important call.
The cheap screen protector has some great looking scratches on it. They weren't too deep so I've left it on until I can be bothered attempting to put on a new one.
Something to note, don't sand the buttons. I was doing this while having a cigarette outside and didn't realise I'd almost sanded the power button smooth (still works). I haven't got around to doing anything with the s pen yet, it's still quasi chrome with a chunk out of the end ... I will eventually post some extra pics when I have the time to use something with a finer grit and may even give it a coat of spray paint and clear coat (I'd have to remove the buttons first) It may be a month before I have the time to do this.
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this looks nice :thumbup:
I'll try it too.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Free mobile app
I sanded the frame as there were about 6 spots where the chrome had been chipped off leaving just the black undercoat... there were also a few dents in the frame (and a spot near the s pen where it had taken a large chunk out of the corner).
You probably wouldn't want to do this if your Note 3 was in pristine condition, I was just sick of it looking so crap.
I did this to my Note 1 due to the ugly paint peel and now my Note 3 having the same problem. I applied some car wax for a shiny finish.
How long you sand until you reach a smooth finish since the Note 3 frame got some pattern on it.
My note 3 never leaves its Otterbox, so something like this would never even cross my mind. Plus, I think I'd be too afraid to take sandpaper to my phone lol.
Anyway, it looks pretty good from the pictures!
[emoji106]
Edit: I have tinkered with my S-Pen a bit, so let me give you some advice, in case you decide to: Be very careful with the button. It's very, very thin. The first time I took it apart, I thought I was being careful enough with it, and ended up breaking the button in half and had to order an entirely new S-Pen....
GeneralMeow said:
I did this to my Note 1 due to the ugly paint peel and now my Note 3 having the same problem. I applied some car wax for a shiny finish.
How long you sand until you reach a smooth finish since the Note 3 frame got some pattern on it.
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You can sand it until the ribbed chrome is gone. I used a cork sanding block I had laying around (cost about $2 from the local hardware store) to make sure It was semi even.
When your phone is dropped as much as mine was you'll note that the when the chrome is chipped it will be black underneath. I kept sanding until it is smooth and the black coating was gone.
Working around the buttons is a bit difficult. You'll notice in the picture that I scratched up the volume button accidentally. I wasn't being really careful as I figured the phone couldn't look any worse.
I'll order some new buttons and a white camera lens then strip the phone down and spray paint it white with some clear coat when I get the chance. I have 18 days to find somewhere new for my kids and I to live Gotta figure that out first unfortunately.
I purchased my Gear S2 on release day last month, and so far all has been good up until yesterday.
I was turning the bezel to check my notifications, and noticed it started to get really stiff. To the point where it was nearly impossible to turn it. I turned it a bit harder and it started turning again, still controlling the device, but there was no longer any "clicks" that the bezel usually makes when scrolling through things and it was still really stiff and hard to turn. No matter which way I turned it. It also started producing bits and pieces of some sort of rubber from underneath the bezel that I could somewhat pull off. You can feel the stainless steel grinding when you rotate it now, which is really concerning me. I'm thinking whatever mechanism helps the bezel rotate underneath somehow broke and I'm not sure what to do at this point. The device is still fully functional, but the bezel is nearly unusable, and that's kind of the reason I bought the Gear S2.
Any suggestions? I bought it from Best Buy off-contract on October 2nd.
Any ideas?
rogvid700 said:
Any ideas?
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Send it back and claim warranty?
Call samsung support
Just to anyone who might come across this thread with the same problem, I took the device to the Best Buy that I purchased it from and they were able to exchange it because it was still under warranty
ocjelf said:
Call samsung support
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I called Samsung with a similar issue. My bezel hasn't gotten stiff yet but the indicator "white dot" that goes around the watch face while turning the bezel sometimes goes the wrong way while scrolling through apps or reading email . This is only my 5th day with the watch. I love it BUT...I'm afraid this will get worse the longer I have it. I bought the watch from AT&T full retail. AT&T does not want to swap it and Samsung wants me to send it in for repair. I'm still within the 14 day return window at AT&T so I may just do that. Even though it will cost me $35 to do that :/
You will need to exchange it. I think what may have happened is that sand or grit has gotten under the bezel. This can happen even with a Swiss watch. The fact that it is hard to turn is usually an indication of this happening.
This has happened to mine after only 1 week. And I'm very gentle with it. The bezel is impossible to turn. I got the 3G version.
Fixed
When my Gear S2 started to feel resistive I used less than a drop of Super Lube around the rotating ring and worked it in a little. Better than new now. Rotates smooth with that sweet notch feel. I'm never without a pen super lube precision oiler in my pocket while at work. Part Number 51010. Amazon.
Disparky said:
When my Gear S2 started to feel resistive I used less than a drop of Super Lube around the rotating ring and worked it in a little. Better than new now. Rotates smooth with that sweet notch feel. I'm never without a pen super lube precision oiler in my pocket while at work. Part Number 51010. Amazon.
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I wouldn't use an oil based lubricant on the bezel of the Gear S2. As was discussed in another thread, the Gear S2 is IP68 water resistant, which means it probably has a rubber seal underneath the bezel. Oil based lubricants may damage rubber seals and gaskets, so it is probably better to just rinse the watch with warm water. Since the Gear S2 is IP68 water resistant, holding it under the faucet and turning the bezel won't harm it. When my bezel gets sticky, I usually just take the band off and hold it under the kitchen faucet while turning the bezel.
The bezel has completely come off my s2 at some point and is lost. I've written to Samsung support and they wrote back with 3 suppliers ..... Useless information as they don't do any spares for the s2 ...... So I'm in limbo . In my opinion Samsung after care is rubbish
andycapp1606 said:
The bezel has completely come off my s2 at some point and is lost. I've written to Samsung support and they wrote back with 3 suppliers ..... Useless information as they don't do any spares for the s2 ...... So I'm in limbo . In my opinion Samsung after care is rubbish
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What suppliers did they provide you with? I have the same issue
Put gun oil in the cracks and turn it not alot should be fine
rogvid700 said:
I purchased my Gear S2 on release day last month, and so far all has been good up until yesterday.
I was turning the bezel to check my notifications, and noticed it started to get really stiff. To the point where it was nearly impossible to turn it. I turned it a bit harder and it started turning again, still controlling the device, but there was no longer any "clicks" that the bezel usually makes when scrolling through things and it was still really stiff and hard to turn. No matter which way I turned it. It also started producing bits and pieces of some sort of rubber from underneath the bezel that I could somewhat pull off. You can feel the stainless steel grinding when you rotate it now, which is really concerning me. I'm thinking whatever mechanism helps the bezel rotate underneath somehow broke and I'm not sure what to do at this point. The device is still fully functional, but the bezel is nearly unusable, and that's kind of the reason I bought the Gear S2.
Any suggestions? I bought it from Best Buy off-contract on October 2nd.
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gun oil fixed the issue every time it gets hard put a lil in the cracks n turn it
just rinse the watch in water it will clear the dust and dirt under the bezel and it will go back to working fine
The same exact issue has happened to my galaxy watch. That is how I found this thread and im sure others will be searching too so im replying even though its old. The bezel would stick and I would force it to turn and it would be fine and then small black chunks of some type of plastic began appearing from underneath it so I spent some time turning it over and over again and then removing these chunks and it has worked just fine since it stopped producing the black chunks of whatever. It seems like some type of plastic. I was thinking the backing from an adhesive tape but at the same time hoping it was not part of a gasket to keep water out. I wear the galaxy watch in the shower and so far it has been fine. This is my first switch from apple to Samsung and have gone through 3 first gen apple watches because the screen randomly falls off. I was not expecting to have issues with a near $400 Samsung watch. as long as its still waterproof then there really is not an issue but I would like to know what is coming out of my watch and why...It doesn't seem like a major issue so far though.
dnmeboy said:
The same exact issue has happened to my galaxy watch. That is how I found this thread and im sure others will be searching too so im replying even though its old. The bezel would stick and I would force it to turn and it would be fine and then small black chunks of some type of plastic began appearing from underneath it so I spent some time turning it over and over again and then removing these chunks and it has worked just fine since it stopped producing the black chunks of whatever. It seems like some type of plastic. I was thinking the backing from an adhesive tape but at the same time hoping it was not part of a gasket to keep water out. I wear the galaxy watch in the shower and so far it has been fine. This is my first switch from apple to Samsung and have gone through 3 first gen apple watches because the screen randomly falls off. I was not expecting to have issues with a near $400 Samsung watch. as long as its still waterproof then there really is not an issue but I would like to know what is coming out of my watch and why...It doesn't seem like a major issue so far though.
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From my understanding the bezels operate by ceramic ball bearings what ever color. Which also means there has to be some kind of springs inside as well to Hold appropriate pressure on the ball bearing to give the rolling clicks. I am a mechanic so dirt grease and grime are everyday things for my watch and up til recently I rinse mine randomly to get the gunk out
*removed*
So, today while I was walking home I felt my watch loose in my jacket sleeve, and when I looked, the part of the bezel that holds the watch strap was broken. As I hadn't hit it on anything or put any strain on it, I'm honestly super confused as to how that happened, and I'm very disappointed. I talked to Samsung, and currently their "out of warranty" repair service is not active, and apparently my watch is out of warranty. As I received this as a gift nine months ago, I can't really say where it came from initially so I can't say as to whether it should be in warranty or not. So, I feel like my best bet is to buy parts and fix it myself.
My question them is, if I purchased a metal bezel for a Gear 2, does anyone know if it would fit well on the Neo? I'd rather replace it with metal so this doesn't happen again. I realize the regular Gear 2 has a camera, whereas the Neo just has an IR sensor there, but I feel like I could make it fit. If it can't be done and someone knows that though, I obviously would not like to waste my time and money on it.
If anyone has any insight into this, I'd be very appreciative!
Okay, well shockingly I found a metal frame for really cheap from the next major city over from me so... I guess I'll give it a try. I'll post my results.
So, the new front chassis came in and unfortunately, as feared, the Neo and the regular Gear 2 are not quite as compatible as I thought.
The biggest issue is that the back isn't quite the same shape, which is weird because visually it's near impossible to see a difference, but it's there, and it prevents the back from fully closing. However, I plan to resolve this with a back for the full Gear 2 I ordered for cheap.
The second biggest issue is that the metal is designed to isolate the camera from the motherboard. This means there is a physical metal barrier which gets in the way of the IR LED. On top of this, it appears there are slits molded into the screw-posts for the board to slide into on the Neo, but these are absent from the full Gear 2. I plan to resolve both of these issue, very very carefully, with a dremel. I do not want to compromise the structural integrity of the screw posts.
The last issue I didn't confirm, but appears to exist is that the screen area on the full Gear 2 is slightly taller than on the Neo it seems. I had suspected this actually, and I think that would explain why my screen protectors were slightly too big. I plan to resolve this with a new screen for the full size Gear 2, which was also relatively cheap, but more than I wanted to spend on this project. I feel like you could get away with not doing this if you don't mind a tiny gap. But I want to make sure it's as perfect as it can be.
I'll update again once everything comes in.
Update: You can in fact put a Gear 2 Neo inside of a Gear 2 body, if you are so determined. Things that are different about the two include not just the metal main chassis, but also the back, the screen and the charging cradle. (As well as the main board.) So, if you want to do this, you'll need to get a new back as well, which I got cheap from ebay, and I'd recommend getting a new screen too. Theoretically the Neo one will fit, but there will probably be a noticeable gap. I have a Gear 2 cradle on order, for the time being I'm using the Neo charger, which is slightly wider, and holding it on with a rubber band.
The determination part: The main board will not fit into the metal case without modification to the case. (I wouldn't modify the board.) There's a metal divider to keep the IR LED from interfering with the camera, but since the Neo doesn't have a camera, and has the IR LED centered, this means you can't put the board in. This metal divider needs to be removed. Also, the Neo board goes around the screw posts a little bit in a way that is blocked by the metal. So, the trick is to remove the metal around the screw posts to allow the board to fit without compromising the structural integrity of it and without damaging the screw posts themselves. I did not need to make any slits in the screw posts though as I thought might be necessary. Which is good, because I feel a lot safer without doing that. I accomplished the necessary modifications with a Dremel, various tips, and a lot of care with a stead hand.
The end result looks really nice, and I do not anticipate having the same issue the plastic case had. I'm very satisfied, but it isn't the easiest thing to do. But if you are so determined, yes, it can and has now been done.
Like many owners, I own a Gear S3 with a (mildly) loose bezel. I returned a Best Buy Bluetooth version Classic for a Verizon LTE Classic, both purchased late September 2017, both with loose bezels (so there is no 2nd batch which "fixed" this "issue"). Some display models seem loose, others firm and tight.
My questions are: 1.) How is this bezel going to hold up over time? If it seems loose now, it seems as if it will only get worse and eventually pop off. Is it designed to be this loose? 2.) Inside the bezel is a (very) thin plastic ring (gasket). Does this gasket serve the purpose of dust/water resistance, or is this gasket what is keeping the bezel attached to the front case? Either way, it doesn't seem like it would be great at either. If it's the sole reason the bezel clicks on, it seems like it would wear out quickly...it could also explain why most of the bezels are wobbly.
Thank you, in advance, for your responses!