White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black (update: new pics with dock)

Sorry, we couldn't wait -- having spent 11 hours on the streets waiting for the iPhone 4, it's only natural to give our precious new toy some extra special care. With the help of iFixit's teardown guide, we decided to take the plunge with our steaming hot Chinese delivery -- a white front cover (with a shiny proximity sensor area above the earpiece), a white back cover (with "XXXXX" marked as the model number, ergo a prototype), and a Retina Display unit. Alas, there weren't any white buttons in stock at the time, but let's pretend this black-and-white combo is the new cool. Read on to find out how the surgery went.

P.S. -- We've had many readers asking where we got the parts, but the link's already in the post. Knowing some Chinese helps, too.

Update: we caved in and unboxed our iPhone 4 dock for a few more shots. It's worth noting that our prototype white covers don't quite match the dock's whiteness -- we'd say the covers look a touch warmer and darker. Knowing how picky Jony Ive is with colors, we're guessing Apple's buying time to get the paint job right.

Update 2: we acquired a broken black back plate and managed to fit its lens cover onto our white one. Win.

White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black

Replacing the back cover is hardly a challenge -- just remove the two screws at the bottom and then slide the cover up, but to get to the front cover you'll need to take out most of the components. We'll be honest with you: dissecting a brand new toy isn't exactly the most pleasant experience in the world. Even with a brilliant teardown guide, there'll always be somewhere that requires super delicate fiddling. For instance, we struggled with removing the battery and the front cover due to some nasty double-sided tape, so we had to poke around extra carefully to avoid any damage. At one point, we spent about 20 minutes wondering why the logic board wouldn't go back in, only to realize that a well-disguised screw was in the way. Other than that, we'd say this was a pretty straightforward mod (so long as you keep track of all your screws, of course).

Once fitted, we were saddened to find out that our white covers weren't complete -- the front one's missing an earpiece grill, whereas the back cover lacks a lens cover and a LED diffuser. We did consider cannibalizing the original black covers, but the small parts needed were strongly glued on. Ah well, considering the mod's in full working order (discounting the infamous antenna issue), we'll make do with this and avoid touching the lens. Now, where do we sign up for eBay?

[Richard Lai Posted Jun 29th 2010 7:28PM]

@booyah There's no hole over the flash -- just missing a diffuser / crystal thing. I've found a thin piece of plastic to cover up the camera hole. No solution for the earpiece yet.

[A25i Posted Jun 27th 2010 7:03PM]

Is that bumper car thing around that so that you can actually use that stupid looking POS as a phone?

[commander5 Posted Jun 27th 2010 7:51PM]

I am wondering how hard it will be to get the lens and LED off the old cover..

[Makali Posted Jun 27th 2010 8:35PM]

So what's new... another paper weight from Apple ugly as hell

[Callil Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:09PM]

@ddddd
nice trolling man

get real!

[danhawk911 Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:22PM]

seems like an easy fix make a left and right handed version of the phone. They make guns for people who are left handed so why not a phone.

[JNsince1985 Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:42PM]

"This comment has been down-ranked into oblivion." LOL! Thats foul.

[willwillywilson Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:55PM]

"In honor of the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death we present to you a black phone that's now white!"

[Parody Posted Jun 28th 2010 8:50AM]

@willwillywilson
I giggled.
I'm getting sent to my own private hell, aren't I?

[El Guano Posted Jun 27th 2010 9:57PM]

Why did you need to replace the retina display (or did you just do it cause you had an extra and wanted to see if it worked)?

[Richard Lai Posted Jun 29th 2010 7:19PM]

@El Guano The display on the retail units are glued to the touch panel.

[JStar Posted Jun 27th 2010 10:13PM]

Pure BADASS

[MatteoVega Posted Jun 27th 2010 10:39PM]

@zxcvbnm Uhhhh... Is this one of the infamous iAds you guys talked about? Neat

[iamajim Posted Jun 27th 2010 11:38PM]

i dunno-outdated home screen, hasn't changed (or can't), small screen (bigger really is better now), quality issues that aren't being acknowledged but covered up, crApple's famous 'man behind the screen' total control, just does'nt do it anymore; it's being left behind by the competition it stirred up several years ago when it really was 'new and magical'. i give them credit for bringing the smartphone into the modern age but....can't compete, a nice phone for the masses i guess.

[varera Posted Jun 28th 2010 3:37AM]

just ugly

[Mailia Posted Jun 28th 2010 7:37AM]

Hm. I could make my own black front, white back iPhone that I've known and lvoed.

[ferasallaou Posted Jun 28th 2010 9:21AM]

I still need ur help, and no body answered me well !
which color is better? White or Black and why? I know it's a preference for the user , but what are the advantages and disadvantages for both color ?

[Shaunt Posted Jun 28th 2010 4:18PM]

iPhone 4: Michael Jackson edition

[QuecoJones Posted Jun 29th 2010 3:47PM]

Anybody know where I can get this done without voiding my warranty? Can I just buy the parts and have an Apple authorized repair shop do it?

[deSurinamer Posted Jul 11th 2010 6:28AM]

You can find the white original iPhone 4 homebutton here: http://chinaontrade.com/iphone-4-spare-parts-c-106.html ;-)

[advzsyz Posted Jul 21st 2010 2:57PM]

That's look so amazingly sexy :D

I have some question to you mann.

1.If I wanna do this to my white iphone just only change the button. Can I use the button from my iPod Touch Gen1 ? (Cause its not work anymore) :D

2. Is it hard to remove all of them just to only change the button ?

Thanks in advance :) ))