iPhone 8 and 8 Plus Microsoldering Repair
The 8 and 8 Plus moved charging to the Tigris chip and added a rear camera laser that is easy to damage during a screen or battery job. Both are board-level fixes, not parts swaps.
We ship your device to our third-party repair partner, who performs the board-level work in their clean, dedicated microsoldering facility. Lake Forest Computer handles intake, logistics, insurance and communication end to end — you deal with us, not them. Current lead time is 4–6 weeks door to door. All parcels ship USPS with signature required.
| Repair | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| No image / no display / no backlight / half backlight | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| No rear camera (laser damage) | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| Not charging (Tigris) | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| No power | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| No service / searching / unable to activate | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| Stuck at 1% (pry damage at battery FPC) | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| General pry damage | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| No WiFi / Bluetooth | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| FPC connectors — LCD, digitizer, cameras, battery, charging port | $125 | 4–6 weeks1–3 days at the depot bench |
| Data recovery — water damage, no power, smashed, bent. Includes a full iTunes backup, or extraction of photos, video, contacts and messages. | $500 | 4–6 weeks1–2 weeks at the depot bench |
| Data recovery — CPU swap. For snapped or broken boards, botched repair attempts, long-screw damage and extreme water damage. Added to the data recovery price above. | +$315 | 4–6 weeks1–4 weeks at the depot bench |
Bench times are the board work itself. Door-to-door, including shipping both ways, is 4–6 weeks.
- $25 to ship your device to the depot.
- $25 to ship it back to you.
- $50 round trip in total.
- All parcels ship USPS, signature required, both directions.
- Insurance is available and quoted at intake based on the declared value you request — tell us what the device is worth to you and we will price it before anything ships.
- Unsuccessful jobs: no repair fee in most cases — you pay return shipping only.
- Devices previously worked on by another shop carry a $60 bench fee if unsuccessful.
What these faults actually are
Tigris and a phone that won't charge
Tigris replaced Tristar on the 8-series and does the same job: negotiating power over the Lightning port. When it fails, the port tests fine but the phone won't draw a charge, or only at certain angles. It is a chip-level fault, not a port problem.
The rear camera laser — easy to kill during a screen job
The 8's rear camera uses a small laser autofocus emitter that is unusually sensitive to static and to the pry tools used during screen and battery replacements nearby. A camera that stopped focusing right after an unrelated repair is a strong sign this component took the hit, not the camera module itself.
Pry damage at the battery FPC
A previous battery or screen swap that pried too aggressively near the battery connector tears pads that feed the battery gauge, and the phone reports 1% and shuts down no matter how much charge is actually left. Rebuilding those pads restores normal battery reporting.
How depot repair works
You contact us and describe the fault. We confirm the price from the table above, take payment for shipping, and send you the details to get the device to the depot. Our repair partner diagnoses it, performs the board-level work, and tests it. It ships back to you USPS with signature required. Door to door, budget 4–6 weeks.
Questions before you ship? Call or text (661) 903-9050 or email contact@lakeforestcomputer.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth fixing an iPhone 8 at the board level?
If it holds data you need, yes — board repair is far cheaper than data recovery from a dead phone. For a spare device with nothing on it, we'll be upfront if replacement makes more sense.
Will this wipe my data?
No — these repairs don't touch your data. Only CPU-swap data recovery work is destructive, and we always confirm that with you first.
What if the fix doesn't work?
No repair fee in most cases, you pay return shipping only. A $60 bench fee applies if the device was already opened by someone else.
My camera stopped focusing after a screen repair elsewhere — is that covered?
Yes, that's exactly the laser-damage fault above. Send it in and we'll confirm before any work starts.