I found an iPhone conversion kit online for $35 to convert an old iPhone 6 to a 2020 model iPhone SE lookalike. The front of both iPhones look virtually identical, so this kit changes the back of the iPhone to a glossy black finish (white is also available) like the glass back on the 2020 iPhone SE. It also changes the shrouding around the camera lens to be a bit bigger like the newer model iPhones.
This upgrade doesn’t change any of the iPhone’s functionality, so you don’t get any performance benefit, you still won’t have wireless charging and you will still have the headphone jack.
The kit didn’t come with any instructions and there were a couple of things to look out for in doing the conversion, but I managed to get all of the components swapped over to the new body without and issues and it looks pretty good once it’s done. I’m not sure how long this body will last though as it is mostly plastic, not aluminium like the original and I’m not convinced that the glossy back is actually glass.
Here’s my video of the swap over:
I now have an iPhone 6 which looks like a 2020 model iPhone SE, and it only cost $35.
If this is something you are interested in doing, here are some tips to help you out with the conversion:
- Make sure that you keep your screws really well organised. There are a number of different size and length screws, even on the same components. Make sure that you know which one goes where or you’ll have an almost impossible task in putting it back together again.
- Be extra careful when removing the ribbon cables which are stuck to the iPhone body, it is really easy to tear them if you use too much force. I found that using a plastic spudger to gently pry them up worked well.
- Remember to move the metal contacts across to your new buttons if yours don’t come with them. This is easy to miss and you’ll then land up with buttons that don’t work. It’s also a mission to add them afterwards, you’ll basically need to disassemble the whole phone again.
- If your iPhone is old, this is a good time to replace the battery as you’ll be removing the old one anyway.
- If your screen is damaged or cracked, this would also be a great time to replace your iPhone 6 screen.
Would you try this on your old iPhone 6? Let me know in the comments section below.
Here are some other iPhone repairs that you can do yourself.