The phone pictured at the top of this post might look like an iPhone 7, but it’s not. It has the same matte black finish as an iPhone 7, and it also has the same rounded edges, camera bump and antenna lines. Through the magic of Chinese smartphone parts makers accessible through AliExpress, a number of kits are now available that let you transform your old iPhone 5s into an “iPhone 7 mini.” It’s actually not as complicated as you might think, and pretty much anyone with a steady hand, a bit of patience and about $50 for the kit and tools can get the job done in a few hours.
Reddit user “igenno” was intrigued by the various iPhone 5s conversion kits he came across one day on AliExpress, so he decided to buy one and try it out. The kits, which are available from a wide range of sellers on the popular product portal, allow people to transform the 3-year-old iPhone 5s and modernize its appearance, making it look just like an iPhone 7, but smaller.
The result is indeed fairly impressive.
Apple’s iPhone 5s design was iconic at the time, but times change. The newer rounded look of the iPhone 6, 6s and 7 has grown to become far more popular in recent years — so popular that Apple has now reused it not once but twice. So, igenno ordered a kit from a seller who seemed reputable, and then he went to work.
The Redditor says that he has some experience with iPhone repair, and the entire process took him about three hours from start to finish. He used this iFixit guide to help him, and he used all of the tools recommended in that guide. He says that the result is “sexy,” and that the aluminum looks and feels just like the aluminum Apple uses on the real iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The biggest problem with the conversion, according to the post, is that reception has been degraded by what he believes to be 15% – 20% following the conversion.
You can read the entire thread on Reddit to learn more. If you’d like to convert your own iPhone 5s into an iPhone 7 mini, you can pick a reputable seller from this page on AliExpress. A photo showing the front of the phone can be seen below.
