I have an old Chromebook that was pretty obviously retired due to a broken screen and I freed the damaged module for a closer look. I had no expectation that I could repair the display module, as there’s a visible crack. Interestingly the crack is inside the glass and not present at the outer-most surface. There’s also discoloration surrounding the crack hinting at more severe damage underneath. I could probably go online and find information on the display module used in this particular Chromebook, but getting the make and model is only a secondary objective. Before I contemplate a replacement, I wanted to first make sure I could install the replacement with low risk of damage. Hence the removal exercise to verify the lack of an impenetrable wall of glue or similar impediments.

It turned out getting to the actual module label was useful because this device was apparently sold in multiple configurations. There’s at least one variant with a minimal 1366×768 low resolution panel, and this device was an upscale version with a 1920×1080 panel. A search on Amazon marketplace found replacement new LP133WF2(SP)(A1) available for roughly $75 (*) and eBay sellers in a similar price range.

The price was the last piece of information I needed, now I need to make a decision about this project. $75 isn’t a terrible price to pay to bring a laptop computer back up and running, but it doesn’t compare very favorably to what else that money can be spent on. Even if we limit ourselves within the Chrome OS ecosystem.

New Chromebooks can be had for a little over $100 with the occasional sale, though at that price point we’re limited to 1366×768 resolution displays. I’ve seen 1920×1080 resolution Chromebooks at around $150 on sale, or roughly double the cost of a replacement panel. A new Chromebook would have access to newer developer features like Crostini that this Chromebook does not. A new Chromebook will also receive Chrome OS updates for at least five years, where support for this 2014 vintage ‘swanky’ Chromebook would end considerably sooner. Even if I put Ubuntu on this machine via Crouton, it is still dependent on Chrome OS for Linux kernel security updates.

At $75 for a new replacement panel, the economics is a tough call. I may contemplate buying salvaged panels which are available for less. (As of this writing, as low as $47.) I’ll keep thinking about this for a while. In the meantime, I want to look at the rest of this Chromebook out of curiosity.

(*) Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.