I love the form factor of the GBA (AGB-001) but the lack of a backlight has always been the worst part of GBA (and OG Game Boy). I purchased some upgrade parts and am pleased with the results!
Parts
Both from Amazon. The screen:
and the case:
You can use the original case, but I didn’t want to risk removing the original screen (again). The aftermarket case linked above is identical to the original in size and shape. The included buttons and button pads feel really good, so I used those too.
Construction
They give you 2 “guide sticks” (shown left and bottom) to use as spacers to get the screen to line up. A very minor complaint: the guide sticks are about 0.5mm too short. If I had it to do over again, I’d leave a very tiny gap between the screen and sticks to get perfectly center. After placing the guide sticks and sticky foam, it’s time to place the screen.
The touch pad sensors were ever so slightly too wide. A slight bend near the edge and they seem to work just fine.
The wires for the L+R+Select controls are included in the kit. I soldered them to the GBA board first, then to the IPS board.
After a little bit of cable management on the red wires, it went back together easily enough.
Conclusions
A fantastic upgrade all in all. I did find myself accidentally making contact with the touch pads while playing. They can be turned off in the menu interface and I did so. I love the wide range of brightness adjustments and the pixel effects are a nice touch.
The surface texture of the case has a satin finish compared to the more gloss-like finish of the original case. I saw other reviewers report that it scratches easily. I assume the “gold plated” version they offer, for example, has a different finish than my white version. After a week of use and carrying it in a bag, I don’t see any surface marks so far.
Lastly, the screws that you are given with the case are garbage. Besides being tri-head and cheap metal, they don’t easily bore into their designated holes. I used them anyway (so I could keep the originals with the original case), but many reviewers said they just re-used the original screws.