iPhone 16 Pro teardown: not (so) bad to repair either
After the iPhone 16, iFixIt has now also taken apart the 16 Pro. Apple already provides a repair manual. The 16 Pro Max has a new battery.
Battery removal on the iPhone 16 Pro Max: Unfortunately still without a metal casing.
(Image: Apple)
For years, Apple has been told by the well-known repair service provider iFixIt that the repairability of its devices is rather suboptimal. Now, for the second time in a row, the company has received praise: after the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Pro has now also achieved a "Repairability Score" of 7 out of 10 points. Among other things, there was praise for the easier accessibility of certain components such as the LIDAR scanner on the back – and the USB-C port is also significantly easier to replace.
Battery not quite so easy to remove
What is missing from the iPhone 16 Pro (and Pro Max), however, is the extremely easy battery removal by applying power. Instead, as before, there are so-called pull tabs, which are, however, easily accessible. The LIDAR scanner is no longer located under the camera module, so you no longer have to remove it completely. The USB-C port is much quicker to access than before, although Apple does not currently sell the components individually. The motherboard can now also be accessed a little faster.
The battery in the iPhone 16 Pro is now in a metal casing, which protects it better. Confusingly, Apple has not implemented this in the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is difficult to understand – The more expensive model would certainly benefit from this. With the battery changes, Apple is preparing for new regulations from the EU Commission, which require that smartphone batteries be much easier to remove. The cleverest solution would probably be to introduce both battery removal using electricity and the metal cover for all devices – This could be the case with the iPhone 17 at the latest.
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Repair instructions for all devices
Meanwhile, Apple has already published repair manuals for all new iPhones – for iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. These are very comprehensive and also contain detailed illustrations, diagnostic tips and assembly instructions.
Spare parts that can be ordered are also listed, as well as screws and the necessary tools. Apple already sells suitable screws, adhesive strips and many other parts –, but the USB-C port is part of a "Charge Port Assembly", which contains more components than might be necessary.
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