iPhone 16: iFixIt praises Apple's repair improvements
The interesting new features of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus include various simplifications for repairers. Apple critic iFixIt has now praised them.
Removing the battery from the iPhone 16: A little power is enough.
(Image: iFixIt)
Normally, the American repair service provider iFixIt, which has been vehemently campaigning for a right to repair for years, is one of Apple's biggest critics. The disassembly of the devices is too complex, Apple is wasting spare parts with devices and Apple is lobbying against the "right to repair". However, iFixIt also praises the changes that Apple has recently made –, also under pressure from the EU –. The company's most recent teardown of the iPhone 16 is surprisingly positive: The (preliminary) repairability score ( Repairability Score) landed at 7 out of 10 possible points.
Block battery replaces rechargeable battery
The main reason for this is that Apple has made it easier to access individual components, while also offering what iFixIt describes as a "revolutionary" new way to remove the battery. In fact, it is now sufficient to apply a voltage of 9 volts or more to the appropriate pins to remove the adhesive used. According to iFixIt, this allows the battery to fall out of the housing by gravity alone. With a little more voltage, the process is even faster – "faster than ever before".
This makes the iPhone 16 "the most repair-friendly iPhone of all time". However, iFixIt warns that Apple still has to release the necessary spare parts for the iPhone 16 – as part of the self-service repair, which should take place in the coming weeks. However, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max do not have the new battery debonding function; Apple uses the classic pull-tab adhesive strips here.
Not quite a Fairphone
iFixIt also comments that the iPhone 16 is not a Fairphone with many replaceable components. "But Apple has taken some important steps to improve the repairability of the hardware". The lifting of restrictions on the use of spare parts from other devices is also "a great boon for the repair industry". This means that even non-certified manufacturers now have more functions and fewer warning dialogs.
However, it remains annoying that Apple still uses numerous different types of screws, which makes it necessary to purchase suitable screwdrivers. Heat is also required to remove the front and rear glass panels, but many repairers are probably already used to this.
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