Apple’s iPhones have traditionally been branded as hard to repair by iFixit, but the iPhone 16 lineup shows signs of improvements, according to new teardowns.Repairability scores for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max saw a sizable bump over ratings from the prior year—they scored a seven out of 10 whereas last year’s models scored a four, making the iPhone 16 series “the most repairable iPhone in years.”
Of note is new electrically released adhesive on the Pro that simplifies battery repairs, as well as an on-device Repair Assistant with iOS 18 that supports pairing used Apple parts, iFixit says.Encasing the Pro battery in aluminum makes repairs easier since “a slip of a screwdriver” won’t puncture or bend it. “A bent battery can cause a short between the layers of the battery, which can make it ignite,” iFixit says. There’s also “button-like protrusion under the battery management system that could be a blowout valve, serving as a pressure release mechanism in case of battery swelling.”The Pro Max doesn’t have the electrically released adhesive or aluminum-encased battery, a decision iFixit chalks up to Apple preferring to “test changes in a subset of the product family before they roll it out to every model.”
But both Pro models include an improved “open from the front and back” design “so that you can get to most of the important stuff—battery, cameras, speakers—through the less-expensive and less-fragile back glass,” iFixit says. The iPhone 14 excelled here, but Apple took a step back on the iPhone 15 Pro models with an approach that “required going through the fragile OLED panel” for repairs. Fixing this on the iPhone 16 is “a big repair win, especially for people doing at-home repairs for the first time,” iFixit says.
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On the cameras, the Pro models earned points for a LiDAR assembly that is independently replaceable and interchangeable between models—”exactly the kind of modularity we’re always hoping for,” iFixit says. On the downside, the camera assemblies can’t be swapped between the Pro and Pro Max.Apple made a lot of moves toward what iFixit calls a “shallow disassembly tree,” which means it’s easier to take out individual parts without breaking or removing other parts. The logic board, for example, is removable after taking out just one other component for the first time ever.Apple also earns points for releasing “excellent repair manuals…on launch day,” according to iFixit, though “circuit schematics would be a welcome addition to support repair shops.” YouTube repair guru JerryRigEverything echoed this sentiment in his own video teardown.
Apple iPhone 16 Hands On
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About Joe Hindy
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Hello, my name is Joe and I am a tech blogger. My first real experience with tech came at the tender age of 6 when I started playing Final Fantasy IV (II on the SNES) on the family’s living room console. As a teenager, I cobbled together my first PC build using old parts from several ancient PCs, and really started getting into things in my 20s. I served in the US Army as a broadcast journalist. Afterward, I served as a news writer for XDA-Developers before I spent 11 years as an Editor, and eventually Senior Editor, of Android Authority. I specialize in gaming, mobile tech, and PC hardware, but I enjoy pretty much anything that has electricity running through it.
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