Tearing Apart Apple’s Latest iPhones Reveals Surprises

See what teardown experts uncover when they take apart Apple’s new iPhone and 16 Pro models.

Spencer Chin, Senior Editor

October 2, 2024

6 Min Read
There's no shortage of thoughts on the serviceability of Apple's latest iPhones.
Available for less than month, Apple's iPhone 16 has received the teardown treatment from many DIY and teardown experts. Apple

At a Glance

  • Teardown experts see better serviceability in Apple's latest iPhones, though ability to use third-party parts is concerning.

Last month, Apple unveiled the latest versions of its ubiquitous iPhone line, the 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. Apple stated the phones’ main claims to fame would be the incorporation of Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI and machine learning algorithms that would make many tasks more intuitive. Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence has not been incorporated into its iPhones yet, but will be in a few months.

As always, electronics DIY and teardown sites got hold of Apple’s latest iPhones and took them apart to gauge their repairability─which many reviewers have called into question over the years─and see if a DIYer can easily handle functions such as replacing the battery.

While one of the best-known DIY and teardown sites, iFixit, conducted teardowns of several of the latest iPhones, some other sites have as well. Design News has compiled a sampling of iPhone 16 family reviews from several of these sites below, with of course links to the videos.

Overall, the various reviews gave the new iPhones reasonably good scores for repairability. Some teardowns paid as much attention the ability to replace parts. Others merely provided step-by-step guidance to taking apart the phone and/or highlighted the phones’ latest features.

See the video reviews below to learn more.

Related:Apple’s iPhone 16 Debuts With Little Fanfare

New battery design on iPhone 16

PBKReviews took apart an iPhone 16 Plus, with the reviewer using a hairdryer to carefully loosen adhesive holding the cover. Removing the battery on this phone requires debonding an adhesive, which in turn requires the use of an alligator clip. The reviewer thought this design was an improvement over the previous pull tabs. To access other internal parts such as the sensor, the reviewer then had to loosen over a dozen small screws plus standoffs.  In the end, the reviewer gave the phone 7.5 out of 10 for repairability. Unlike other teardown videos, this reviewer also put the phone back together.

You can watch the teardown here.

Concerns on part pairing

Noted DIY and teardown expert Hugh Jeffreys took apart not one, but two iPhone 16s. On his YouTube channel, Jeffreys also heated the phones slightly to ready them for disassembly. Once he opened both phones, Jeffreys noted their layout, including a separate backglass panel, makes accessing and removing internal parts a bit easier. But one of the hurdles Jeffreys accounted on previous iPhone teardowns, parts pairing, reared their head again as error messages occurred when the reviewer tried swapping certain parts between the phones. One concern he expressed was the disabling of certain phone features and loss of brightness with third-party displays, which he was not able to test. He was able, however, to successfully swap the Face ID modules, which he could not do on previous iPhones.

Related:Independent Mobile Phone Repair Threatened by Samsung Patent Suit

Jeffreys also went through the reassembling of the iPhones and was able to successfully power them up. He noted that while Apple’s repair assistant facilities DIY repair, it is still only with genuine Apple parts and not third-party parts.

Watch the video here to learn more.

Teardown without judgement

When REWA Technology tore apart and iPhone 16 Pro, the company simply gave step-by-step instructions on taking apart the case. The reviewer noted design changes such as a larger rear case, newly machined chassis, and a laser-welded camera control button. You can view the video here.

REWA Technology has also conducted a parts replacement test using two iPhone 16 Pros, including the screen, battery, back cover, rear camera, front camera assemblies, Face ID part, enclosure, and motherboard. Following Apple’s Repair Assistant,  the reviewer walks users through replacing each part, including what to do when certain parts messages show up.  Unlike Hugh Jeffries, the reviewer does not comment on Apple’s repair policies.

Related:Inside Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max: Don't Scratch The Case

You can watch the video here.

Good back glass design

Teardown site How-FixIT illustrated the teardown of the iPhone 16 Pro, giving advice on how to separate the phone’s back cover to access the phone’s internal parts. The reviewer gave a thumbs-up to the phone’s back glass design, which allowed easy access to internal components. He also noted the phone’s charging port module is easier to replace if damaged. The battery in the Pro is accessed by releasing the pull tabs to release the adhesive─not with the debonding adhesive in the conventional 16. The reviewer also noted the battery’s new metal casing adds protection against damage.

Deeper into the teardown, the reviewer suggested using a heat gun before attempting to loosen and remove the iPhone’s display. The teardown was concluded by removing the phone’s logic board containing the six-core GPU. Overall, this reviewer was impressed with access to internal parts and serviceability.

You can view the video here.

What iFixit thinks

Of course, no teardown comparison is complete without takes from the well-known iFixit site.

First, iFixit examined the iPhone 16. Besides proceeding to take apart the device, the reviewer used X-ray scanning to closely examine the design. The reviewer also noted that the 16’s battery does not use pull tabs but instead an adhesive that debonds when an electric current is applied. He had no trouble pulling the battery out. The reviewer also gave a detailed review of the adhesive assembly that holds the battery in place until debonding.

The reviewer also gave Apple kudos for the design of its removable back glass design. When removing other parts, he added the number of screws did not present issues. When it came to the camera button, the reviewer noticed it had its own IC. Despite that and few other parts, the reviewer praised the 16 for its improved access for servicing. He added that repair manuals are already available for the phone. He gave the iPhone 16 a reasonably solid 7 for serviceability.

You can see the entire review here.

iFixit also reviewed the premium iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max smartphones. The reviewed noted that the battery is these phones is fully encased in metal, and uses stretch glue adhesive to adhere to the frame. But as noted in other reviews, the battery is these premium phones does not use the debonding adhesive of the lower-end 16 models. The reviewer noticed the iPhone Pro’s LiDAR scanner is easily accessible, and sacrifices one antenna for a new camera control. The reviewer had to engage in a couple of rounds of heating to loosen the display for removal.  A number of screws later, he was able to disassemble and remove the phone’s USB-C port. As with the iPhone 16, the reviewer was easily able to remove the phone’s logic board, noting the six-core CPU and other hardware. Overall, the reviewer gave the 16 Pro and Pro Max 7 for repairability.

The entire review can be seen here.

About the Author

Spencer Chin

Senior Editor, Design News

Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News, covering the electronics beat, which includes semiconductors, components, power, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and other related subjects. He is always open to ideas for coverage. Spencer has spent many years covering electronics for brands including Electronic Products, Electronic Buyers News, EE Times, Power Electronics, and electronics360. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him at @spencerchin.

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