Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a new frame design, which could make repairing the devices’ screens or swaps of their batteries easier.
The two most common cell phone fixes are replacing the battery and screen, so the new design gives repairers simpler admittance to those parts.
Nonetheless, some experts think fixing the new phones will be very dodgy since Apple uses programming to lock parts to explicit gadgets, making free fixes more difficult.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which is now on sale, have a new design that attaches the phone’s main parts to an aluminum frame, which is bonded to the titanium casing that users touch on the outside, iFixit found.
Since the two most common smartphone fixes are replacing the battery and screen, the new design gives repairers easier access to those parts.
Apple featured the change of its announcement this month and furthermore dropped the cost to trade a broke back glass plate to $149 or $169, and $499 or $549 on last year’s Pro models.
Screen repairs remain the same price, $329 or $379, depending on display size. Last year’s standard model of the iPhone 14 — not the pricier Pro — also had a design featuring removable back glass.
The analysis also highlighted that Apple’s iPhones are using a Qualcomm X70 modem to connect to cellular carriers, after Qualcomm announced earlier this month that it would supply Apple with modem chips through 2026.
However iFixit, a solid promoter for the option to-fix movement, said that numerous iPhone parts, including the phone’s Face ID sensor, Lidar camera and remote charging curl, are not replaceable without using an official Apple setup device to validate them.
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According to iFixit, parts pairing in these models extends beyond mere mechanical compatibility, requiring authentication and pairing through Apple’s System Configuration tool, further limiting genuine replacements to Apple-blessed ones and substantially impacting independent repair enterprises and the overarching issue of e-waste.
Earlier this year, Apple backed a right-to-repair bill in California, which passed in September. It requires manufacturers such as Apple to make rental tools, repair guides and authorized parts available to users to repair devices at home.
In 2022, Apple introduced Self Service Repair, which allows repair shops and end users to rent professional-level repair tools and buy replacement parts from Apple.
The right-to-repair movement is closely associated with the environmental movement, because repairing gadgets and extending their lifespans helps to keep them out of landfills.
Apple’s product announcements earlier this month heavily emphasized the company’s environmental work, including marketing models of its Apple Watch Series 9 as carbon neutral.
