IFixit specialists regularly disassemble various gadgets to assess their repairability. This time, the flagship smartphones Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max fell into their hands.
Image Source: Apple
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max don’t offer the same easy way to remove the battery as the base iPhone 16. Instead, Apple used adhesive to secure the battery. At the same time, getting inside the smartphone is still easier than before, since this can be done through the back panel and there is no need to remove the display, which could be damaged during the removal process.
In the iPhone 16 Pro, as in the iPhone 16, the battery is placed in a metal case, but for some reason this design element is missing in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. iFixit called the decision not to use a metal case for the battery in the iPhone 16 Pro Max “baffling.”
Getting to the LiDAR sensor has become easier, so replacing it should not be a problem if necessary. In the flagships of the previous generation, it was located under the main camera block. The camera modules themselves in the flagships are almost identical, but are not interchangeable due to different cable lengths and mounting screws located in different places inside each model.
Apple has moved the 5G mmWave antenna to make room for the camera control button. On iPhone 16 Pro models, it is located in a recess at the top of the device. iFixit concluded that the titanium frame of the iPhone 16 Pro can negatively affect signal quality in the millimeter range.
The developers have made it much easier to remove the USB Type-C port. It is noted that Apple does not sell USB Type-C ports separately for replacement. To remove the motherboard, you will need to remove the top speaker, but this is still easier than in previous generations of models.
The disassembly showed that the flagship iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max use the Qualcomm SDX71M modem, which is a modified version of the SDX70M used in the iPhone 15 Pro. It was expected that Apple would use the Qualcomm X75 modem, but apparently this is not the case.
After disassembling the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, iFixit experts rated Apple smartphones 7 out of 10 points in terms of repairability. This was facilitated by a change in the layout of internal elements, as well as the fact that repair manuals for Apple smartphones have become more accessible.