Kindle Voyage Goes Easy On The Glue, Earns Kudos In Teardown Analysis
We're in the midst of a bad run for mobile devices when it comes to evaluating the level of difficulty in repairing or replacing defective components. Teardown after teardown has shown that mobile device makers are infatuated with adhesive, though there's one portable product that finally bucks the trend -- Amazon's Kindle Voyage.
The teardown specialists at iFixIt got their eager mittens on Amazon's latest dedicated e-reader device, and unlike the crop of tablets and smartphones that have landed on the operating table before it, the Kindle Voyage isn't overflowing with glue at every turn (though it's not completely devoid of adhesive, either).
Like the Kindle Fire HD 7 we recently reviewed, the Kindle Voyage sports a rear bezel that gives it a hump on its back. There's an access panel towards the top that can be taken off by removing a few screws, and once you toss that aside, you can slide off the rest of the back cover. It's not often that mobile tablets and e-reader devices are so easy to get into like this, which is true of Amazon's other products as well.
Things get a little more complicated once you dive inside the Kindle Voyage, as there are lots of ribbon cables and ZIF connections. However, thanks to the modular nature of the internal components, removing them is "so easy a caveman with a chunk of ferromagnetic material could do it," iFixIt notes.
Another thing that's nice to see is the 3.8V, 1320mAh battery sitting fairly accessible once you're inside the Kindle Voyage. A little prying with a plastic card lifts it out, so if it gives up the ghost down the line, you should be able to breathe new life into your e-reader without too much difficulty.
The Kindle Voyage ended up with a respectable 7 out of 10 Repairabiliy Score. It lost points for having the front glass and e-ink display fused together, which increases the cost of repair, and there is some adhesive on the battery that's stronger than it needs to be. However, the device is easy to open and there are several modular components.
The teardown specialists at iFixIt got their eager mittens on Amazon's latest dedicated e-reader device, and unlike the crop of tablets and smartphones that have landed on the operating table before it, the Kindle Voyage isn't overflowing with glue at every turn (though it's not completely devoid of adhesive, either).
Like the Kindle Fire HD 7 we recently reviewed, the Kindle Voyage sports a rear bezel that gives it a hump on its back. There's an access panel towards the top that can be taken off by removing a few screws, and once you toss that aside, you can slide off the rest of the back cover. It's not often that mobile tablets and e-reader devices are so easy to get into like this, which is true of Amazon's other products as well.
Things get a little more complicated once you dive inside the Kindle Voyage, as there are lots of ribbon cables and ZIF connections. However, thanks to the modular nature of the internal components, removing them is "so easy a caveman with a chunk of ferromagnetic material could do it," iFixIt notes.
Another thing that's nice to see is the 3.8V, 1320mAh battery sitting fairly accessible once you're inside the Kindle Voyage. A little prying with a plastic card lifts it out, so if it gives up the ghost down the line, you should be able to breathe new life into your e-reader without too much difficulty.
The Kindle Voyage ended up with a respectable 7 out of 10 Repairabiliy Score. It lost points for having the front glass and e-ink display fused together, which increases the cost of repair, and there is some adhesive on the battery that's stronger than it needs to be. However, the device is easy to open and there are several modular components.
