Items tagged with iFixIt
Breaking a phone can be a nightmare of an ordeal, with replacement parts sometimes being absurdly expensive and repairing difficult or downright annoying. Sometimes, you cannot even use a local repair shop for fixing devices as it must go to the manufacturer lest you break some warranty-voiding clause in the end-user license agreement. This is obviously absurd, but companies still get away with it unless the FTC enforces right-to-repair laws. Thankfully, things may be looking up for right-to-repair. Over the past several years, right-to-repair discussions have come up multiple times, with little to no action coming from it. In that same timeframe, however, people are becoming more aware of the...
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iFixIt, the leading authority on tools and device teardowns, has gotten their hands on a Microsoft Surface Duo. For a $1,400 device, one would not expect “booby traps” in wiring, a “built-in death-clock” with battery replacement, and overall disassembly trouble leading to a repairability score of 2/10. iFixit's Taylor Dixon creates many guides and teardowns for the iFixIt community. His work covers Apple devices, PCs, phones, and even a plasma ball of all things; all of which span multiple pages of guide listings. On September 11th, he and two other contributors released their Microsoft Surface Duo teardown resulting in some less than savory results. Let us dive into some...
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The year is 2020 and flip phones are back. Are these new smartphones practical for everyday users or are they a novelty piece? iFixit recently disassembled a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and concluded that the device will be very difficult and costly to repair. The iFixt experts first noted that the Galaxy Z Flip’s specs are more impressive than its competitor, the Motorola Razr. The Flip features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ SoC, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of internal storage, and a 3300 mAh battery power in two cells. In comparison, the Razr includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, 6GB memory, 128GB of storage, and a 2,510 mAh battery. The Galaxy Z Flip is also a little over one hundred dollars cheaper...
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The folks over at iFixit were able to get their hands on Apple's all-new Mac Pro, which marks a substantial upgrade over its trash can-styled predecessor. While plenty of jokes have been made in reference to its cheese grater exterior, Apple has worked some of its "magic" here to make the Mac Pro one of its most repairable devices in years. For DIYers out there, getting inside the Mac Pro is a trivial affair, as all you need to do is pull up on and twist a little handle built into the top of the case. You then lift up on the handle which removes the case, giving you immediate access to the interior components. Once inside, you have direct access to the memory slots, and PCIe slots for upgrading....
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Microsoft's Surface Pro X first began shipping earlier this week and it marks the company's return to building convertibles powered by Arm processors. The company first tiptoed into this arena with the Surface and Surface 2. Today, however, the teardown experts at iFixit have gotten their inquisitive hands on the Surface Pro X and have given it a proper examination to determine its repairability. Given that the Surface Pro X features an all-new design compared to the Surface Pro family of convertibles, iFixit wasn't quite sure what to expect when it comes to gaining access to the internal components. However, they were pleasantly surprised to find that both the SSD and...
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No sane person would yank $249 out of their wallet or purse and proceed to flush it straight down the toilet, but if something were to happen to your Apple AirPods Pro earbuds beyond the warranty period, well, the outcome will be the same—you'll be out a big wad of cash. This unfortunate reality is highlighted in a teardown of the fancy new earphones. Apple on Monday formally introduced the AirPods Pro, and they are the company's first branded wireless earbuds with active noise cancelling technology baked inside. They come with three different ear tip sizes to help find a good fit, and they are made of silicone to help create a tighter seal, keeping external noise out of your ear holes....
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We are planning to post a full review of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL very soon. In the meantime, a thorough teardown of the larger handset has emerged, revealing how Google went about designing its latest flagship from an engineering standpoint. It also reveals a special radar chip related to Project Soli, which is what gives the Pixel phones their interpretative mojo (as it relates to gesture input). To quickly recap, the Pixel 4 XL sports a 6.3-inch display with a 3040x1440 resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and 6GB of RAM, and wields 128GB or 64GB of onboard storage. For snapping photos, there's an 8-megapixel selfie camera in the front, and...
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The gang over at iFixit has got their hands on the revised Samsung Galaxy Fold and have torn it down. The teardown starts with a look at the new protective elements that Samsung added to prevent the Galaxy Fold from getting debris under the skin. iFixit says that Samsung has fortified many of the spots that previously plagued the phone. The small gap when folding at the hinge area of the screen now has a protective cap on it to keep debris out. The extra protection doesn't prevent the Galaxy Fold from having some gaps to access behind the screen when the smartphone is closed. iFixit figures those gaps are less likely to cause immediate screen damage but will still attract dirt. One nice thing...
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This week, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are the hottest talk of the internet, as they are the new mid-range smartphones from Google. With a starting price of $399 for the Pixel 3a and $479 for the Pixel 3a XL, both phones offer a nice balance of features, camera image quality, battery life... and actually include a 3.5mm headphone jack. Not surprisingly, it didn't take the folks at iFixit to take a scalpel to both the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL, and thankfully, both have modular components that are more readily accessible for replacement in case of failure. Unlike most smartphone which feature bodies made out of a combination of aluminum and glass, the new Pixel devices feature plastic...
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One of the things that tech fans love is to see the insides of gadgets to get an idea of if they can be fixed if something breaks, and to satisfy curiosity. One of the great purveyors of teardowns is iFixit, and not long ago it published a teardown of the controversial Galaxy Fold smartphone. The major issue with the Galaxy Fold is that several of the devices had screen failures in the hands of reviewers only a short time after being received. Samsung vowed to investigate the failures and delayed the launch of the smartphone. How Samsung could have missed such glaring issues with the screen during its testing is a mystery. Samsung doesn't want people getting a look at the inside of the Galaxy...
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Apple caught some heat over its throttling mechanism in iOS, which reduces performance when the built-in battery degrades to a certain point. In response to the outrage that followed, Apple offered to replace out-of-warranty batteries at a discounted price—$29, versus $49. Unfortunately, the discounted offer expired at the start of 2019. However, if you're willing to take matters into your own hands, you can still install a fresh new battery for $29. This means going the do-it-yourself (DIY) route, which can be frightening when you're working with an expensive and delicate electronic device. Nevertheless, if you're willing to get your hands dirty and want to breathe new life into your aging...
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After years of letting its popular MacBook Air languish without any meaningful updates, Apple finally updated the ultra-portable notebook late last month. While the overall wedge-shaped chassis is familiar, the new MacBook Air features a completely redesigned inner layout. Given that the new 2018 MacBook Air is now shipping to customers, it should come as no surprise that the teardown experts at iFixit have put the laptop on the operating table. What they found is that the MacBook Air is using Apple's third-generation butterfly key mechanism for the keyboard. While the keys have far less travel than what traditional MacBook Air users are familiar with, it does at...
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Google's Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL handsets are both solid options in the Android space, with overall strong performance and killer cameras for taking crisp photos. Anyone who buys one of Google's new phones will hopefully never have cause to crack it open for repairs, but should the need arise, how does it fare? A new teardown analysis answers that question in detail. Both phones are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 4GB of RAM. Built-in storage checks in at 64GB or 128GB, with no microSD card slot to add more. As for the cameras, there is an 8-megapixel shooter on the front for selfies and a 12.2-megapixel lens on the back. On the XL model, which went under the knife in the latest...
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 officially went on sale last week (read the HotHardware review here), and it brings an incredible wealth of features to the table, along with an enormous price tag ($999+). But for those that are hip to the idea of an S Pen-equipped flagship phone, there are deals to be had. With that being said, now that the Galaxy Note 9 is out in the wild, it means that the gadget repair gurus at iFixit have given the smartphone the teardown treatment. We're now privy to a plethora of high-resolution shots and a step-by-step process on how to disassemble this mobile beast. With a bit of heat and suction applied to the back glass panel (which is glued on), it pops...
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As we discovered last week, Samsung's Galaxy S9+ is the new Android smartphone to beat in the flagship sector. It looks great, has a crisp screen, is fast, and has a camera capable of capturing some awesome slo-mo video. Like clockwork, the folks over at iFixit have torn into the S9+ and revealed all we need to know about its repairability factor. On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being the "easiest to repair", the S9+ scores a lowly 4/10. That's because accessing the battery is needlessly difficult, and removing either the display or glass back can easily result in breakage. Credit: iFixit In the above shot, the phone's biggest chips span the top part of the board, with the second large...
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Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone has definitely gotten off to a rocky start. Following the flagship Android smartphone’s debut, Essential faced disappointing shipping delays, and more recently, a rather embarrassing violation of user privacy. Now, Essential Phone is being assaulted from another front thanks to a new teardown report from iFixit. Actually getting into the device proved more difficult than expected, as iFixit’s usual arsenal of sharp tools and heat guns were ineffective at [non-destructive] penetration into the Essential Phone’s frame. There are few visible seams (along with heavy-handed applications of adhesives), making it damn near impossible to get into the device using conventional...
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Whether it is intentional or the consequence of building increasingly thinner and lighter devices with premium makeups, cracking open today's electronics for DIY repair is oftentimes difficult. Whatever the case might be, Samsung chose not to buck the trend with its Galaxy S8. As with most modern handsets, the Galaxy S8 poses various challenges to anyone attempting to get at its guts, though it is not without some redeeming qualities.The teardown experts at iFixIt put the Galaxy S8 on the operating table and proceeded to play a high-tech version of Operation, only without the buzzer and glowing red nose (remember that game?). With a design that once again utilizes glass-on-glass, they had to...
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The good news for iPad fans is that Apple's newest 9.7-inch model is the most affordable yet. Apple's upgraded tablet starts at $329, a shockingly low(er) price considering that each of its predecessors came out of the gate with a $499 starting price, and with less storage. So, that's groovy. What's not so great, however, is it continues to be a do-it-yourself repair nightmare, as a new teardown report reveals. As with previous generation iPad models, Apple locks the chassis shut on its newest model with adhesive. That means needing to apply heat around the edges and then trying to pry it open. Patience is the key here. Fortunately for clumsy owners, Apple reverted back to the original iPad Air's...
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If you’re one of the lucky folks that was able to secure an early pre-order for the Nintendo Switch, then chances are that your $300 console arrived yesterday (or at least should be arriving shortly). While most of us who receive a newly released console are eager to unwrap it and begin playing launch titles, the folks at iFixit have just one task in mind — immediate dissection. As iFixit does with just about every major electronics release, the Nintendo Switch has been given a thorough teardown treatment and everything is documented with excellent step-by-step photography and a complementing video. The outer casing of the Switch is held together by tri-point screws, which are easily dispatched...
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Google unveiled its Pixel and Pixel XL Android 7.0 Nougat smartphones earlier this month, and the first round of reviews for the two devices have been refreshingly positive. Praise for the devices has been especially concentrated on the main camera, which while not incredibly competitive on the specs front, actually uses some special software magic to spit out excellent photographs. Now that some of the first customers that pre-ordered the Pixels are starting to receive them, it should come as no surprise that the folks at iFixit are already tearing into the device. In this case, iFixit has turned its attention to the larger Pixel XL, which features a 5.5-inch QHD display. Before iFixit even...
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Sony's now an official contender in the VR gaming space with its PlayStation VR, which as the name implies is a VR headset designed for the PlayStation 4 console. Naturally, the teardown specialists at iFixIt wasted no time getting their nimble fingered mitts on one for a complete deconstruction. That's to be expected, but what we didn't expect was the level of praise they showered on Sony and its headset. "The verdict: Sony just won the war. Regardless of resolution and actual games, this thing is really well-constructed, cheap, pretty accessible, and has the entire PlayStation marketplace backing it." iFixIt said. "We were able to use one screwdriver for the whole teardown and found just a...
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It's game-on between the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, both of which are battling for supremacy in the virtual reality space, but is one better than the other? That's a point of debate—both have their pluses and minuses, and while you're putting check marks underneath each one for various categories, go ahead and give one to the Vive in the teardown section. The Vive proved slightly easier to operate on than the Rift, according to the experts at iFixIt who don't get a bit wobbly in the knees when tearing down expensive hardware. Just as they did with the Rift last month, the fearless crew made quick work of disassembling the many parts that make up the Vive, starting with the interchangeable foam...
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