The easiest and most difficult cell phones to disassemble, fix or repair: List

August 27, 2020, by Santiago Comment

The “repairability” is an aspect that we do not give more importance when we are buying a cell phone. In fact, we may not even think about it. It is probably a topic of greater interest for technicians who repair mobile phones, in order to know what they face when a customer brings them a cell phone and adjust their rate based on that.

Obviously this information is not offered by the manufacturer, so we will have to look for it in unofficial media. iFixit is a benchmark in the field of disassembling cell phones or mobile devices. Whenever a new phone comes out, the technicians behind this site are there to take apart and find out what’s inside, information on the internals, and more.

Cell phone repairability, according to ifixit

All this information that they have collected over the years has served them to create a “ranking” of cell phone repairability. what can you see here. A large majority of devices have passed through their hands, so it is a good reference, perhaps the only one of its kind, to know how easy to fix current and old cell phones are.

High-end, iPhones and low-end

The rating that a computer can have is from 1 to 10. A higher rating means that the device is easier to repair; less, more difficult. As of this writing, we can see some patterns in this iFixit ranking. For example, several current high-end devices, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note series, or Huawei’s Mate, are very difficult devices to fix, with a rating that is below 5/10. Here also old equipment such as some HTC One M are included. Of course, it is not a general rule because we even see mid-range equipment like the Galaxy A51, which has a score of 4/10.

In the case of these expensive equipment, one of the main reasons why they are difficult to disassemble and that their repair price is higher is the curved screen, glass back panel and lots of strong glue, which makes it difficult to disassemble them without breaking them. .

It is in this aspect where several iPhones are better. Many versions of this device, even current ones, have better repairability, with an intermediate score between 5 and 8.

Finally, the oldest or low-end cell phones are the easiest to disassemble and repair. Here we find models of the same Samsung, Fairphone or Xiaomi, which have a score close to 10.

If we spin a little finer we will find very particular cases, like the original iPhone, which is very difficult to fix, with a score of just 2.

Conclution

As I said, this information is probably more interesting for cell phone technicians who repair devices. However, it may be convenient to know that if we have a mobile that is difficult to disassemble, it is best to take it to a reputable technical service, where we have a guarantee that it will not be returned to us in poor condition (with the glass cracked or chassis broken ) due to its difficult repair. Also keep in mind that the cost of changing the battery or any small fixes that require disassembly may come at a higher price than would normally be charged for a “simpler” device.

Smartphone repairability rating: iFixit

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