iFixit Examines iPhone 15 Components Under a Microscope

[imagineadam]

Isn’t it common knowledge that the 48mp camera on the base 15 isn’t the same as the 15pro?

And it also isn’t the same camera as the 14 pro. It’s a different smaller new 48mp sensor compared to the 14pro and 15 pro camera.

In fact the 15 pro and 14 pro have identical camera hardware except for the 15 pro max which gains a different 5x camera. Other than that it’s just software changes and certain features software locked to the newer phones like the 24mp pictures for example.

A lot of people keep getting confused this year with the cameras. Myself included at first!

 

[klasma]

Hopefully next year the iPhone 16 will get 120Hz as rumored.

Isn’t the SoC already at multiple GHz?

 

[Crowbot]

iFixit are extreme self-repair radicals who want nothing less than to return to discrete component days with everything socketed and screwed together with Phillips head fasteners (just like Woz used to build ‘em), no glue either. Notice that they don't offer ANY repair services themselves, only tools and user submitted articles for how to disassemble stuff.

It depends on your perspective. I was a repair tech for a long time and appreciated the conflict between repairability and device design in general. I consider it absolutely absurd that my 27" 2017 iMac is double-stick taped together instead of screws. Apparently Apple doesn't think that a device with a fan might need cleaning once in a while. I recently cleaned the thing out and my fan speed went to 1200 RPM, the slowest it can go and my internal temp dropped by 25 degrees F. So I bought the iFixit tools and tape kit and, using their repair guide it went fine.

There is always going to be that conflict as devices get more compact. But to give up on repairability is admitting defeat.

 

[ifxf]

I thought the rumors say base phones won’t get it until 2025

Does this mean people sensitive to oled will get headaches twice as fast.

 

[Juicy Box]

Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar, which makes sense because the design has not changed.

This statement contradicts itself. Maybe "unremarkably similar" would be a better way to word it?

Yeah no. The real question, given the statement

is whether the iPhone 14 is remarkably unsimilar, or unremarkably simiiar, or unremarkably unsimilar. Clearly, they can’t both be remarkably similar, given the first part of the sentence.

Yeah, although maybe "unremarkably similar" isn't the right choice of wording either, but it definitely sounds off with "remarkably similar" when you take in account to the second part of the sentence:

"Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar" contradicts "which makes sense because the design has not changed.".

I think it is possible for the two phones to be remarkably similar, but if the expectation is for them to be similar, then this is the opposite of remarkable.


It is like saying, "it is unexpected that the two phones are so similar, but not really unexpected, because the design has not changed.".

I know, silly think to think about, and doesn't really matter, just sounded weird when I was reading and had to do a double take.

 

[gund1234]

Pentalobe Screws are not proprietary, iFixit says this all the time.
these are better than Philips and flat head for stripping.

 

[gund1234]

Do they do this with all smartphones? What is the point other than anything Apple brings them page views?

they sell spare parts that can be replaced in all mobile devices.
they also sell tools needed to replace parts.

 

[klasma]

Yeah, although maybe "unremarkably similar" isn't the right choice of wording either, but it definitely sounds off with "remarkably similar" when you take in account to the second part of the sentence:

"Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar" contradicts "which makes sense because the design has not changed.".

I think it is possible for the two phones to be remarkably similar, but if the expectation is for them to be similar, then this is the opposite of remarkable.


It is like saying, "it is unexpected that the two phones are so similar, but not really unexpected, because the design has not changed.".

I know, silly think to think about, and doesn't really matter, just sounded weird when I was reading and had to do a double take.

I wonder if reMarkable is going to sue Apple for the similarity.

 

[gund1234]

"Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar"

Thank you....
View attachment 2290238

it is not.
iPhone 14: all the modules can be accessed by removing back glass.
iPhone 15: all modules can be accessed by removing display.

that is huge change for design/development manufacturing.

 

[gund1234]

Hopefully next year the iPhone 16 will get 120Hz as rumored.

i can't wait for 240Hz.
60 to 120Hz is huge improvement i can't work/see any screen that is 60Hz now including my TV and watch.
I am upgrading my TV and all monitors to 240Hz now.

 

[gund1234]

It depends on your perspective. I was a repair tech for a long time and appreciated the conflict between repairability and device design in general. I consider it absolutely absurd that my 27" 2017 iMac is double-stick taped together instead of screws. Apparently Apple doesn't think that a device with a fan might need cleaning once in a while. I recently cleaned the thing out and my fan speed went to 1200 RPM, the slowest it can go and my internal temp dropped by 25 degrees F. So I bought the iFixit tools and tape kit and, using their repair guide it went fine.

There is always going to be that conflict as devices get more compact. But to give up on repairability is admitting defeat.

agree, they should use the Thunderbolt display design, glass is held by magnets, display is held by screws.

 

[spcopsmac21]

they should examine their relevancy under a microscope.

They have more than solidified their relevance within the tech world. They help thousands of people a week keep their devices working and give technical in-depth analysis of products we all love and hate.
Helping keep people’s iPhones ticking and charged. Parts on hand and tear downs that have helped millions upon millions informed and their devices ticking.
That’s pretty relevant.

 

[marzbarz]

Their relevancy is that they are the premier group that does disassemblies of all Apple devices. What's inside very often is more important than how nice the outside looks. These people know what they are doing and have quality info.

They also give detailed disassembly (and re-assembly) instructions so we can service our stuff. Their guide for taking apart the iMac was instrumental in my being able to open and clean my 27" iMac successfully.

Check them out. iFixit.com

that's not relevant at all IMO

 

[marzbarz]

They have more than solidified their relevance within the tech world. They help thousands of people a week keep their devices working and give technical in-depth analysis of products we all love and hate.
Helping keep people’s iPhones ticking and charged. Parts on hand and tear downs that have helped millions upon millions informed and their devices ticking.
That’s pretty relevant.

They help sell thousands of overpriced kits and with info that other YouTubers can provide. Irrelevant in my opinion.

 

[marzbarz]

i appreciate your efforts to pump my stocks.

I think one should probably not be investing in stocks if they think random comments on message boards had any possible effects moving the price of the stock at any given moment in time but that's just my opinion.

 

[spcopsmac21]

They help sell thousands of overpriced kits and with info that other YouTubers can provide. Irrelevant in my opinion.

They keep a business with a lot of people employed. They began early on when not every kid with a screwdriver set ( that fixit sold them ) had their first iPhone.
Thousands of FREE in-depth tear down. And their kits are quality control tested. Not just some crap screen that “ works” or a battery that had its testing done in Shenzen by a guy who also sells Hello kitty knock off earrings and recycled toothbrushes.

 

[svish]

Good video. Nice to see the internals.

 

[spiderman0616]

Repair site iFixit last week shared a video teardown of Apple's new iPhone 15 Pro Max, and now iFixit is back with a deeper look inside the standard iPhone 15. iFixit's iPhone 15 teardown includes an examination of many of the components with a microscope, giving us a view of the device we don't typically get.

With the microscope, iFixit is able to provide a closer look at the iPhone's casing, adhesive, and display, showing off individual pixels. There are zoomed-in views of everything from the battery connector to the magnets inside the Taptic Engine.

Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar, which makes sense because the design has not changed. There is a larger 48-megapixel camera, though, which iFixit confirms is not, in fact, the same 48-megapixel camera that's in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The quad pixel "buckets" in the iPhone 15's camera are around 22 percent smaller, which means that the camera is not able to perform as well in low lighting conditions as the camera in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iFixit's iPhone 15 teardown isn't revealing anything that we didn't already know, but it is a fun read thanks to the closer look at multiple components.

Article Link: iFixit Examines iPhone 15 Components Under a Microscope

So.....turn off all the stuff that makes having an iPhone convenient? These articles come out every year and they're pointless. The phone is designed to last you the day. If it doesn't, you need a new battery. There, saved you a bunch of words for next time.

 

[Crowbot]

Pentalobe Screws are not proprietary, iFixit says this all the time.
these are better than Philips and flat head for stripping.

Nonsense. If strip resistance was their aim they could have just gone with Torx. Pentalobe offers no more protection than established head designs. It was just a feeble attempt by Apple to keep the covers on. I'm sure they were aware that pentalobe screwdrivers would be sold pretty quickly.

 

[marzbarz]

They keep a business with a lot of people employed.

that's not really saying much. a burger joint that automated jobs away would still be relevant, if not, more relevant than a burger joint that kept a lot of people employed.

 

[marzbarz]

Pentalobe offers no more protection than established head designs.

physics says otherwise. sorry but you're 100% dead wrong here. maybe don't read the article about how ifixit thinks pentalobe is inferior because obviously they have a business to protect. carry on.

 

[Crowbot]

physics says otherwise. sorry but you're 100% dead wrong here. maybe don't read the article about how ifixit thinks pentalobe is inferior because obviously they have a business to protect. carry on.

Sorry, I don't see how one less lobe is going to change things. I didn't read any articles from iFixit but I was a service tech for 35 years and screwed a few screws in my time. So it's just my opinion. Take it as you will.

 

[defaults]

Nonsense. If strip resistance was their aim they could have just gone with Torx. Pentalobe offers no more protection than established head designs. It was just a feeble attempt by Apple to keep the covers on. I'm sure they were aware that pentalobe screwdrivers would be sold pretty quickly.

You contradict yourself in the space of two sentences here. If they knew pentalobe drivers would soon be available (actually they were already available) then how would switching to them deter people from opening the devices to repair them?

It seems like a straight forward engineering decision. As torque specs increase and screw head area decreases Philips head rapidly drops out of consideration. There are many alternate, open standard head designs of which pentelobe is one. They didn’t invent their own and lock the head design IP up. They chose an existing design and used that.

Deciding there was malice behind this is just low information conspiratorial thinking.

 

[Crowbot]

You contradict yourself in the space of two sentences here. If they knew pentalobe drivers would soon be available (actually they were already available) then how would switching to them deter people from opening the devices to repair them?

It seems like a straight forward engineering decision. As torque specs increase and screw head area decreases Philips head rapidly drops out of consideration. There are many alternate, open standard head designs of which pentelobe is one. They didn’t invent their own and lock the head design IP up. They chose an existing design and used that.

Deciding there was malice behind this is just low information conspiratorial thinking.

They were trying to keep the average Joe/Jane from opening the phone. These screws are inserted and torqued by powered screwdrivers, not by hand. Most companies use Torx screws in this situation, because the screw will stay on the screwdriver tip while inserting. But Apple decided to invent a new screw head instead of going with some other existing security screw. At the scale they use screws it made sense. But the main reason was tamper-proofing.

 

[seek3r]

they should examine their relevancy under a microscope.

I use ifixit’s guides and teardowns all the time to repair my own gear, as well as reading a lot just because it’s informative. I even buy parts and tools from them (sometimes because it’s the best place or easiest place to get them, sometimes because I found the info super useful and would rather support them than some rando seller on amazon. Also I’ve always found their quality control to be top notch). They’re super relevant and useful, what exactly has you so riled up by them?