iFixit Shares Full iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Teardown Revealing Interchangeable Displays and Batteries

[MacRumors]

After live streaming a teardown of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro earlier this week, iFixit today provided a more in-depth teardown that goes through all of the components in the new devices, revealing several similarities between the two.

Early testing conducted by iFixit shows that the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro displays are interchangeable and can be swapped without issue, though the max brightness level of the two vary slightly. With just the displays and no other internals removed, the devices look almost identical.

Upon removing the camera shield of the iPhone 12, there appears to be a plastic spacer in place of the iPhone 12 Pro's telephoto lens and LiDAR Scanner.

It was confirmed that both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro feature the same 2,815mAh battery earlier this week, and iFixit was also able to corroborate this. Additionally, iFixit said the batteries of the two devices are interchangeable.

An X-ray courtesy of Creative Electron reveals the nearly identical L-shaped logic board, battery, and circular array of magnets, which introduce MagSafe support, in the two devices. A separate teardown of Apple's MagSafe charger shared by iFixit reveals a simple design with magnets and a charging coil encircling a small circuit board.

The ‌iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro earned a repairability score of 6 out of 10. iFixit said that many components are modular and are easy to replace, but the site bemoaned Apple's continued use of proprietary screws, the devices' increases in waterproofing that can complicate repairs, and the increased chance of breakage due to glass on the front and back of the two devices‌.




Article Link: iFixit Shares Full iPhone 12 and 12 Pro Teardown Revealing Interchangeable Displays and Batteries

 

[farewelwilliams]

but the site bemoaned Apple's continued use of proprietary screws, the devices' increases in waterproofing that can complicate repairs, and the increased chance of breakage due to glass on the front and back of the two devices‌.

so ifixit wants your phone to not be water resistant simply because they need the business. got it.

ifixit can goto hell.

 

[Homme]

And it’s confirmed that both iPhones are using LPDDR4 RAM not LPDDR4X as per the teardown (unlike a certain member who claimed multiple times DDR5 (seriously) for the Pros ??)

But what the heck. How can Apple downgrade the Ram type from the 11, unless it’s a mistake somehow from ifixit’s end

 

[Martius]

so ifixit wants your phone to not be water resistant simply because they need the business. got it.

ifixit can goto hell.

No, they are just saying it complicates repairs, which is true.

 

[farewelwilliams]

No, they are just saying it complicates repairs, which is true.

making repairs complicated makes it harder for ifixit to stay in business (which they noted the waterproofing point with an orange minus sign next to the final score)

 

[kingpushup]

Switch cameras .. quick upgrade?

 

[evelynmarie3]

And it’s confirmed that both iPhones are using LPDDR4 RAM not LPDDR4X as per the teardown (unlike a certain member who claimed multiple times DDR5 (seriously) for the Pros 😂😂)

But what the heck. How can Apple downgrade the Ram type from the 11, unless it’s a mistake somehow from ifixit’s end

They didn't. It's a misreporting. The entire lineup is using LPDDR4X-4266.

 

[nikusak]

score of 6 out of 10

...which is a better score than pretty much anything else out there. Look at Samsung, Huawei etc scores.

If you need to get the battery replaced, just take it to authorised service instead buying the kit from iFixit.

Authorised service is only slightly more expensive than doing it by yourself and risking breaking it.

 

[widestload]

Last year the difference between the 11 and 11pro seemed worth having two models. This year it really doesn’t seem like there’s any point given how the standard 12 has caught up without the pro doing much to maintain the gap

 

[Martius]

making repairs complicated makes it harder for ifixit to stay in business (which they noted the waterproofing point with an orange minus sign next to the final score)

It makes harder to repair it for anybody, not only iFixit. They are just saying what they think and give it their score for the repairability. The score is not changing anything, so I don't get why are you angry at them? They just try to do their best to give you an alternative way to do the repairs.

 

[evelynmarie3]

Last year the difference between the 11 and 11pro seemed worth having two models. This year it really doesn’t seem like there’s any point given how the standard 12 has caught up without the pro doing much to maintain the gap

Honestly I can't help but agree. The only viable models one should get are the standard 12, or the 12 Pro Max. 12 for lower price while still having most iPhone 12 Pro capabilities, and the 12 Pro Max for the best of the best in terms of display and camera system.

 

[nikusak]

No, they are just saying it complicates repairs, which is true.

They also said that this new and better waterproofing decreases the likelihood for expensive and extensive repairs caused by water damage.

(Cheap Android junk with couple of years of updates is a way bigger environmental problem than iPhones which are actually worth repairing and people do get them repaired.)

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not concerned with iFixit’s score. If I have a problem with my iPhone, I go to Apple for the fix. As expensive as Apple is, I don’t trust myself or any third party company to repair Apple devices.

 

[MacBH928]

look at all that space that could be used for battery instead for tri-lenses and a notch that eats in your screen.

 

[Makosuke]

While it's entirely true that some of the stuff done for waterproofing purposes also makes the phone harder to repair, if you give me a choice between more waterproof and easier to fix, I'll take the waterproofing any day of the week. I'm a lot more likely to get my phone wet than I am to want to get it repaired by someone other than Apple.

In fact, of people I know who've broken a phone, half were due to water damage anyway.

Personally in around 8 years worth of two family members using iPhones, we have had zero repairs done but I've gotten my phone wet plenty of times, and not having to worry about rain or other water made for a real improvement in day-to-day user experience.

 

[bernoulli]

And it’s confirmed that both iPhones are using LPDDR4 RAM not LPDDR4X as per the teardown (unlike a certain member who claimed multiple times DDR5 (seriously) for the Pros ??)

But what the heck. How can Apple downgrade the Ram type from the 11, unless it’s a mistake somehow from ifixit’s end

that’s strange but not unexpected from company that maximises profit

 

[ilikewhey]

12 did close up to the pro, the new pricetag really shows

 

[velocityg4]

Personally, I think this is a big improvement repair wise. Not only is there less of a chance of internal issues. Due to better sealing. You can just change the screen if it's damaged. They got the Face ID camera attached to the body rather than the display. That'll make repairs easier.

Some goop is no big deal. Just heat it up and separate. Overall it looks like a much more straight forward layout that some previous models.

I'd still like them to get rid of the rear glass though. How about something less brittle. Such as plastic. Of course I'd also have them thicken it for a larger battery and to recess the cameras.

 

[evelynmarie3]

that’s strange but not unexpected from company that maximises profit

Again, it's not LPDDR4; it's LPDDR4X-4266. iFixit misreported the chip.

 

[farewelwilliams]

It makes harder to repair it for anybody, not only iFixit. They are just saying what they think and give it their score for the repairability. The score is not changing anything, so I don't get why are you angry at them? They just try to do their best to give you an alternative way to do the repairs.

then why is the site "bemoaning" Apple's design decisions? having water resistance reduces the need for repairing.

 

[Cookie18]

BRB, gonna jerry rig my new iPhone 12 with a telephoto camera.

 

[Homme]

They didn't. It's a misreporting. The entire lineup is using LPDDR4X-4266.

glad to hear. How could you tell that it’s using 4266Mhz, couldn’t find it anywhere. Thanks

 

[traveltoromantis]

then why is the site "bemoaning" Apple's design decisions? it sounds like they have a business to protect, thats why.

i'd wager consumers would rather have water resistance over repairability as water resistance reduces the need for repairing.

They're not, that's just what the article on Macrumors says and how the writer interpreted it. The actual quote from iFixit is "Increased waterproofing measures complicate some repairs, but make difficult water damage repairs less likely." This doesn't really sound like "bemoaning" to me, it's just the facts.

 

[kalafalas]

Really curious about the differences in the displays maximum SDR nits despite the parts being swappable during teardown. They said they’ll investigate further

 

[PickUrPoison]

Honestly I can't help but agree. The only viable models one should get are the standard 12, or the 12 Pro Max. 12 for lower price while still having most iPhone 12 Pro capabilities, and the 12 Pro Max for the best of the best in terms of display and camera system.

12 mini is the best, all the features of the 12 and its smaller. And cheaper.