On Tuesday, iFixit shared a video showing a teardown of the iPhone 14 Pro Max and showed that for the interior design, the iPhone 14 Pro Max seems to follow the same structure as the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
According to iFixit, this means that iPhone 14 Pro models will continue to be rather difficult to repair, same as previous iPhones. According to the team, the rear glass panel will continue to be problematic in regards to repairs.
iPhone 14 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Same Interior Design as iPhone 13 Pro Max
In both a blog post and teardown video from iFixit, the team reveals a curious plastic space inside the former SIM space. The team imagines the possibilities of what Cupertino could have used the space for, such as a Micro SD card slot. Of course, this is unlikely, because the iPhone has never featured an SD slot.
Furthermore, the team at iFixit is still not entirely sure where the satellite antenna actually is within the new iPhone, though they believe they have an idea. The team believes that it may be located at the bottom of a component near the 5G mmWave patch antenna.
The video also takes a look at the “rattling” camera prominent in the iPhone 14 Pro series that seems to be plaguing third-party apps. A new update arriving next week is looking to fix this issue.
On Sept. 15, another teardown from PBKreviews also showed some internal designs. According to the report, the proximity sensor has moved beneath the screen, while the TrueDepth camera has seen repositioning to make room for the Dynamic Island. Additionally, a metal plate with graphite pads is part of a new heat dissipation system within the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Comparing the iPhone 14 Series
Earlier in the week, the iFixit team did a full teardown of the iPhone 14 and discovered that the “sandwich”-style housing of the device made for incredibly easy repairs. While some were hoping that the iPhone 14 Pro series would feature the same design, this unfortunately doesn’t seem to be the case.
As mentioned within iFixit’s iPhone 14 Pro Max teardown video, it’s rather perplexing why Apple chose to not include the internal redesign within the iPhone 14 Pro series. It seems those looking for the new iPhone 14 now have to choose between a device that is ultra repairable, or a device that includes the latest and greatest tech.
However, this also makes it somewhat baffling as to why Apple chose not to mention the internal redesign during the Far Out event. Certainly there exists one individual that bought the iPhone 14 Pro, not realizing that the base model iPhone 14 is much easier to repair.
Lastly, iFixit gave the iPhone 14 Pro models a repairability score of six out of ten. This is the same score given to the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
You can read the blogpost covering iFixit’s full iPhone 14 Pro Max teardown here.
Are you still waiting on your iPhone 14? Let us know in the comments.
I don’t care what iFixit says about any product’s repairability. iFixit is in the business of selling tools.
You’re not completely wrong; they do make a fair bit of their revenue selling parts and tools. That being said, they’ve always rated Apple’s products as being much more difficult to repair. No real reason for them to say the iPhone 14 is easier to repair if it isn’t. Does that mean everyone can do a screen replacement? No, just that those with the right skillset already will have an easier time of it.