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.
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about.
Measure App
Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles.
Games App
There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent.
CarPlay
The...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows.
Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs.
The U.S. version...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items.
The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
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.
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.
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.
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.
