iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature a more repair-friendly design with a removable back glass panel, allowing customers to more easily make aftermarket modifications to the device. Already, someone has modded an iPhone 14 with a transparent back glass panel that reveals various components inside the device.
The transparent back glass reveals the battery, wireless charging coil, logic board, Taptic Engine, internal side of the Lightning connector, and more. The modded iPhone 14 even has a custom rear camera housing with a frosted finish.
The photo of the modded iPhone 14 was shared today by a few Twitter accounts, but we have yet to pinpoint the original source.
iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are the first models with easily removable back glass since the iPhone 4S. It is likely that many colorful and transparent back glass panels will emerge for hobbyists over time, just like in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S days. Back in 2011, someone even modded the iPhone 4 to feature a glowing Apple logo on the back.
One potential obstacle to aftermarket mods is that Apple requires technicians to complete "System Configuration" after replacing the back glass on iPhone 14 models, according to internal documentation obtained by MacRumors. It's not clear yet what happens if this software calibration process is avoided — possibilities could range from a simple non-genuine part warning in iOS to functionality like wireless charging being impacted.
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max do not feature a removable back glass panel.
