iFixit Examines iPhone 15 Components Under a Microscope

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.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
airpods color prototypes

Apple Tested AirPods in Bright Colors

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:06 am PST by
Apple reportedly tested a version of the first-generation AirPods with bright, iPhone 5c-like colored charging cases. The images, shared by the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami," claim to show first-generation AirPods prototypes with pink and yellow exterior casings. The interior of the charging case and the earbuds themselves remain white. They seem close to some...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
top stories 2025 12 27

Top Stories: iPhone Fold Mockup, Where's the New Apple TV?, and More

Saturday December 27, 2025 6:00 am PST by
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from MacRumors! News in the Apple world has unsurprisingly been relatively slow over the past week, but Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone managed to make its way back into the news, while we also shared updates on current and future Apple TV news. iOS 26.3 will be bringing some new features, particularly for users in the EU, so we'll look for additional...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday December 24, 2025 8:40 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
maxresdefault

10 Mac Apps Worth Trying in 2026

Wednesday December 24, 2025 9:27 am PST by
2026 is almost upon us, and a new year is a good time to try out some new apps. We've rounded up 10 excellent Mac apps that are worth checking out. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Alt-Tab (Free) - Alt-Tab brings a Windows-style alt + tab thumbnail preview option to the Mac. You can see a full window preview of open apps and app windows. One Thing (Free) -...

Top Rated Comments

Crowbot Avatar
29 months ago

they should examine their relevancy under a microscope.
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
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bmustaf Avatar
29 months ago
Yes, if you want to just throw away stuff as soon as it breaks or buy brand new stuff and trust the Reality Distortion Field for all your advice, they're irrelevant, I guess, but I know a lot of people (smart, successful, and just outright good people) who use their goods & services to fix their devices and buy parts. Hell, I buy parts from them all the time to repair things that the only economical and ecologically tenable thing to do is repair (which Apple may do for a very high price or may not even offer).

For example, my wife has an iPod her father gave her with some very personal, thoughtful recordings from him on it so she had certain things to keep once he dies, in his voice, and she has a connection that iPod (not just the data on it, which is backed up, of course). So we bought a few batteries and a repair kit for it, even though Apple doesn't support it and doesn't even offer that stuff any more, let alone a repair for it).

That's really relevant and meaningful, and they've built a big enough, successful enough business around it that they can fund these kind of teardowns & things, and I really love seeing it, if for nothing else, for geekery that I don't have to destroy a $1500 phone, a bunch of my time, etc.

iFixIt's guides and parts have also saved many of my company's computers, helped me repurpose my old ones for family (my niece uses one of my old MBPs that I was able to repair, when Apple's "official" solution was to trade in my old machine for a brand new MBP/MBA for her, which actually she didn't need at all, would have cost me $1000 more than just the parts and 45 min, and actually would have been way worse ecologically, too), and the like.

They've saved me from tons of unnecessary "upgrades".

Incredibly relevant, no matter how rich or busy you are, IMO. Unless you enjoy throwing away money and screwing up the environment completely unnecessarily...then, ok, yeah, they're irrelevant.

they should examine their relevancy under a microscope.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
29 months ago
"Compared to the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is remarkably similar"

Thank you....


Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
29 months ago

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
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.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jakeuten Avatar
29 months ago

Typical of Apple. Incremental upgrades and presenting them to AppleHeads as something profound, unique and worth shelling out your hard earned cash. Nothing more than bragging rights and accessory status. However, there are the few outliers who use their phones to the absolute max.
Again, different strokes for different folks.
Oof, that username clocked you
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
indychris Avatar
29 months ago

Do they do this with all smartphones? What is the point other than anything Apple brings them page views?
Ahhh…so they get clicks which indicates that they create interest and therein you just found your answer.

People are curious about apple stuff. They dissect and often explain apple stuff. They’ve been around forever. I’ve used them countless times to help disassemble and reassemble Mac’s over the years. It’s an invaluable service at times. They started off just as guys who were curious and turned it into a great business. It’s wonderful when people who could never do what they’ve done are critical of how they’ve done it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)