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teardown Articles

iFixit Shares iPhone 12 Pro Max Teardown Revealing L-Shaped Battery and Bigger Camera Module
In the last of its iPhone 12 series teardowns, iFixit has published its iPhone 12 Pro Max disassembly, which reveals some unique differences in the design of the internals, including the full extent of the larger camera system responsible for the improved low-light performance on Apple's largest iPhone to date.
On opening the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the first obvious difference compared to the i...
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Mac Mini Teardown Provides Real-World Look at M1 Chip on Smaller Logic Board
A teardown of the new Mac mini has surfaced on the forum eGPU.io (via Reddit), providing us with a real-world look at Apple's new M1 chip, which is soldered onto a much smaller logic board than the one found in the 2018 model of the computer.
The M1 is the silver chip labeled with APL1102, housing the 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, I/O controllers, and more all in one. The...

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

2020 iMac Teardown Reveals Internal Changes and Similarities
A teardown video, shared by OWC, reveals the internal changes in the new 2020 27-inch iMac. The 2020 27-inch iMac was announced earlier this week with 10th-generation Intel Core processors, AMD Radeon Pro 5000 series graphics, up to 128GB of RAM, up to 8TB of storage, a 1080p front-facing FaceTime camera, a True Tone display with a nano-texture glass option, higher fidelity speakers, and ...

iPhone SE Teardown: 3D Touch Chip Removed, iPhone 8 Camera Sensor, and More
iFixit has published its full teardown of the new iPhone SE, confirming that the device has many similar or identical components as the iPhone 8, including the display, battery, cameras, Taptic Engine, SIM tray, and more.
The new iPhone SE appears to have the same 12-megapixel rear camera sensor as the iPhone 8, with the benefit of the A13 chip's improved image signal processor, as Rene...

iFixit Shares 2019 Mac Pro Teardown: 'A Masterclass in Repairability'
iFixit has shared its full teardown of the new Mac Pro, calling it "beautiful, amazingly well put together, and a masterclass in repairability."
Given its modular design, the new Mac Pro unsurprisingly earned a nearly perfect repairability score of 9/10, with iFixit noting that basic repairs and upgrades can be performed with standard tools or even no tools at all. Major components also use...

AirPods Pro Teardown: Heavier Than Original AirPods, Different Battery, Same Zero Repairability Score
iFixit today shared a teardown of the new $249 AirPods Pro, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the organization awarded Apple's latest wireless earphones the same zero repairability score as both versions of original AirPods. Apart from the replaceable $4-a-pair proprietary silicone tips that provide noise isolation and enhanced fit on the AirPods Pro, it's the same story as Apple's previous...

10.2-Inch iPad Teardown Confirms 3GB of RAM and Same-Size Battery
iFixit has completed its teardown of the new 10.2-inch iPad and uncovered the same 8,227 mAh/32.9 Wh battery as the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, while RAM has been increased from 2GB to 3GB.
The 10.2-inch iPad is similar to the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad, with the same A10 Fusion chip and Apple Pencil support, but it has a larger display and a Smart Connector that enables...

iFixit's iPhone 11 Teardown: 'An iPhone XR With Some iPhone 11 Pro Tech Inside'
Following a teardown of the iPhone 11 Pro Max on Friday, iFixit today posted a separate teardown of the entry-level iPhone 11 model.
The repair site reiterated what has been said previously about the iPhone 11: it's essentially an iPhone XR, but with a few internal upgrades from the new iPhone 11 Pro family. There's a double-decker logic board, upgraded wide and ultrawide camera lenses,...

iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max All Feature Thicker and Heavier Single-Cell Batteries
In a production information sheet, Apple has confirmed the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max all feature single-cell batteries.
Last year, only the iPhone XS had a single-cell, L-shaped battery, with an iFixit teardown of the device revealing that Apple "notched" the internal corners of the battery to prevent undue stress from thermal expansion. iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR models ...

Base 2019 13-Inch MacBook Pro Teardown Reveals Larger Battery, Soldered-Down SSD, and Updated Keyboard Material
iFixit has shared a teardown of the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, which was refreshed this week with Intel's latest 8th-generation processors, a True Tone display, Touch Bar, Touch ID, and the Apple T2 security chip.
The teardown reveals a larger battery with a 58.2 Wh capacity, which slightly exceeds the 54.5 Wh battery found in the previous-generation function key model. iFixit...

iFixit Finds 2019 MacBook Pro Keyboard Has 'Subtle' Changes to Membrane Cover and Switches
Apple surprised us with a MacBook Pro refresh earlier this week. 2019 models feature faster Intel processors with up to eight cores for the first time, as well as "new materials" added to the keyboard to hopefully reduce issues such as sticky and repeating keys that prompted Apple's worldwide repair program.
Apple didn't elaborate on the new materials, but the repair experts at iFixit have co...

AirPods 2 Teardown: H1 Chip With Bluetooth 5.0, Same Batteries, and Water-Repellent Coating on Charging Case Board
iFixit today shared a teardown of the second-generation AirPods, providing a closer look at the H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 and the same 93 milliwatt hour battery in each of the AirPods in line with the original pair.
New charging case on left and new AirPods with H1 chip labeled in red on right via iFixit The repair website also pried open the new wireless charging case, which continues to...

2018 Mac mini Teardown: User-Upgradeable RAM, But Soldered Down CPU and Storage
The repair experts at iFixit have completed their teardown of the new Mac mini, providing a look inside the portable desktop computer.
Disassembly of the new Mac mini remains fairly straightforward. iFixit popped off the plastic bottom cover with its opening tool and then used a Torx screwdriver to unfasten the familiar antenna plate underneath.
With access to the inside, iFixit then...

2018 MacBook Air Teardown Confirms Improving Repairability With Adhesive Pull-Tabs Under Battery and Speakers
The repair experts at iFixit have completed their teardown of the new MacBook Air, providing a closer look inside the notebook.
iFixit started by confirming the keyboard on the new MacBook Air has the same silicone membrane under the keycaps as the latest MacBook Pro, as expected since they both use Apple's third-generation butterfly keyboard.
Next, they flipped the notebook onto its...

Apple Watch Series 4 Teardown: 20% Less Battery Capacity, Hidden Barometric Sensor, and Streamlined Internals [Updated]
iFixit has completed a teardown of the Apple Watch Series 4, providing a look inside a larger 44mm model with LTE.
Image Credit: iFixit The repair experts believe that while the original Apple Watch was awkwardly layered together and used too much glue, the Series 4 lineup feels "much more thoughtfully laid out," likening it to the iPhone 5.Apple pundit John Gruber has compared this to the...

iFixit: iPhone XS Has 'Notched' Battery and iPhone XS Max Has Apple-Designed Power Management Chip [Updated]
The repair experts at iFixit have shared teardowns of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, providing a look inside the latest models.
iPhone XS on left and iPhone XS Max on right via iFixit While the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have improved IP68-rated water resistance, iFixit says it could not find any obvious evidence of increased waterproofing, with the SIM tray gasket and other seals looking...

iPhone XS Teardown Reveals New Single-Cell L-Shaped Battery
Dutch repair site FixjeiPhone today shared a teardown of the iPhone XS, providing us with our first look inside the 5.8-inch model.
A side-by-side comparison shot with the iPhone X reveals that the internal layout of the iPhone XS has not changed significantly, with the most obvious difference being a new single-cell L-shaped battery with a capacity of 2,658 mAh.
The battery was also...

Samsung Galaxy S9+ Teardown Reveals Components for Dual-Aperture Camera and 'Lower-Tech' AR Emoji
Over the weekend, iFixit shared its latest teardown, this one for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S9+ smartphone. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ will both launch this Friday, March 16 for around for $720 and $840, respectively, and some initial reviews took to comparing the devices to Apple's iPhone X.
iFixit did so as well in the new teardown, starting off by trying to get into the back of the S9+ to look...

HomePod Teardown Reveals Hidden 14-Pin Connector, 16GB Storage, and Very Low Repairability
iFixit has completed an exhaustive teardown of the HomePod and found that, while the speaker appears to have a simple design on the outside, it will likely be extremely difficult for customers to complete do-it-yourself repairs.
HomePod's mesh has a drawstring The teardown experts, who admit there might be a better way to open the HomePod that they've yet to learn, were forced to use a...