iPhone 15 Teardowns Are Disappointing for Repairability, Durability

pcmag.com:

With every new Apple device comes a new teardown, and between the JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, iFixit, and others, we now know everything there is to know about the inner workings of the iPhone 15 and latest Apple Watches. Unfortunately, the results aren't great.

The most surprising iPhone 15 teardown and durability results likely came from Zack Nelson's JerryRigEverything channel. Compared to iFixit's meticulous examination of gadgets, Zach's methods are much more rough. By the end of every durability test, he'll scratch every surface, expose the device to flame, and more. The final stage is a bend and flex test, where Nelson tries to break the phone with his bare hands.

For years, iPhones have stood these tests well and shown little to no give. But when he started to bend the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the black glass completely shattered under the pressure. Thankfully, the standard iPhone 15 Pro held up well. But a follow-up disassembly video revealed a soldered antennae that doesn't bode well for repairs.

That trend holds up in iFixit's teardown, which praised the new easier-to-repair back glass on the 15 Pro series. But even that's not all good news: instead of allowing for battery replacements by removing the back, the Pro series still requires a display removal. If you need to replace the battery in your iPhone 15 Pro, you'll have to risk breaking your display.

But things get worse from there: iFixit purchased multiple iPhones and attempted to swap parts from one to another. Part swapping is a common repair tactic: you stick with genuine Apple parts and keep otherwise good material out of the ground. Unfortunately, Apple's trend of part pairing has only continued.

Through its tests, iFixit found if you repair your