Apple quietly made a small, unannounced change inside the iPhone 14 that makes it 'the most repairable iPhone in years' for DIY-ers
- A redesign in the iPhone 14 not mentioned in Apple's keynote makes the phone easier to repair.
- The iPhone 14 can be opened from the front and back, and the screen is easier to open than before.
A small change in the architecture of the new iPhone 14 makes the phone easier for DIY repairs.
The iPhone 14 can be opened from the front and back just by unscrewing two screws, according to how-to website iFixit. Those screws secure the back glass and front screen of the phone.
The design change is also significant because the iPhone 14 is the first new iPhone to launch since Apple began its self-repair program, allowing iPhone owners to buy genuine Apple replacement parts and rent the tools needed to conduct the repair directly from the company.
According to iFixit, having both sides accessible adds other technical challenges, such as having an extra side to seal for protection against water, and potential issues with radio frequency.
All of the internal parts of the iPhone 14 — the parts responsible for satellite signaling to use 5G, GPS, wifi, and Bluetooth — are put on one midframe behind the screen. The midframe also absorbs the force if the phone is dropped.
Along with this redesign, the new iPhone 14 has an improved camera and there's no SIM-card port.
Before this redesign was discovered, the iPhone 14's hardware did not stand significantly apart from its iPhone 13 predecessor. Insider's Antonio Villas-Boas recently wrote that upgrading to the iPhone 14 from the iPhone 13 was likely a pass for most people.
iFixit gave the iPhone 14 a 7 out of 10 "repairability score," and added that it's "the most repairable iPhone in years." The website also added that making it easier to repair the iPhone 14 "will help it last longer and reduce its overall impact on the planet."
This change sets the iPhone 14 apart from its fellow iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max that don't have the same front and back accessibility.