Once again, the super cool cats at iFixit have performed and published a teardown of Apple’s newest hardware, and have taken both an iPhone 12 and an iPhone 12 Pro down to their base components.
Like similar models, the iPhone 12 units required Pentalobe screwdrivers, suction cups, picks and heat to open the display. Rather than opening on the left-hand edge, a routine that has been in play since the iPhone 7, the iPhone 12 opens from the right-hand edge.
While an initial glance at the insides of both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models doesn’t readily indicate which one is better, the removal of the camera shield reveals the space for the third camera and liDAR sensor on the iPhone 12 Pro.
The 2020 model iPhones also feature flipped positions for the SIM tray, logic board, and battery. This is thought to be due to the larger logic board housing Qualcomm’s 5G chips. The logic board includes the Apple A14 Bionic SoC layered with Micron memory, Samsung flash storage, Qualcomm’s 5G and LTE transceiver, Qualcomm’s 5G modem, Apple’s U1 chip and power management controller, and an Avago power amplifier and integrated duplexer. For the 5G to work properly, the units were found to have mmWave antenna modules embedded in the side of the frame and on the back of the logic board.
It was also noted that Apple had changed how the speakers were held in place, and that Apple is now securing them with Phillips screws and bright orange rubber gaskets as opposed to adhesive. The MagSafe charging arrays use 18 magnets to align the coils in place with the charger, with the polarity of the magnets thought to “expand the effective placement of the phone” while still maintaining proper alignment. Apple has also made some compromises to its internal layout to add 5G components, and has shifted from an L-shaped battery to a smaller logic board in the process.
iFixit gave the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 a “Repairability Score” of 6 out of 10. While display and battery replacements stay as a priority along with modular components inside and the use of screws, the continued use of glue and the increased waterproofing measures “complicate some repairs,” while a broken glass back replacement will requiring the removal of every component from the device.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and iFixit