It looks like the 2020 iPhone SE and the iPhone 8 may be a bit more interchangeable than you thought.
A second teardown of the updated iPhone SE has revealed that some of its components can be replaced by versions used in the iPhone 8.
The recently-launched refresh of the iPhone SE borrowed many of the elements of pre-iPhone X designs, including using Touch ID instead of Face ID. As with the original, Apple did so to reduce the overall cost of the model, as well as to continue using an existing catalog of parts it is intimately familiar with, something keenly demonstrated by a recent teardown.
Via a recent teardown, the cool cats at iFixit, have noted that several of the iPhone SE’s components can be easily replaced. While this doesn’t extend to items on the main board, such as the A13 processor, it does cover other elements such as the SIM tray, the Taptic Engine, and the display assembly, complete with the microphone and proximity sensor. The display is also thought to be the cheapest to replace out of all the iPhones released in recent years, though True Tone support will be lost unless the repairer has access to a screen programmer.
The iPhone SE’s Home button isn’t interchangeable with the iPhone 8’s home button, and iFixit has warned that this would need a non-apple repair, or substituted for an aftermarket version without Touch ID.
Despite its similar appearance, the iPhone SE’s and the iPhone 8’s batteries are not interchangeable given they they use a different logic board connector. Furthermore, it is claimed that a genuine iPhone SE 2020 battery cannot be switched for another without triggering a “not a genuine Apple battery” service warning.
A full teardown of the 2020 iPhone SE by iFixit is anticipated for release today.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider