iPhone 7 Teardown: Better Waterproofing, but Weird Screws

Berlin, September 20, 2016: The technicians at iDoc could hardly wait to take apart the latest iPhone. Now Apple has finally released its latest smartphone, and the repair experts from Berlin got straight to work. In a new teardown and a Full HD video, iDoc gave the iPhone 7 a bath and took it apart to see exactly how waterproof the new model is, and how difficult future repairs will be. Compared to many other smartphones, the iPhone 7 is still fairly easy to repair. Unfortunately, some aspects have gotten more difficult since the iPhone 6s. The IP67 protection rating means the display is glued on again, making it more difficult to take off, but considerably less vulnerable to water damage. There is one pitfall to watch out for when removing the display: Users who try to lift it up above the FaceTime camera as in the previous model risk tearing the display cables, which are now routed along the edge on the side. The new tri-wing screws make their first appearance in the display cover. Removing them requires a special screwdriver, which you’ll need again to remove components like the logic board. Most people don’t have a tri-wing screwdriver lying around, and buying one costs a lot more than the standard Phillips PH00 screwdriver you would usually need. Aside from these screws, the individual components are easy to remove, and only a few are really glued in place. Unfortunately, removing the Lightning connector is a little more difficult. You have to remove the motherboard before you can take out this part, which tends to get damaged sooner or later. The IP67 protection makes a few things more complicated, but it’s certainly effective. iDoc tested it by dunking the iPhone in water for about 10 seconds, and found that no water had gotten into the phone at all. The new iPhone also owes its protection rating to various rubber seals on its buttons, SIM card tray, microphones and speakers. All in all, there are a number of positive aspects, such as the display, which is fairly easy to remove. If you want to remove other components, you can now simply fold the display to one side instead of taking it off all the way. Afterwards, you have access to the entire interior of the new iPhone. That also applies to the battery, which is now easier to remove because the adhesive strips are less likely to tear. However, the tri-wing screws make things more difficult at several points in the new iPhone, and may serve no other purpose than making it more difficult to repair. In general, there are a lot of screws inside the iPhone 7, as well as some parts that are glued on, but all that glue goes hand-in-hand with the IP67 rating. When it comes to modularity, the new model leaves something to be desired because not all parts can be removed independently of each other. As in the last model, the exposed position of the display glass means it’s likely to get damaged if dropped. The detailed teardown and the video are available at idoc.eu/manuals/en. More repair guides for the iPhone 7 and helpful videos on iDoc’s YouTube channel are coming soon.

iDoc is a Berlin-based startup that not only repairs smartphones and other devices, but also offers tools, replacement parts, and free step-by-step repair guides and videos.

Mehringdamm 33, 10961 Berlin, Germany

This release was published on openPR.