A new iPhone 14 teardown video from iFixit shows a major repairability improvement: removable back glass. The video demonstrates how you can lift the

Apple’s hidden redesign makes the iPhone 14 much easier to fix

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2022-09-22 13:30:06

A new iPhone 14 teardown video from iFixit shows a major repairability improvement: removable back glass. The video demonstrates how you can lift the rear glass panel with ease, using only a heating mat, a suction handle, and an opening pick — a huge deviation from the past few generations of iPhones that weren’t so repair-friendly.

iFixit describes the process in more detail in a post on its site, noting that the back glass is “simply secured with two screws and a single connector.” Apple appears to have used an adhesive that isn’t so strong, making it a lot easier to take off the back panel without any expensive tools. iFixit also points out that removing those same screws will give you access to the screen in case you need to repair that as well.

Apple first introduced the glass backing with the iPhone 8, and replacing that panel isn’t an easy or inexpensive job. At the time, the cost to have Apple repair the glass backing was $349 for the iPhone 8 and $399 for the iPhone 8 Plus, a dramatic jump from the respective $29 and $99 prices for a screen replacement with an AppleCare Plus plan.