iPhone 15 Pro Max Teardown and Durability by iFixit
iFixit’s teardown preview of the iPhone 15 Pro Max provides an in-depth look at the interior of the flagship device. The video also includes a fascinating short clip by Evident Scientific that demonstrates the vulnerability of the titanium coating. The clip reveals how easily the titanium coating on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is scratched. Check out the magnified screenshot below:
According to iFixit, the titanium coating on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is easily scratched. The reviewer showcases the scratches under a microscope provided by Evident Scientific and remarks, “They’re using titanium because it makes the phone 18 grams lighter and titanium sounds cool. Unfortunately for the cool factor, we found that the color on the titanium shell scratches easily, a process that is only satisfying under the magnificent magnification of the microscope kindly loaned to us by Evident Scientific. I could scratch this thing up all day.”
The Pros now open from both directions
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max now have a unique feature — they open from both directions. However, all of the internals are still hiding behind the screen rather than the back glass. The back glass is now removable, similar to the previous model, iPhone 14. This adjustment in the chassis arrangement may be due to the larger camera array. Nevertheless, this new design makes critical repairs, like battery swaps, slightly riskier as the display needs to be removed, which is expensive and fragile.
Change in iFixit’s Repairability Score
iFixit has retroactively downgraded the iPhone’s Repairability Score from a previous “recommended 7/10” to a “do-not-recommend 4/10”. The review expresses dissatisfaction with Apple’s approach. While the new interior design makes it technically easier to repair newer iPhones, there are software limitations imposed on repairs. To ensure compatibility, repairs require a “software handshake” through Apple’s System Configuration tool. This process authenticates the repair and pairs the new part with the system for expected functionality.
Proponents of this approach argue that it guarantees genuine Apple parts and reduces the risk of scams.
