iPhone 18 Pro teardown reveals key upgrades and repair issues
What's the story
The tech experts at iFixit have released their teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro, revealing some interesting insights about Apple's latest device. The teardown not only highlights the phone's variable aperture mechanism but also its larger vapor chamber and new under-display Face ID camera. The variable aperture mechanism is a major upgrade for the camera system, with six tiny blades controlled by electromagnets, much like the optical image stabilization system (OIS).
Repair challenges
Variable aperture raises repairability concerns
The teardown also revealed a potential issue with the variable aperture mechanism.
During disassembly, one of the tiny blades flew out, suggesting that component-level repairs could be difficult.
If the aperture gets stuck, it would likely require replacing the entire main camera assembly.
This raises concerns about long-term maintenance and repairability for users who may encounter issues with this advanced feature in their iPhone 18 Pro devices.
Camera innovation
Under-display Face ID infrared camera
The iPhone 18 Pro also features an under-display Face ID infrared camera, a first for Apple's Pro devices.
The company has moved the infrared camera behind the display while keeping the selfie camera and IR dot projector in Dynamic Island.
iFixit found that Apple hides this relocated infrared camera by removing every other row of pixels above it, creating an "eclipse effect" under certain microscope settings.
Cooling system
Redesigned cooling architecture and potential display damage
The teardown also provides a closer look at Apple's redesigned cooling architecture in the iPhone 18 Pro.
The A20 Pro chip uses a new package that places the silicon die side-by-side with memory, allowing direct connection to the vapor chamber.
However, iFixit noted some concerns with the plastic frame around the display getting damaged on three of four devices opened by its team during their analysis.
The Type-C port also requires removing much of the device's internals to replace.
Repair rating
Provisional repairability score for iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max
The team at iFixit has given the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max a provisional repairability score of 7 out of 10.
This is based on their initial analysis, which will be updated as they wait for parts and conduct more tests.
The score indicates that while the device has some user-serviceable components, certain repairs may still pose challenges for DIY enthusiasts or third-party repair shops.