iFixit is at it again and this time the star of the teardown is the iPhone 6 Plus. That's quite the welcome for Apple's newest offering which officially hits stores Friday alongside the smaller iPhone 6.
The iFixit crew got their hands on an iPhone 6 Plus in Australia through a fan and proceeded to do the teardown in MacFixit Australia. Tools used include a P2 Pentalobe Screwdriver for the iPhone, an iSclack, a 54 bit driver kit, precision tweezer set, a Jimmy, plastic opening tools, and a spudger.
After comparing the gold iPhone 6 Plus they had to a Pop-Tart for perspective, iFixit began with the teardown by first assessing the exterior of the smartphone. First comment: Apple is still using Pentalobe screws.
Once the screws are off, the display is carefully lifted to avoid the problem they had with the iPhone 5s. A peek inside showed a clean design, with the home button cable far from causing trouble this time.
After some work on the metal bracket attaching the display to the logic board, the display is free and iFixit gets its first unobstructed view of the inner workings of the iPhone 6 Plus.
First impressions?
It has a big battery. Just by judging the size, iFixit suspected that it will have more-than-decent juice to run the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone 6 Plus and the 5s appeared to have similar internal layouts. The similarities extend to the home button, which has a metal bracket securing it. Simply pop up the bracket and the front panel assembly is easy to get to. However, the process of removing the bracket can be time-consuming, most especially in the event of a repair.
For the most part, the insides of the iPhone 6 Plus are as expected. What has been rumored, announced by Apple, and proven by iFixit are generally the same. The teardown was able to determine, however, that the 5.5-inch model is fitted with 1GB RAM and a 2,915mAh battery.
The iPhone 6 Plus earned a 7 out of 10 from iFixit, thanks to an improvement in repairability compared to the 5s. The screen is easy to remove while the battery can be quickly accessed, and the fingerprint sensor cable extended to make the phone safer to open. Still, issues remain about Apple's proprietary Pentalobe screws and the fact that the company doesn't share repair information with consumers and independent repair shops.
