There’s no question that each model of iPhone becomes slightly more difficult to repair. Apple does a good job at making it difficult for third parties to repair their devices. The reason is so that customers go back to the Genius Bar or Apple Certified locations to get their devices repaired. This way Apple can keep the entire value-chain in-house!
Let’s dive straight into it and discuss the top 5 easiest iPhones to repair, rated by our top technicians. They’ve compiled ratings from their repairs for each product line in order to come up with this list.
iPhone 7 + iPhone 7 Plus
The reason this is rated as the easiest iPhone to repair is mainly because of how easy it is to access the battery. The solid state home button reduces the potential for mistakes during the repair as well. You will need specialty screwdrivers (as most devices require) but with knowledge of the adhesive removal technique, it’s not that hard.
The downside of this device repair is that it has tri-point screws and will require you to use 4 different types of screwdrivers.
iPhone 6s + iPhone 6s Plus
Since the display is the first component that is taken out, it simplifies a lot of the repairs for these devices. You will need a Pentalobe screwdriver and the ability to remove adhesive from the iPhone, but most technicians will have the knowledge to do this correctly.
Same as with the iPhone 7 models, these devices have a straightforward process when it comes to accessing and removing the batteries. Reducing the points of failure here and having the battery out so the circuit board doesn’t fry prevents a lot of mistakes during the repair!
iPhone 11
Apple came out with a new line of displays for the iPhone 11 series. Replacing this component is much easier than with other devices, however. Many of our techs note that their new prioritized display doesn’t require a ton of hardware swapping to keep Face ID intact on the device.
The downside of this series however, is that the front and back glass increases the potential of breakage. This is because the rear glass can only be replaced if you swap out the entire housing of the iPhone.
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Many components are accessible independently due to the size and components within the phone. This allows our technicians to go straight to the root of the problem most of the time.
When it comes to the broken back glass, things get complicated. Unfortunately, with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, you will have to remove every component and then replace the entire chassis.
I Repair Cracked Screens Recommendation
Here at I Repair Cracked Screens, we always advise our techs to focus on the more difficult repairs or repairs of older iPhone models. This allows them to gain new knowledge and gain experience faster. They can then simply transfer their knowledge from the more difficult repairs to the simpler iPhone models. Also, when you start learning with the earlier models, you can see the evolution of the iPhone and how Apple redesigns their inner components model after model.