Hi I am Gwendolyn with iFixit and today we are tearing down the brand new iPhone 7 Plus.
While the iPhone 7 Plus retains the design basics of the previous generation it does
have a lot of upgrades.
Including a new dual camera system, a non mechanical home button, iP67 water resistance
and beefy processor upgrade.
But what updates have taken place on the inside of this new iPhone?
There’s only one way to find out and that’s to tear it down.
Getting into the the iPhone 7 Plus was a familiar affair.
Pentablobe screws, Isclack open, although with a bit more force than we’ve had to
use before, and a little prying.
But then a difference.
The iPhone 7 Plus opens to the side.
Had we not had some advance warning this could have been a disaster for our display cables.
Good thing we make guides.
Another annoying novelty rears it’s head.
We have new screws.
Tripont screws secure both the battery and display bracket to the iPhone.
Fortunately for us, we’ve come loaded with our pro tech toolkit and a super handy y00
bit that handles them easily.
With screws removed and the cables disconnected we remove the display.
Heading down south the bottom of the phone we remove a plastic component that According
to Apple is a barometric vent.
With the added ingress protection afforded by the watertight seal, the iPhone uses this
baffle to equalize the internal and atmospheric pressures in order to have an accurate altimeter.
Speaking of the Taptic engine it’s next to be removed.
The taptic engine is a tiny linear actuator and some zig zag springs that shake a weighted
core.
The taptic engine precision oscillation is designed to provide many types of tactile
feedback including the sensation of pressing a mechanical button.
With those two parts removed we have easy access to the battery adhesive pull tabs that
hold the battery in place.
This battery is a 3.82V, 2900 mAh, a slight upgrade over the 2750 mAh of the 6s Plus.
Next out were the cameras!
Two sensors, two lenses and two sets of optical image stabilization.
One of the camera is a wide angle, just like the iPhone 6s and the other is a telephoto
which allows for optical zoom.
Both of these 12 MP cameras also sport a new image sensor that Apple claims is 60% faster
and 30% more energy efficient than previous iPhones.
After removing some portions of the antenna assembly, including the antenna flex cable,
we get the logic board out.
Peeling away the emi shields reveals the chips on the board, including the new A10 fusion
chip and it’s accompanying 3GB of RAM, and 128GB of Toshiba made NAND Flash storage.
IF you want to see the full list of chips we identified head on over to iFixit.com,
We have a VERY complete list of chips thanks to some help from our friends at chipworks.
The speaker is next to come out and a closer inspection reveals some nice spring contacts
and ingress protection, meaning this speaker is helping to keep things out of the phone,
namely water.
Much has been made about the new models of iPhone being more water resistant and this
is just one instance of that new feature found on the phone.
We also found rubber gaskets and plugs at the SIM tray port, and some very substantial
gasketing at the lightning connector.
Speaking of the Lightning cable assembly, it is moderately glued to the case and it
is huge.
Attached to it are those speaker gaskets.
These gaskets are a serious water and dust proofing upgrade from the 6s pluses use of
foam adhesive in this location.
With the lightning port out we turn our attention back to the display.
By the way, this display is a 5.5-inch,1920 by1080, Retina HD display with a pixel density
of 401 ppi.
But what really interests us is down at the bottom, the new home button.
It’s more like the home touch sensor really and it is removable It won't be a simple procedure,
with tiny tri-points and light adhesive on the cable—but thankfully there is no longer
a delicate gasket to replace.
We’ve come to the end of our teardown and now we turn our thoughts towards repairability.
How did the iPhone 7 Plus score?
It got... a 7 out 10!
and here’s why...
On the upside The battery is straightforward to access.
Removing it requires specialty screwdrivers and knowledge of the adhesive removal technique,
but is not difficult.
The solid state home button eliminates a common point of failure.
Neutral Improved water and dust protection greatly
reduces the need for repairs associated with environmental damage and accidental spills
(but also makes some repairs more difficult).
The display assembly continues to be the first component out, simplifying screen repairs,
but the procedure has grown more complicated with improved waterproofing measures.
But on the downside With the addition of tri-point screws, many
iPhone 7 Plus repairs will require up to four different types of drivers.
And that’s our Teardown!
For the complete teardown including tons of beautiful high quality images head on over
to ifixit.com.
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