Smartphone maintenance has become more closely tied to its internal design and the way its components are assembled, after the repair process went beyond replacing the battery or screen to include dismantling layers fixed with adhesives, dealing with integrated components, and software procedures that may be necessary after installing new parts. While some companies provide spare parts, manuals, and tools specifically for maintenance, other designs make repair processes more specialized and costly.
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Slim design versus easy repair
One of the main reasons for the complexity of maintenance is the trend towards designing thinner phones that are water and dust resistant. To achieve this, adhesives are used to securely fix the screen, back cover, battery and other components, instead of relying solely on screws and mechanical clips.
iFixit, a US-based company specializing in device repairability assessments, explains that excessive reliance on adhesives increases disassembly and reassembly time and may require additional tools and consumables to reinstall components. The company considers ease of disassembly and reassembly, along with the availability of repair manuals and spare parts, as key factors when evaluating phone repairability.
The use of adhesive does not necessarily mean that the phone is unrepairable. Some designs use solutions that make removing certain parts easier. iFixit points out that some modern iPhones use electrically release adhesive to facilitate battery replacement, while other components are still held in place with traditional adhesive.
The difference becomes apparent when comparing the designs, as iFixit's assessments indicate that the Fairphone 6 uses a modular design that allows for the replacement of the screen and battery without adhesives, while other devices require the removal of adhesive-fixed components before accessing the battery or other parts.
The difficulty of repair is not only related to the battery, as placing several components in a single unit or soldering them to the motherboard can make replacing a small part more complicated. In some phones, accessing the charging port or an internal component may require removing the screen or back cover first, increasing the number of repair steps and the likelihood of damaging other parts during disassembly.
The differences between phones are clearly evident in this aspect, as some devices provide standard charging ports that can be replaced as a standalone unit, while other ports are soldered to the main board, which makes them more difficult to repair.
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