iFixit is a renowned repair expert that gives us an insight whether a smartphone can be easily fixed or not. It has gotten its hands on the new HTC One M9, and has given the device its famous teardown. The teardown reveals that the Taiwanese phone maker’s new flagship is anything but easy to fix, which is probably the reason HTC launched “Uh-Oh Protection” (phone replacement for cracked screens) in the US.
Before we get to the details of the teardown, iFixit was pretty disappointed with the unit they received. Its HTC One M9 was delivered with a “large” scratch and a “defective pixel near the middle of the screen.” With these issues, the repair expert got a “bad feeling” about the phone.
Going back to the teardown, iFixit has given the HTC One M9 a “repairability score” of “2 out of 10.” 10 is easiest to repair.
There are a number of reasons why the HTC One M9 is very difficult to repair. These include:
- The battery is buried beneath the motherboard and adhered to the midframe, hindering its replacement.
- The display assembly cannot be replaced without tunneling through the entire phone. This makes one of most common repairs—a damaged screen—very difficult to accomplish.
- Intense adhesives make many components difficult, and even dangerous, to remove and replace.
- HTC thought they could Have Their Cake and eat it too, by making a flagship phone that’s tough to repair. Sorry HTC, but this design Has To Change.
There is only one part of the teardown that was fairly easy. This is:
- Design streamlining (upper access panel and reduced tape/shielding) makes for slightly easier access to some components.
Does iFixit’s teardown make you want to get your hands on the HTC One M9, or does it make you want to get your hands on something else? Share a thought on our Phones LTD Facebook page.