Tag Archives: Teardown

M4 iPad Pro teardown reveals an important sustainability upgrade

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As expected, the Internet is abuzz over the new M4 iPad Pro’s ultra-thin design, but there are also reasonable concerns over the device’s durability and longevity because of that design as well. Fortunately, a bend test proved that the tablet has enough resistance to withstand accidents within reason, but accidents will still happen regardless. Displays will get cracked and batteries degrade and, sooner or later, the new iPad Pro will become old and will need to be repaired. When that time comes, how easy and expensive will it be to open up the thinnest iPad in the world and replace those broken parts? It turns out, that Apple made one very important step toward improving the device’s repairability, at least for one of the most common types of repairs.

Designer: Apple (via iFixit)

Whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet, mobile devices have two or three parts that easily get damaged or need to be replaced. Screens crack or shatter after accidental falls, charging ports get damaged or blocked, and batteries start to lose their charge faster or, worse, start to bloat. For the iPad Pro, getting to any of these parts has always been a chore and a risk, but the M4 iPad Pro has surprisingly made it easier to remove and replace the battery without removing as many important parts.

Opening up the iPad Pro is still an exercise in patience and dexterity, perhaps even more so now with a new Tandem OLED display. A closer look at that screen reveals not the dual-layered panels that Apple used to explain the technology, but, for all intents and purposes, it practically functions the same way. Long story short, there’s a high chance that the screen will be damaged beyond repair when you try to open the iPad Pro just to replace the battery.

Fortunately, the battery itself is easy to reach, as it is immediately exposed after removing the display. There are a few parts that need to be unscrewed to gain access to the pull tabs, but there’s no need to remove daughterboards, logic boards, or even speakers. Considering this is Apple we’re talking about, that’s a rather ground-breaking change and a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, Apple’s “size zero” design does also come with its drawbacks, like many of the parts now glued down rather than screwed down, just because there’s virtually no space left for screws. And then there’s the new Apple Pencil Pro that’s still an expensive disposable accessory as far as repairability is concerned. All in all, the M4 iPad Pro represents a significant step forward for Apple when it comes to making the tablet a more sustainable option on top of being one of the best of its kind.

The post M4 iPad Pro teardown reveals an important sustainability upgrade first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple Vision Pro iFixit teardown reveals what’s inside and how it works

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Apple has entered a new product category with the Vision Pro. The expensive eyewear, positioned to transport us into the future of VR, is an expensive deal to begin with at $3,499. So, ripping something of that value apart to just reveal how repairable it is and to what it packs within that makes it worthy of making Apple a new category giant may seem obnoxious to us.

But that’s little of a deterrent for the folks at iFixit, who pride in tearing down the latest gadgets to see how easy or difficult it is to repair them and examine what makes it a favorite. In that scheme of things, iFixit has put its heating guns and prying tools to use to tear open Apple’s new tech marvel. What they see is pretty straightforward: a few easy-to-remove parts and then complicated screws, connectors, and seals to get past before fully revealing the impressive cameras and more.

Designer: iFixit

Between the easy take offs and the intricate connectors, the Vision Pro – iFixit teardown reveals – has some unbelievable tech crammed. Some of this is never seen before, especially the advanced EyeSight display which it is discovered uses several videos of the wearer’s eyes simultaneously.

As the iFixit video runs through the teardown it shows Apple’s new AR/VR headset is similarly detailed and intriguing as the other Apple devices. So, the process of tearing it down is not easy and required a heat gun, screwdrivers, prying tools, and lots of effort. But as you’ll see, the effort is worth appreciating.

First up, the video suggests the customizable face cushion, light seals are easy to pull off, while the power chord has to be turned to unlock. The device’s knit band pops easily off the headgear stems, from the integrated latch. Stem with speakers disassemble the eye housing swiftly as well leaving the cameras, sensors, battery, R1 chip, and EyeSight display to take a look into.

This is according to iFixit the first scratch of the detailed teardown that would be revealed in the near future. The initial teardown however shows that the Vision Pro is inside out what we have heard of. It has some high-end tech within its small form factor, but it will require some elbow grease to repair.

The post Apple Vision Pro iFixit teardown reveals what’s inside and how it works first appeared on Yanko Design.

OnePlus 12 teardown reveals what it takes to keep this phone cool

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Smartphones today are practically small yet powerful computers that you can hold in your hand and fit in your pocket. And just like any computer, the more powerful it is, the more heat it generates. In the past, smartphones could get by with simple cooling techniques that didn’t take much engineering or design to implement. Of course, those no longer work today, and sometimes even the common “vapor chamber” isn’t enough to keep the device from running hot. That’s why you’ll often hear brands boasting about some new advanced cooling technology, and a teardown of the new OnePlus 12 shows just how far some have to go to make sure your phone doesn’t turn into an incendiary device, whether you’re gaming, browsing the Web, or even simply charging it.

Designer: OnePlus (via JerryRigEverything)

It’s probably debatable whether the OnePlus 12 is the most powerful smartphone in the market to date, but it is one of the first to launch with the shiny new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Benchmarks do speak in its favor, which suggests that despite its rather classy appearance, the OnePlus 12 is a gaming-worthy device. This also means it is in even more need of a more effective cooling solution compared to gaming smartphones with insane designs that include a tiny fan inside.

OnePlus does talk about a “Dual Cryo-velocity Vapor Chamber Cooling System,” which is just its fancy way of saying that its latest flagship has a ginormous cooling system. That size is mainly due to actually having two vapor chambers on top of each other, acting as redundant cooling systems that work doubly hard to keep not just the processor cool but the battery as well. Of course, you wouldn’t actually see the stacked vapor chambers even from the teardown, because they’ll just look like a large, flexible copper plate.

The size of this material, however, does show the almost ridiculous lengths designers and engineers have to go through to ensure the safety of such a powerful device. And it’s not just because of the powerful processor but also thanks to super-fast battery charging, which means even more heat being generated. The teardown also shows the trick that OnePlus (and other manufacturers) use to pull off this quick charging feat: split the battery into two and charge both small packs at the same time.

Although not the focus of the video, the teardown does suggest how relatively easy it is to open up the OnePlus 12. It was only when it came to separating the screen did things got really risky, but if you’re trying to replace the display, chances are it’s already dead in the first place. OnePlus is noted to have a solid parts replacement program, so much of that effort in prying open the OnePlus 12 won’t be in vain.

The post OnePlus 12 teardown reveals what it takes to keep this phone cool first appeared on Yanko Design.