TECH NEWS – Apple has released its new device, and iFixit has taken it apart, revealing a few interesting details.

The iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e have virtually identical chassis structures and designs. Apple simply equipped the latest generation with an updated chipset and MagSafe charging – a feature missing from the previous generation of the company’s budget model. Fortunately, iFixit’s new teardown video shows just how easy it is to retrofit the older model with wireless charging. With the right tools and practice, the process takes only a few minutes.

Apple has released “day one” manuals to official repair experts, including iFixit. This makes getting inside the iPhone 17e a breeze. Accessing the battery is extremely simple because the Cupertino tech giant continues to use electrically releasable adhesive that separates the cell from the chassis. This makes replacement easy. A closer look at the battery reveals a capacity of 15.556 Wh (4005 mAh), unchanged from the unit powering the iPhone 16e.

While many components in the iPhone 17e’s casing can be easily removed, accessing the USB-C charging port takes a great deal of effort. In the video below, iFixit complains about this difficult process because the charging port often fails due to constant wear and tear. Apple made the necessary changes to the iPhone 16 so that replacing the USB-C port would take minimal time. However, it’s disappointing that they didn’t apply the same approach to the iPhone 17e.

Although parts are interchangeable between the two budget models, Face ID won’t work because each TrueDepth camera is individually registered. As for MagSafe wireless charging, the iPhone 16e lacks the software necessary to recognize this component, so the animation won’t trigger. Whether the iPhone 16e can charge at the same 15W power as the iPhone 17e remains unanswered, meaning further testing is needed.

Overall, iFixit gave Apple’s latest budget device a repairability score of 7/10. While the video suggests that Apple is moving toward a more repair-friendly product line, these new changes are primarily about manufacturing efficiency and cost reduction.

Source: WCCFTech